Deploying cross-border payments via QR codes between Vietnam and China

Ceremony to announce bilateral retail payment connection via QR code between Vietnam and China. (Photo: Vietnam+)

The event marks an important step forward in the process of connecting payment systems between the two countries, opening up opportunities to promote safe and seamless cross-border payments, while contributing to enhancing trade and tourism exchanges between Vietnam and China.

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, food and beverage (FnB), and travel brands such as the supermarket system of Center Retail Vietnam Group, Highland Coffee chain, and payment acceptance units of the Sun World ecosystem. Connecting bilateral payment services via QR codes between Vietnam and China will help Vietnamese businesses attract a large number of Chinese visitors, while providing a fast, convenient, and safe payment experience for visitors.

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 make payments at payment acceptance units in the UnionPay network in China.

The two-way deployment will create a complete cross-border QR payment ecosystem, fully serving the consumption, travel, work and transportation needs of people in the two countries.

Mr. Larry Wang - Vice Chairman and General Manager of UnionPay International said that Vietnam is an important economic and trade partner and a key overseas tourist destination for China. Over the past two decades, UnionPay has been promoting in-depth development in the Vietnamese market and establishing a wide-coverage payment service network. This cross-border QR code connection project takes advantage of the local currency payment mechanism to promote the internationalization of the Renminbi (RMB).

“Optimizing the cross-border payment experience will further facilitate economic, trade and people-to-people exchanges between China and Vietnam. UnionPay will continue to strengthen cooperation with NAPAS to jointly build an open, secure and efficient regional payment ecosystem, contributing to the development of ASEAN's digital payment infrastructure and creating sustainable momentum for financial connectivity among countries in the region,” Mr. Larry Wang emphasized.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Minh - General Director of NAPAS shared: “Under the direction of the State Bank of Vietnam , as the national retail payment infrastructure operator, NAPAS has proactively enhanced international connectivity to deploy cross-border payment solutions between Vietnam and countries in the region. The bilateral retail payment connection via QR code between Vietnam and China is the result of close cooperation between NAPAS, UPI and banks. This service not only brings a seamless and convenient payment experience to people of the two countries, but also contributes to enhancing financial connectivity, promoting the use of local currencies in cross-border payments, and developing trade, tourism as well as broader economic cooperation between the two countries.”

In the project to connect bilateral retail payments via QR codes between Vietnam and China, the parties have coordinated to deploy modern digital payment infrastructure, gradually connecting the payment ecosystems of the two countries in a synchronous, safe and consistent manner with international standards.

The project aims to provide users of the two countries with a fast, convenient and safe cross-border payment method, meeting the growing demand in the context of increasingly strong development of trade, tourism and cooperation between Vietnam and China./.

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