Les acteurs de l’immobilier vietnamien
OFX review: services, fees, pros and cons
Is OFX a good way to transfer money to Vietnam for a property purchase?
OFX at a glance
Money transfer- Founded
- 1998, as OzForex (Sydney, Australia)
- Headquarters
- Sydney, Australia
- Listed
- ASX: OFX
- Publicly listed since 2013; renamed from OzForex to OFX in 2015
- Regulated by
- ASIC (Australia), FCA (UK), FinCEN-registered MSB (US)
- Plus licences in Canada, New Zealand and Hong Kong
- Services
- International money transfers, multi-currency accounts, rate alerts, forward contracts
- Coverage
- 50+ currencies, transfers to 170+ countries
- Presence in Hanoi
- None — online and phone-based service only
- Languages
- English
- No dedicated Vietnamese-language line identified
Editorial rating: OFX for Hanoi property buyers
- Foreigner accessibility
- 4.0 / 5
- English support
- 4.0 / 5
- Track record & reliability
- 4.5 / 5
- Fees & transparency
- 3.5 / 5
- Documentation & process
- 4.0 / 5
Online account opening from abroad, no Vietnamese residency required, but no in-country desk to walk into.
English-language phone and online support around the clock; no Vietnamese-language line identified.
ASX-listed since 2013 with multi-jurisdiction oversight (ASIC, FCA, FinCEN) — unusually transparent for this category.
No flat transfer fee, but the cost sits inside the exchange-rate margin — get a live quote before committing a large deposit.
Standard KYC and source-of-funds checks online; large property-related transfers may trigger extra verification, as with any regulated provider.
Who is OFX?
OFX began in 1998 in Sydney as OzForex, one of the first non-bank challengers to offer international money transfers online. The company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: OFX) in 2013 and adopted the OFX name in 2015. Nearly three decades on, it remains headquartered in Sydney and operates under financial-services licences in Australia (ASIC), the United Kingdom (FCA), the United States (registered as a Money Services Business with FinCEN, plus state-level licences), Canada, New Zealand and Hong Kong.
OFX's core business is international transfers and multi-currency accounts for individuals and businesses moving meaningful sums across borders — property purchases, migration, tuition, cross-border payroll. Rather than charging a flat transfer fee, it earns its margin on the exchange rate it quotes, and positions itself around dedicated currency dealers and no published cap on transfer size. That combination is why it turns up regularly in comparisons aimed at large, one-off payments rather than everyday remittances.
+ OFX: strengths and points to verify
- +No flat fee and no published maximum transfer amount — suited to a full deposit or SPA instalment in a single transfer.
- +Publicly listed and multi-regulated: ASX-listed since 2013, licensed by ASIC and the FCA, and registered with FinCEN in the US — an unusually transparent structure for this category.
- +Named currency dealer for larger transfers, reachable by phone, rather than a generic support queue.
- +24/7 phone support and an online transfer flow you can start from anywhere, without needing an existing Vietnamese bank relationship.
−
- −No branch, agent or Vietnamese-language service in Hanoi — the whole relationship is remote.
- −Pricing sits inside the exchange-rate margin rather than a flat fee, so compare the live quoted rate against the mid-market rate before committing a large sum.
- −VND is not freely convertible offshore, so funds may land at the receiving Vietnamese bank in USD or another major currency for local conversion — confirm the settlement currency before wiring.
- −Public feedback on independent review sites skews mixed for smaller, time-pressured transfers, with occasional complaints about response times during volatile-rate windows — less relevant to the large, planned transfer a property purchase involves.
OFX for foreign property buyers in Hanoi
Funding a Hanoi purchase from Europe typically means moving a five- or six-figure sum in one or two instalments — the reservation deposit, then the balance due on the Sale & Purchase Agreement (SPA). This is close to the exact transaction OFX is built for: no published maximum transfer amount, no per-transfer fee, and a named currency dealer you can call to discuss timing around a EUR/VND or GBP/VND move — a real consideration, since a swing in the rate can add several thousand euros to the cost of a unit in Tây Hồ or a Vinhomes township (see our EUR/VND note for what's currently moving the rate). Once contracts are signed, the same relationship can also fund the smaller in-country costs — registration fee, notary and maintenance fund — that come due later in the process.
Two caveats specific to Vietnam. First, OFX has no branch, agent or Vietnamese-language desk in Hanoi — you deal with it entirely by phone and online from wherever you are, then route funds to your seller's or escrow account per your buying-process timeline. Second, Vietnamese law generally requires real-estate payments to be settled through a bank rather than in cash, under the Law on Real Estate Business 2023 — precisely the kind of traceable, bank-to-bank transfer a regulated provider like OFX produces, which is useful evidence for the overseas-sourced funds you'll need to document.
