20 000 Đồng

Vietnam's polymer series, introduced progressively from 2003, was produced by Note Printing Australia — a deliberate move away from the cotton-paper notes that had historically suffered badly in the country's humid subtropical climate. The 20,000 đồng has been one of the highest-volume denominations in daily use, filling the gap between small change and the larger notes increasingly needed as inflation compressed purchasing power over the preceding decades.

The polymer substrate holds up well to the conditions, but the colour-shifting ink on this denomination has shown visible wear on heavily circulated examples — the shift degrading noticeably before the substrate itself shows damage.