UnionPay and NAPAS launch China-Vietnam cross-border QR pilot

About 30,000 Vietnam merchants are set for QR payments by 2025.

UnionPay International (UPI) and the National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS) have launched a pilot program for cross-border QR payments between China and Vietnam.

Under the pilot program, Chinese tourists will be able to make payments by scanning merchants’ VietQR Global QR codes using the UnionPay app and UnionPay-partner bank apps.

Vietnam is expected to have over 30,000 merchants capable of accepting QR code payments by end-2025, according to merchant acquisition plans submitted to NAPAS.

In 2026, NAPAS plans to further expand participation to all the member institutions including banks, payment institutions and major local e-wallets thereby broadening the acceptance coverage.

The pilot builds up on the cooperation agreement between UPI, NAPAS, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), and Joint STock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank or VCB) last April 2025, where they committed to advancing China-Vietnam QR code payment interconnection within the year.

In April 2024, UPI and NAPAS first signed a memorandum of understanding on cross-border payment cooperation.