'Racing' to open up international payment services.

The push by many banks and payment platforms to offer cross-border digital spending solutions is dramatically changing how Vietnamese travelers spend money when abroad.

Vietnamese tourists can easily pay using QR codes when traveling in Thailand, eliminating the need to carry bulky cash as before - Photo: QUANG DINH

Thanks to QR code scanning, phone tapping, and the use of international e-wallets, many Vietnamese people can now travel with almost no dependence on cash as before.

No need to worry about exchanging foreign currency when traveling abroad.

Describing himself as a "travel enthusiast" in Thailand, Mr. Lam Huu Thinh (Ho Chi Minh City) said that for many years he has been accustomed to paying by QR code through Vietnamese banking applications in Thailand, including services such as hotels, restaurants, amusement parks, and even street food stalls.

"Just open your bank's app, scan the QR code like you would in Vietnam, and the system will automatically display the amount in Thai baht and convert it to Vietnamese dong. You just enter the amount to pay and you're done. Sometimes, compared to exchanging cash before a trip, this method is much cheaper and more convenient," Mr. Thinh shared.

For example, during a recent trip, when exchanging money at the airport, he was charged over 870 Vietnamese dong for 1 Thai baht. Meanwhile, when paying by scanning a QR code through a Vietnamese bank app, the exchange rate was only around 816 dong/baht.

During her trips to South Korea, Ms. Tran Thanh Tam (29 years old) said that she almost exclusively used her Visa card to pay for all services such as food, shopping, and taxi transportation.

"Initially, I carried a lot of cash, but in the end, I hardly used any of it, mostly paying with cards," Ms. Tam said, adding that in South Korea, many vending machines only support Visa cards or digital payment methods, with no cash slots. Besides convenience, using cards also allows customers to receive cashback and enjoy more benefits.

Tran Huu Duy (Ho Chi Minh City), an international tour guide, said that digital payments are now extremely popular in many countries, gradually becoming a habit in daily life, especially in China, the UK, and European countries.

According to Duy, for Vietnamese tourists, prioritizing cashless payments is not only convenient but also helps reduce the risk of loss or theft, while making it easier to control spending. In addition, many banks and financial institutions are now implementing cashback, reward point, and special offers to encourage card usage, providing clear financial benefits.

Users can also track exchange rates directly on the app before making payments to proactively control costs. Transaction history is fully stored in the digital bank, while all payments must be authenticated using OTP or biometrics to increase safety and security.

Cross-border payments across more than 50 countries.

The demand for Vietnamese people to travel abroad for tourism, work, study, and visiting relatives has been increasing sharply in recent years. According to data from the General Statistics Office, the number of Vietnamese people leaving the country in 2025 is expected to reach approximately 6.7 million, an increase of 26.4% compared to the same period of the previous year.

This upward trend continued into 2026, with over 1.2 million Vietnamese people leaving the country in April alone. The increasing popularity of international travel is also driving a rapid increase in demand for cross-border digital payments.

Many popular destinations for Vietnamese people, such as China, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, and Malaysia, have a very high rate of QR code payment adoption, leading tourists to increasingly prioritize convenient and fast payment methods instead of relying too much on currency exchange before each trip.

Recognizing this trend, many domestic banks and payment platforms are accelerating cross-border digital spending solutions. For example, Vietcombank recently launched an international QR code payment feature on its VCB Digibank app, allowing customers to transact directly in over 50 countries and territories.

According to the bank, users can use the app to scan codes or generate QR codes for merchants to scan when making payments abroad, similar to the popular usage in Vietnam. The service is already supported in many destinations familiar to Vietnamese tourists such as China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, as well as many countries in Europe and America.

VCB Digibank is also one of the first Vietnamese banking applications to implement cross-border QR payments on a scale of more than 50 countries and territories through cooperation with Alipay+.

The service allows customers to pay directly from their VND account without needing to exchange foreign currency, with the exchange rate displayed transparently on the app before the transaction.

Users can pay using VCB Digibank with familiar procedures similar to those in Vietnam, and easily track their spending history on the app. Currently, Vietcombank offers free service and supports both scanning the store's QR code and presenting the code for the seller to scan.

Meanwhile, NAPAS plays a central infrastructure role in the development of cross-border QR payments in Vietnam. For example, through its connection with Thailand's switching system, many Vietnamese banks have allowed customers to use their Vietnamese banking apps to scan QR codes for direct payments at stores in Thailand without needing cash or physical cards.

This model has expanded to Laos and Cambodia and is continuing to reach markets such as China, South Korea, and Japan, aiming to promote cross-border digital payments and support tourism, trade, and investment.

Many benefits when making cross-border payments.

Amidst China becoming a popular destination for many Vietnamese people, VPBank has partnered with China UnionPay to launch the VPBank UnionPay Freeways credit card, offering completely free foreign currency transactions in China, while other markets only apply a fee of 1.5%.

Diem Trang (a student studying in Jiangsu, China) uses modern digital payment methods in all her daily transactions - Photo: MAI TUOI

This is a significant advantage for customers who frequently travel or work internationally, especially in China. According to VPBank, this card is part of its strategy to develop a card ecosystem based on three pillars: shopping, travel, and healthcare. In addition to fee discounts, cardholders also receive up to 4% cashback on international spending, 3% cashback on domestic travel and dining transactions, and enjoy many more benefits on airfare, hotels, shopping, etc.

China has also allowed tourists to use international credit cards at many payment points, making the travel experience more convenient. As Vietnamese people expand their travel, study, and work experiences to many countries around the world, cross-border digital payments are gradually becoming a familiar part of the modern experience.

This trend not only makes spending more convenient but also encourages Vietnamese banks and businesses to accelerate the expansion of their international payment ecosystems.

BONG MAI - NHAT XUAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chay-dua-mo-cua-thanh-toan-quoc-te-20260530231147009.htm