The event was co-organized by Tuoi Tre Newspaper, the Payment Department of the State Bank of Vietnam and NAPAS. It was attened by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Van Thang, Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Pham Duc An, leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, and representatives from diplomatic mission, associations, financial institutions, fintech companies, and businesses.
Tourism potential and the need for digital payment development
Speaking at the seminar "Smart Payment in the Digital Era," Mr. Nguyen Dang Hung, Deputy CEO of NAPAS, noted that global tourism has experienced a strong recovery and sustained growth in recent years. During the 2021–2025 period, global tourism export revenues grew at an average annual rate of approximately 31%. In 2025 alone, international tourist arrivals reached around 1.5 billion and are projected to increase to 1.8 billion by 2030 (according to a US tourism report).
In Vietnam, tourism continues to affirm its role as a key economic sector. In 2025, Vietnam welcomed approximately 25 million international visitors, while tourism revenue exceeded VND 1 quadrillion (nearly USD 39 billion) for the first time. On average, each visitor spends more than USD 1,500 during their stay in Vietnam. Under the Government’s development strategy, international arrivals are expected to reach 30 million by 2030, while the number of outbound Vietnamese travelers is projected to reach approximately 15 million. The tourism sector is also expected to contribute around 14% of national GDP.
In this context, digital payments play a crucial role in enhancing travel experience and promoting cross-border commerce. Traditional payment methods still present limitations. Cash transactions during overseas travel can be inconvenient due to currency exchange requirements, exchange-rate calculation, and security risks. Meanwhile, card payments, despite their widespread adoption, often involve hidden fees and relatively high acceptance costs. In addition, the investment required for card acceptance infrastructure remains a barrier to expanding digital payments, especially for small businesses. These limitations underscore the demand for flexible, low-cost, easy-to-deploy payment solutions that can serve a wide range of users.
From VietQR to a comprehensive QR payment ecosystem
According to NAPAS, the rapid adoption of VietQR in instant money transfers has laid a strong foundation for expanding QR-based payment solutions. Building on this success, NAPAS has implemented two key services: VietQRPay for domestic payments and VietQRGlobal for cross-border payments.
Beyond enabling fast and convenient transactions, QR code payments also provide comprehensive transaction data that banks, payment intermediaries, and businesses better understand customer needs to develop more tailored products and services.
At the same time, QR payments align with the account-to-account (A2A) payment trend, reducing reliance on traditional acceptance devices and thereby lowering investment and operating costs. Notably, VietQRPay enables merchants to accept payments from multiples funding sources, including bank accounts, debit cards, credit cards, and e-wallets, while ensuring compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) regulations. The transparency of cash flows also enhances governance and transaction monitoring efficiency.
Standardizing national payment infrastructure through expanding cross-border QR connectivity
One of the key topics highlighted by NAPAS at the event was the expansion of cross-border QR payment connectivity. To date, NAPAS has established bilateral QR payment links with Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, enabling Vietnamese users traveling abroad and international visitors to Vietnam to make seamless QR payments across borders.
Chinese tourists use the Alipay app to scan VietQRGlobal codes while shopping in Vietnam
Recently, NAPAS has also enabled inbound QR payment connectivity for travelers from China and South Korea visiting Vietnam. Outbound payment connectivity for Vietnamese users travellinng to these markets is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
Mr. Hung added: "NAPAS plans to officially launched QR payment connectivity with Singapore in the third quarter of this year and complete connectivity with India and Taiwan within 2026."
These initiatives aim to create a "regional QR payment map," where users can make seamless cross-border payments. As ASEAN and Asian countries promote payment interoperability, cross-border QR payments are considered a practical, efficient, and scalable solution.
As Vietnam’s national payment switch, NAPAS is focused on building a centralized payment infrastructure that allows banks and payment intermediaries to access multiple international payment networks through a single technical gateway. This approach simplifies implementation, reduces costs, and emhances operational efficiency.
In parallel, NAPAS continues to standardize operational processes to ensure a stable, secure, and interoperable national payment ecosystem. A centralized infrastructure also helps merchants expand payment acceptance, while supporting regulators in monitoring cash flows, strengthening anti-money laundering efforts, and improving tax administration.
In the coming time, NAPAS will continue collaborating with banks and payment intermediaries to intensify communications, expand the cross-border QR acceptance network, and implement customer incentive programs to drive adoption. As payments experience become increasingly convenient, tourists are likely to spend more, thereby contributing positively to the growth of the tourism sector and the overall economy.
In conclusion, the standardization of national digital payment infrastructure and the expansion of cross-border QR connectivity not only enhance payment experiences for consumers and tourists but also contribute to the development of Vietnam’s digital economy and it’s deeper integration into the regional and global digital payment ecosystem.
