Singaporean visitors can now pay in Vietnam using QR codes

The National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS), in collaboration with Singapore-based Liquid Group and Vietnamese lender VietinBank, officially launched the Vietnam-Singapore cross-border QR payment service on Thursday.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Pham Anh Tuan, director general of the Payment Department under the State Bank of Vietnam, said the central bank has actively promoted bilateral QR-based retail payment connectivity between Vietnam and Singapore to facilitate transactions for citizens while strengthening trade and tourism ties.

During the first five months of 2026, Vietnam welcomed nearly 10.6 million international visitors, up 15 percent year on year.

Singapore was among the fastest-growing source markets, with 178,000 arrivals, an increase of 28.5 percent compared to the same period last year. Over the same period, Singapore received 123,000 visitors from Vietnam.

According to Tuan, the new cross-border payment system enables Singaporean travelers to pay in their local currency through mobile applications they already use, supporting the expansion of cashless payments in both countries.

"Starting today, Singaporean visitors can conveniently purchase goods and services in Vietnam through the connection between NAPAS and Liquid Group," he said.

Jeremy Tan, CEO of Liquid Group, said the company aims to build a cross-border payment ecosystem through its RoamQR™ platform, allowing travelers to make payments abroad using familiar applications while helping merchants better serve international visitors.

He described the launch as an important milestone in digital payment connectivity between Singapore and Vietnam and a step toward expanding a two-way payment ecosystem across ASEAN.

Nguyen Quang Minh, CEO of NAPAS, said the roll-out of cross-border QR payments with Singapore marks a significant milestone in the company's strategy to expand its regional payment network.

Leveraging Vietnam's national retail payment infrastructure and the VietQR standard, NAPAS will continue working with domestic and international partners to broaden the cross-border payment ecosystem, providing more convenient payment experiences for residents, tourists, and businesses while supporting tourism, trade, and the digital economy.

Tran Minh Binh, chairman of VietinBank, said that as the settlement bank for the Vietnam-Singapore cross-border QR payment service, VietinBank will continue investing in technology infrastructure, expanding its payment acceptance network, and developing VietQRGlobal to strengthen tourism, trade, and digital economic connectivity between the two countries.

Under the cooperation roadmap, NAPAS and its partners plan to launch QR payment services for Vietnamese users traveling to Singapore in 2026, completing a two-way QR payment ecosystem to meet the growing needs of people and businesses in both countries.

Since April, NAPAS and its partners have also introduced QR payment connectivity between Vietnam and China, as well as Vietnam and South Korea.

Earlier, similar cross-border payment services had already been launched with Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.