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Recently, several major banks including BIDV, Agribank, Techcombank, and ACB issued urgent notices to customers about transactions potentially being interrupted in fixed time windows. The cause stems from a large-scale system transformation drill conducted by the National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (Napas) in coordination with member institutions. This drill is a biannual, periodic test to ensure information system safety and to smoothly transition from the primary data center to a backup center to cope with unexpected incidents. Although the timing was chosen for late-night hours to minimize damage, users should actively stay informed to avoid missing transfers or feeling anxious when funds are paused. Many transactions such as 24/7 faster transfers, QR code transfer scanning, and bill payments will be temporarily interrupted in the fixed windows. Specifically, Napas' drill will be split into two main phases, lasting from late night April 19 to the early hours of April 20 and again from late night April 23 to the early hours of April 24. Following this schedule, banks such as Techcombank, Agribank, and ACB have issued notices suspending certain interbank payment services in the window from 22:00 the previous night to 00:50 the following morning across the two phases. BIDV has also completed an internal system upgrade during 3:00–5:30 a.m. on April 18 and 19. During these sensitive windows, a wide range of essential daily payment features will be directly affected. For Techcombank users, there will be difficulties performing 24/7 transfers via both card numbers and account numbers, while VietQR scans at stores or private codes may also be temporarily interrupted. Additionally, swiping cards at domestic and international ATM/POS terminals connected to Napas, paying port service fees on the Techcombank Business platform, or using SoftPOS payment acceptance on mobile devices may be temporarily disabled. However, a bright spot for Techcombank customers is that online shopping payments via Napas (Online Napas ECOM) will continue to operate normally. Similarly, Agribank and ACB confirm that users of their digital banking apps may not be able to execute fast transfers, top up mobile phones, pay bills, or purchase flight or train tickets via Napas. Transfers from other banks to Agribank or ACB during the drill period may also be interrupted. To avoid the risk of funds being stranded overnight, experts advise users to proactively schedule and complete partner payments or important personal transfers before 22:00. Being aware of the maintenance schedule will help customers feel more secure and prevent panic or suspicion of fraud when banking apps unexpectedly report errors in the middle of the night.
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