Chinese tourists drink Highland coffee and can scan QR codes at supermarkets in Vietnam.

On December 2, the National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS) in collaboration with UnionPay International (UPI), Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), and Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam ( Vietcombank ) held a ceremony to announce the bilateral retail payment connection via QR code between Vietnam and China.

According to Mr. Pham Anh Tuan - Director of the Payment Department of the State Bank, connecting cross-border payments via QR codes between Vietnam and China promises to bring great convenience in local currency payments to Chinese tourists when coming to Vietnam; as well as Vietnamese tourists when coming to China, contributing to the goal of promoting cashless payments of both countries.

"Millions of Vietnamese tourists use their own banking apps to scan QR codes in China and vice versa, not only bringing convenience and safety in payment but also promoting economic development and people-to-people exchange between the two countries," said Mr. Pham Anh Tuan.

In the initial phase of implementation, Chinese tourists can scan the VIETQRGlobal code to pay at payment acceptance points, including shopping malls, shopping areas, tourist attractions, restaurants and retail stores in Vietnam. In particular, with a network of leading retail, F&B ( food and beverage), and travel brands such as the supermarket system of Center Retail Vietnam Group, Highland Coffee chain, payment acceptance units in the Sun World ecosystem...

- Ảnh 2. — Delegates perform the ceremony to announce the bilateral retail payment connection via QR code between Vietnam and China.

Mr. Larry Wang, Vice President and General Manager of UnionPay International, said that this cross-border QR code connection project utilizes the local currency payment mechanism to promote the internationalization of the Renminbi (RMB). Optimizing the cross-border payment experience will further facilitate economic and trade exchanges between China and Vietnam.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Minh, General Director of NAPAS, shared that under the direction of the State Bank, as the national retail payment infrastructure operator, NAPAS has proactively strengthened international connections to deploy cross-border payment solutions between Vietnam and countries in the region.

"Connecting bilateral retail payments via QR codes between Vietnam and China brings a seamless and convenient payment experience to people of the two countries, contributing to strengthening financial connectivity and promoting the use of local currencies in cross-border payments," said Mr. Nguyen Quang Minh.

- Ảnh 3. — Chinese tourists can scan the VIETQRGlobal code to pay at payment acceptance points in Vietnam.

In the first 9 months of 2025, Vietnam welcomed over 15.4 million international visitors, an increase of 21.5% over the same period last year, of which China was the leading market sending the largest number of visitors to Vietnam with nearly 3.9 million visitors, an increase of 43.9% over the same period.

According to the plan, in early 2026, NAPAS and UPI will continue to complete the reverse payment connection, allowing Vietnamese users to scan QR codes using payment applications of NAPAS member organizations to pay at payment acceptance units in the UnionPay network in China. The two-way deployment will create a complete cross-border QR payment ecosystem.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/du-khach-trung-quoc-uong-ca-phe-highland-di-sieu-thi-co-the-quet-ma-qr-tai-viet-nam-19625120219305773.htm