How to Pay in Vietnam

Mobile payments and digital wallets, curated for travelers visiting Vietnam.

Last updated: August 20267 sources

1 app

What to know about Payments in Vietnam

Cash, international cards and local QR payments coexist, but they are not interchangeable.

Best Payments apps in Vietnam (2026)

Moreta Pay

An optional international wallet that can fund and scan supported Vietnamese merchant QR codes without a local bank account.

Pro tip: Verify fees, exchange rate and merchant name before paying, then wait for the result before rescanning. Keep cash because QR support and funding can fail.

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Hotels, malls, supermarkets and larger restaurants commonly accept Visa or Mastercard, while street stalls, markets, small cafés and local transport may take cash or VietQR only. Most ordinary VietQR codes represent a transfer through a Vietnamese bank. MoMo, ZaloPay and domestic banking apps are therefore poor recommendations for an ordinary short-stay visitor: account opening and wallet use can require a Vietnamese number, identity verification and a compatible local bank relationship. Since January 2025, regulated cashless accounts have also been subject to stronger biometric requirements.

VietQRGlobal is expanding cross-border access, but only customers of participating apps and linked markets can use it. Current links include selected services from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, China and Singapore; a random foreign banking app will not work merely because a merchant displays QR. Moreta Pay is a genuine optional tourist workaround that can scan supported Vietnamese merchant QR codes after identity verification and wallet funding. It is not essential.

Funding methods, exchange rates and fees depend on the customer's country, and failed, pending or duplicate scans can occur. Review every displayed fee and merchant name, test a small payment, and keep enough đồng to complete the purchase another way. Never scan a payment code with a normal camera and then enter banking credentials on an opened website. Use the payment app's own scanner.

For card purchases or ATM withdrawals, choose Vietnamese đồng rather than a home-currency conversion.