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In early April 2026, Vietcombank, NAPAS and Ant International announced the rollout of a cross-border QR payment service between Vietnam and China, enabling billions of Alipay wallet users in China to pay by scanning QR codes at thousands of acceptance points in Vietnam. Vietcombank serves as the settlement bank for the system.
Following the launch, Vietcombank announced formal cooperation with Alipay and said it became the first bank in Vietnam to offer cross-border QR payment services. Customers in Vietnam can use the VCB Digibank app to scan and pay with QR codes in more than 50 countries and territories worldwide.
The service is designed to let users make international payments through familiar QR scanning in the VCB Digibank app. Vietcombank said the exchange rate is displayed transparently in the app before payment, allowing customers to monitor the converted amount and manage travel budgets.
QR payment adoption is expanding worldwide as cashless payments become more common. In Vietnam, the State Bank of Vietnam’s Payments Department data shows that by the end of 2025, QR code payments increased by 106.24% by volume and 128.15% by value year over year.
Globally, Alipay connects more than 1.8 billion user accounts, over 150 million merchants and operates across more than 100 markets, reflecting the scale of the cross-border QR payments ecosystem.
Vietcombank said the service offers practical benefits for customers on international trips, including reduced need to carry cash—lowering risks related to theft, loss and counterfeit money when paying abroad. By integrating cross-border QR payments into everyday banking, the service also narrows the gap between domestic and international payment experiences for frequent travelers, business travelers and international tourists.
Vietcombank said it is currently the first bank in Vietnam to offer this service across more than 50 countries and territories, including China, Korea, Singapore and Malaysia. The bank said users can access a broad acceptance network abroad using a single domestic banking app while retaining the same QR scanning experience as in Vietnam.
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