Under the direction of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) and the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, the Cashless Day event – jointly organized by the SBV Payment Department, Tuoi Tre Newspaper, Banking Times, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, and the National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS) – has entered its seventh year. Over the years, the program has contributed to spreading positive values, shaping digital payment habits, and affirming its strategic role in building a modern, transparent, and sustainable digital economy.

Overview of the 2025 Cashless Day Press Conference

The 2025 Cashless Day press conference was attended by leaders from the Payment Department of the State Bank of Vietnam, Banking Times, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, and NAPAS, along with representatives from financial and banking institutions, professional associations, and numerous economic experts.

This also marked the first activity in a series of impressive events organized by Tuoi Tre Newspaper in collaboration with other partners throughout June 2025. Notably, this year signifies an important milestone in reviewing the implementation of the "Cashless Payment Development Project for the 2021–2025 period," paving the way for a new direction in the comprehensive digital economic transformation.

Journalist Tran Xuan Toan – Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre Newspaper – delivers a speech at the press conference.

Opening the press conference, Mr. Tran Xuan Toan – Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre News – shared the significant changes that have taken place over the past six years of the Cashless Day event.

"Today, the term ‘cashless payment’ is gradually becoming a thing of the past, as this payment method has become widespread and inevitable. We are proud that, together with various units and authorities, we have contributed to promoting the country’s digital economy. Therefore, in 2025, we chose the theme ‘Cashless Payments Promote the Digital Economy’ to reflect this significance," Mr. Xuan Toan stated.

Mr. Pham Anh Tuan – Director of the Payments Department, State Bank of Vietnam – shared the outstanding achievements in the development of cashless payments over the past year, as well as the policy directions for the coming years.

On behalf of the State Bank of Vietnam, Mr. Pham Anh Tuan – Director of the Payments Department – also presented recent data on the growth of electronic payment methods, thereby highlighting the trends and growth rate of cashless payment activities in general.

Specifically, the value of cashless payments in 2024 reached VND 295.2 million billion, equivalent to 26 times the country’s GDP. By the end of 2024, 86.97% of the population aged 15 and above held a bank account. As of the end of Q1 2025, the number of cashless payment transactions increased by 44.43%; there were nearly 10.4 million mobile-money accounts, with over 72% located in rural, mountainous, remote, border, and island areas.

As of March 31, 2025, there were 47 organizations providing e-wallet services; the number of active e-wallets in Vietnam was approximately 30.27 million (accounting for 65.8% of the nearly 46.01 million activated e-wallets), with a total balance exceeding VND 2,800 billion.

Mr. Nguyen Dang Hung – Deputy General Director of NAPAS, responding to journalists’ questions at the 2025 Cashless Day press conference.

Regarding the habit of using QR code payments, Mr. Nguyen Dang Hung – Deputy General Director of NAPAS, shared that the NAPAS 247 instant transfer service via VietQR codes has been launched in collaboration with banks. This service is based on the foundational QR code standard for payment activities issued by the State Bank of Vietnam in 2018, establishing a common standard and facilitating the nationwide deployment of the VietQR instant transfer service over the past five years.

In addition to the VietQR instant transfer service, under the guidance of the State Bank of Vietnam, NAPAS has recently collaborated with banks and payment intermediaries to implement VietQR Pay for domestic payment transactions and VietQR Global for international visitors conducting cross-border payments in Vietnam using QR codes.

"With these standardized payment models, the VietQR Pay service helps safeguard the interests of both sellers and buyers by linking payment transactions with the provision of sellers’ products and services to the market," Mr. Hùng said.

According to NAPAS, the unit has implemented the digitalization of NAPAS cards on mobile devices and collaborated with banks to provide customers with Apple Pay (iOS) and Bank Pay (Android) payment services for NAPAS cards. NAPAS also supports small and medium-sized businesses by turning mobile phones into QR and NAPAS card payment acceptance devices through the SoftPos solution.

Mr. Hùng stated: "We are coordinating with software providers and sales platforms to help small businesses and merchants operate more efficiently. These solutions, combined with the SoftPos system, facilitate a seamless sales process for goods and products, enabling business owners to manage cash flow in the most optimal and effective way."

This year, the organizers of "Cashless Day 2025" aim for the program to reach at least 50 million people, attract over 5 million interactions across social media and the press, draw 200,000 in-person participants, and simultaneously boost the cashless transaction rate in Ho Chi Minh City by at least 20% during June 2025.

The main activities of Cashless Day 2025 include:

• Seminar "Cashless Payments – A Driver for Digital Economy Growth" held on the morning of June 14 in Ho Chi Minh City, summarizing five years of the implementation of the project and discussing solutions for the future development of digital payments.
• A highlight of this year’s event series is the "Ting Ting Day" festival held at Nguyen Hue Walking Street (Ho Chi Minh City), featuring activities such as payment technology experiences, mini-games, workshops on digital transaction security solutions, a music night, and the launch of a nationwide promotion program. The event is expected to attract 50,000 on-site participants.
• Other notable activities include the "Financial Arena" game show, running from May 20 to June 15, which invites young participants to compete in knowledge and skills related to personal financial management.

NAPAS Activities in Response to Cashless Day 2025

In celebration of Vietnam Cashless Day 2025, NAPAS launched a series of meaningful activities to promote the message of cashless payments, including:

Check-in to receive gifts, enjoy same-price shopping, and golden-hour promotions from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM on June 14–15 at the NAPAS booth.

Thematic livestream sessions on digital financial literacy were held on social media platforms, attracting a large audience thanks to their practical, easy-to-understand, and relatable content—designed for diverse groups such as students, working professionals, and small business owners.

The Mega Sales – Cashless Super Promotion Campaign, running from March to October 2025, offered customers a wide range of attractive benefits, including complimentary drinks at Highlands Coffee, free popcorn-and-drink combos at CGV, cashback rewards of up to 50%, and exclusive promotions from member banks for transactions made via NAPAS – Apple Pay or VietQRPay at the NAPAS booth.