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On 23 April 2026 in Hanoi, Vietnam and South Korea officially announced the launch of a cross-border QR payment service, with the Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Pham Tien Dung in attendance, along with leaders of NAPAS, GLN, BIDV, Hana Bank, the Vietnamese Tourism Ambassador to Korea, and representatives from businesses and media.
Pham Anh Tuan, Director of Payments at the State Bank of Vietnam, said the central bank has actively promoted the connection of retail payments via QR codes between Vietnam and Korea. The goal is to provide convenient payment utilities for customers and to strengthen trade and tourism between the two countries.
The announcement comes as travel demand between the two markets continues to grow. In 2025, Vietnam welcomed more than 21.2 million international arrivals, up 20% from 2024. Korea was the second-largest source market with about 4.3 million visitors, representing 20% of total international arrivals. Meanwhile, Vietnamese tourist arrivals to Korea rose to about 550,000 in 2025, up 9% from 2024.
The event highlighted a collaborative framework between financial institutions and national payments infrastructure. In Vietnam, NAPAS operates the national retail payments infrastructure, with more than 20 years of experience in interbank switching and VIETQRGlobal connectivity. In Korea, GLN International, a global financial platform within the Hana Financial Group, connects with the Korean banking and payment app ecosystem. GLN is also expanding its network across multiple countries through QR payments, ATM cash withdrawals, and cross-border digital transfers.
Nguyen Quang Minh, CEO of NAPAS, said: “As the national retail payments infrastructure, NAPAS identifies expanding cross-border QR payments as a key task to develop a modern, safe payments infrastructure serving residents and businesses. In the near term, NAPAS will continue to broaden QR payment connections with many countries, aiming to build a thriving ecosystem.”
As strategic partners for seven years, BIDV and Hana Bank’s cooperation supports the project’s launch of cross-border QR payments between Vietnam and Korea. Hana Bank will work with BIDV and NAPAS to develop diverse digital financial services.
Lee Ho Sung, CEO of Hana Bank, said: “This is not limited to payments; in the coming period, we will continue to strengthen close cooperation with BIDV and NAPAS, aiming to develop a broader range of digital financial services beyond traditional payments.”
In the next phase, BIDV and Hana Bank will continue refining the two-way connection—expanding payment capabilities for Vietnamese travelers in Korea and supporting the sustainable development of the digital financial ecosystem between the two countries.
Lee Suk, CEO of GLN International, commented: “I believe these changes will significantly boost economic and cultural exchanges between the two countries, and provide a platform to bring people closer together. Through this cooperation, we expect Vietnamese residents to access QR payments not only in Korea but also in other Asian countries such as Japan, Thailand, Laos, and the Philippines through Hana Bank’s and GLN’s global network.”
The cross-border QR payment service is based on a cooperation agreement signed at the Vietnam–Korea Economic Forum in August 2025. In just over a year, the parties completed system integration and payment/settlement infrastructure integration before officially launching the service.
Beyond the technology solution, cross-border QR payments are described as a milestone in regional financial integration. The service is expected to support the expansion of trade and tourism between Vietnam and Korea and aligns with the State Bank of Vietnam’s direction toward a cashless economy. The launch is positioned as a deepening of Vietnam–Korea financial cooperation and a step toward a borderless payments era, where each QR code in Vietnam functions as a node connecting international trade and supporting a modern, safe, and sustainable financial ecosystem.
Earlier, on 21 April 2026, BIDV announced the launch of a digital economy ecosystem within its BIDV Leadership Summit 2026, signaling readiness to support customers’ access to the global market, including Korea, in the context of business integration.
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