Other money-transfer specialists working with foreign buyers
OFX
★Transferts internationaux et solutions FX de forte valeur (spot, forwards, ordres à cours limité), comptes globaux multi-devises (25+), cartes corporate, gestion du risque de change. Sert particuliers fortunés et entreprises, incl. achats immobiliers à l'étranger.
Dublin, Irlande (entité UE) ; siège mondial Sydney, Australie (coté ASX) · EN
Wise
Transferts internationaux vers 160+ pays, compte multi-devises (40+ devises), carte de débit, comptes business, API. Sert particuliers, expatriés et entreprises pour transferts de moyenne à grande valeur.
Bruxelles (entité UE, Wise Europe SA) ; siège mondial Londres, UK · EN, FR (site multilingue)
Xe Money Transfer
Transferts internationaux vers 190+ pays, conversion de devises et taux de référence, alertes de change, comptes business multi-devises, gestion du risque FX, API de données de change. Division money transfer du groupe Euronet.
Newmarket, Ontario, Canada (filiale d'Euronet Worldwide) · EN (+ multilingue)
✓ Who should use OFX
- ✓EU/UK buyers wiring a five- or six-figure deposit or SPA balance in one or two transfers.
- ✓Buyers who want a named dealer to talk through timing around EUR/VND or GBP/VND moves.
- ✓Buyers comfortable managing the transfer entirely online and by phone, without a local Hanoi office.
- ⚠Buyers who want a Vietnamese-language desk or an in-person meeting in Hanoi.
- ⚠Very small or frequent transfers, where a fixed-fee, app-only competitor may be simpler to track.
- ⚠Buyers who haven't yet confirmed with their receiving Vietnamese bank how the incoming currency will be converted.
Our verdict on OFX
4.0 / 5OFX earns its place on a Hanoi buyer's shortlist for one reason above the rest: it is built for exactly the kind of transfer a property purchase requires — a large, one-off or twice-off payment, not a drip of small remittances. The multi-jurisdiction regulatory footprint and more than a decade on the ASX give it a track record that's easy to verify independently, and a named currency dealer beats a generic support queue when you're timing a six-figure transfer around an exchange rate. What it doesn't offer is a Hanoi presence: no branch, no Vietnamese-language line, and no help with the local banking side once funds land. Treat it as your transfer specialist, not your Vietnam desk, and pair it with your lawyer and receiving bank on the ground.
OFX: frequently asked questions
Can OFX be trusted?
OFX is publicly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: OFX) and regulated by ASIC in Australia, the FCA in the UK, and registered with FinCEN as a Money Services Business in the US. That level of oversight and public disclosure is unusual in the money-transfer category and is independently verifiable, which is a stronger trust signal than an app-store rating alone.
Is OFX better than Wise?
They suit different transfers. Wise is built for smaller, frequent, low-fee transfers with a transparent flat-fee model; OFX has no published maximum and pairs larger transfers with a dedicated dealer, which fits a one-off property deposit better than a monthly remittance. See our Wise review for the comparison.
Is the OFX exchange rate better than banks?
OFX generally quotes a tighter margin over the mid-market rate than a Vietnamese or European retail bank's counter rate, though the exact spread varies by currency pair and transfer size. Always request a live quote and compare it to the mid-market rate before committing funds for a deposit or SPA payment.
Does OFX have an office in Vietnam?
No. OFX has no branch or agent in Hanoi or elsewhere in Vietnam; the service is delivered entirely online and by phone from OFX's regulated entities abroad, with funds wired to your seller's or escrow bank account in Vietnam.
Will my transfer arrive in Vietnamese Dong?
Not necessarily. VND is a restricted, non-freely-convertible currency, so many providers — OFX included — settle into a Vietnamese bank account in USD or another major currency, which the receiving bank then converts. Confirm the settlement currency with both OFX and your Vietnamese bank before wiring a deposit.
Does OFX charge a transfer fee?
OFX does not charge a separate flat transfer fee on most transfers; its revenue comes from the margin built into the exchange rate it quotes. Compare that quoted rate to the mid-market rate to judge the real cost of a given transfer.
Sources
Legal references used in this review:
- Law on Real Estate Business 2023 (29/2023/QH15) — non-cash payment requirement for real-estate transactions: official English text.
- Housing Law 2023 (27/2023/QH15) — foreign ownership framework referenced for context: official English text.
Corporate facts about OFX (founding, ASX listing, regulatory registrations) are drawn from the company's own public filings and disclosures.
Moving money into Hanoi? Get an independent second opinion
We work alongside international transfer providers and receiving banks every week for buyers funding a Hanoi purchase from abroad. Tell us your timeline and the currency you're transferring from, and our desk will talk you through the transfer, banking and documentation side — free of charge, with no obligation.