NAPAS, Ant International, and Vietcombank have launched cross-border QR code payment services between Vietnam and China.
Under the arrangement, Chinese visitors travelling to Vietnam can use Alipay in order to scan VIETQRGlobal codes and complete payments directly at merchants within NAPAS' network. Transactions are processed through the integrated infrastructure of NAPAS and Ant International, with Vietcombank acting as the designated settlement bank. Payments are settled in local currencies, covering both the CNY and the VND, removing the need for currency conversion at the point of sale.
Bilateral infrastructure and settlement
The technical architecture underpinning the service connects Vietnam's national retail payment infrastructure with Ant International's platform. NAPAS functions as the domestic QR payment operator, while Vietcombank's settlement system facilitates the cross-currency clearing between the two markets. According to the State Bank of Vietnam, the initiative aligns with bilateral cooperation commitments on retail payment connectivity that both governments have previously agreed upon.
In addition, the rollout is positioned to serve a meaningful commercial need. China is one of Vietnam's primary sources of inbound tourists, and the availability of familiar payment tools at the point of sale is seen as a friction-reduction measure for that segment. Retail, services, and tourism businesses operating within the NAPAS merchant network stand to benefit from access to a wider pool of international customers without requiring additional payment infrastructure on their end.
Company representatives noted that the scope of the initiative is expected to broaden. Authorities are working to enable outbound functionality, which would allow Vietnamese users to scan QR codes at merchants in China, completing a fully bilateral payment corridor. No specific timeline for that phase has been disclosed.
Regional context and ecosystem implications
Cross-border QR interoperability has been gaining traction across Southeast Asia, with several bilateral corridors already operational between markets such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The Vietnam–China link adds scale to this regional trend, connecting a rapidly digitalising domestic market with one of the world's largest mobile payment ecosystems.
For Vietnam's merchant base, which includes a significant proportion of SMEs, the integration removes a structural barrier to accepting payments from Chinese visitors without deploying separate PoS terminals or signing agreements with foreign payment providers. The reliance on QR code infrastructure, already widespread in both markets, reduces onboarding complexity.
The initiative reflects a broader strategic direction for NAPAS, which has been expanding VIETQRGlobal's reach across multiple international markets as part of Vietnam's digital payment development agenda. Ant International, for its part, has pursued similar bilateral QR arrangements across Asia as it extends Alipay's cross-border utility beyond China's borders.
