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

On December 2, 2025, the NAPAS payment gateway announced cross-border payment connection via QR code for bilateral retail activities between Vietnam and China.

Cross-border payments via QR codes have been deployed safely and seamlessly, opening up opportunities to promote trade and tourism exchanges between Vietnam and China.

Delegates representing the State Bank of Vietnam, NAPAS, UPI, ICBC, Vietcombank ... pressed the button to launch the service. Photo: NAPAS.

The cross-border payment service via QR code between Vietnam and China is deployed by the National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS) in coordination with UnionPay International (UPI), Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), and Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank).

Previously, in October 2024, during the official visit of Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Vietnam, witnessed by the prime ministers of the two countries, UPI and NAPAS signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in implementing cross-border payment services via QR codes.

Next, UPI, NAPAS and two settlement banks from China and Vietnam, ICBC and Vietcombank, signed a four-party cooperation agreement, affirming their common commitment to deploying bilateral retail payment connections via QR codes between Vietnam and China.

After a period of technical implementation with close and effective coordination between the parties, the cross-border payment service via QR code has been officially completed and is ready to be provided to the market. In the first 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, 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 QR code cross-border payment ecosystem, fully serving the consumption, travel, work and transportation needs of people in the two countries.

Mr. Larry Wang - Vice Chairman and General Director of UnionPay International (CEO) said: “ Vietnam is an important economic and trade partner and a major 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-ranging payment service network. This cross-border QR code connection project utilizes the local currency payment mechanism to promote the internationalization of the Chinese Yuan (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, safe and efficient regional payment ecosystem; contribute to the development of ASEAN's digital payment infrastructure; and create sustainable momentum for financial connectivity between countries in the region.”

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 secure cross-border payment method, meeting the growing demand in the context of increasingly strong development of trade, tourism and cooperation between Vietnam and China.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/trien-khai-thanh-toan-xuyen-bien-gioi-viet-nam--trung-quoc-qua-ma-qr-d787751.html