Int’l visitors embrace familiar QR payment apps at Vietnam’s Digital Finance Day 2026

Kim Hong Myoung, a tourist from South Korea, tried out services at NAPAS’s Koi Thé booth during the event on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street on Sunday.

He was able to pay for his purchase using the Naver Pay application with a simple QR code scan.

“South Korea has seen a growing number of international visitors in recent years, creating strong demand for shopping and tourism services,” Kim told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

“If international visitors to Vietnam can enjoy the same payment experience they have at home, it will encourage them to spend more.”

Xiao Chi Ling, a 27-year-old Chinese national currently working in An Khanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, said QR-code payments have become a routine part of daily life in China.

According to Xiao, one of the biggest challenges travelers face when visiting a new country is having to exchange cash or install unfamiliar local payment applications.

The acceptance of widely used platforms such as Alipay and Naver Pay in Vietnam helps eliminate many of those inconveniences.

“When payments become easier, people tend to spend more comfortably,” she said.

“Instead of worrying about whether they have enough cash in hand, they can simply scan a code to pay for food, shopping, or transportation.”

Khem, an Indian national who has lived in Vietnam for many years, said he holds several cards issued by local banks and rarely carries cash, preferring to use cards for most transactions.

Many international visitors attending the Digital Finance Day 2026 also showed interest in experiencing cross-border payment solutions first-hand.

At food, shopping, and service booths at the event, visitors were able to make purchases using familiar mobile applications without having to exchange currency or use physical payment cards.

A representative of BIDV told Tuoi Tre that one of the highlights of the bank’s booth this year was its cross-border QR payment solution, which enables businesses in the retail, service, and tourism sectors to receive payments directly from international customers’ bank accounts or e-wallets.

TPBank said that by supporting a universal QR code system connected to more than 200 applications across over 38 countries and territories, it aims to provide businesses and merchants with an effective tool to connect directly with global consumer spending and expand access to international customers.

Through the networks of NAPAS and UnionPay, the solution is linked to more than 200 international banking and e-wallet applications.

The system allows merchants in Vietnam to serve travelers from more than 38 countries and territories, including Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, China, and South Korea.