Singaporean tourists can make QR payments in Vietnam

On July 2, Vietnam National Payment Joint Stock Company (Napas) coordinated with Liquid Group (Singapore) and VietinBank to launch a cross-border QR payment service between Vietnam and Singapore. Accordingly, Singaporean tourists can pay at VietQRGlobal payment acceptance points in Vietnam.

The event marks a new step in connecting retail payment infrastructure between the two countries.

On the contrary, according to Mr. Nguyen Dang Hung, Deputy General Director of Napas, it is expected that from now until the end of the year, the parties will successfully connect to allow Vietnamese people to use domestic payment applications to scan QR codes in Singapore.

Singapore is the sixth country in the world where Napas has deployed cross-border QR scanning connectivity, after Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, China and South Korea. The transaction processing mechanism will operate in real time, with direct conversion between SGD and VND to help tourists pay at stores, restaurants, hotels and shopping locations nationwide without using cash or converting foreign currency.

After Singapore, according to Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, Director of Payment Department, State Bank, Vietnam also aims to make non-cash bilateral payments in Taiwan, India and Japan.

Napas is a payment intermediary licensed to provide financial switching services and electronic clearing services in Vietnam. The company’s main shareholders are the State Bank and state-owned banks.

Besides Napas, VietinBank will play the settlement role in cross-border QR payments between Vietnam and Singapore. According to Deputy General Director Tran Cong Quynh Lan, in the first phase, the bank will prioritize services in areas where many Singaporean tourists come to visit, travel and relax.

Mr. Quynh Lan also informed that the exchange rate will be in real time, based on market developments. Accordingly, unlike some services that have a delay in updating, the cross-border QR payment system will display the exchange rate right at the time of transaction. This helps customers know the exact amount to pay, how to convert foreign currency as well as the total amount recorded when making transactions, thereby being more proactive in spending.

According to Mr. Pham Anh Tuan’s assessment, connecting cross-border payments via QR codes between Vietnam and Singapore will bring practical benefits to tourists of both countries. This activity helps transactions become faster and more convenient, while contributing to the goal of promoting non-cash payments in both Vietnam and Singapore.

According to the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, in the first 5 months of 2026, the number of international visitors to Vietnam reached 10.6 million, an increase of 14.9% over the same period last year and the highest level in many years. In particular, Singapore is recognized as one of Vietnam’s prominent tourist markets with positive growth. Changi Airport Group’s survey shows that three out of every five Singaporeans have been to Vietnam and 95% of those surveyed expressed a desire to return.

Regarding the security story, Deputy General Director of VietinBank said that the security standards of cross-border QR payment services are applied similarly to domestic payments. Accordingly, all authentication, security and fraud prevention functions are deployed synchronously like transactions in Vietnam.