Immediately following the announcement ceremony on April 3, 2026, which marked the expansion of the cross border QR payment service between Vietnam and China for Chinese tourists visiting Vietnam, Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank) continued to announce its cooperation with Alipay+ to launch a cross border QR payment service for Vietnamese individual customers in more than 50 countries worldwide. Accordingly, customers can simply use the VCB Digibank application to make QR payments easily and conveniently, just as they do in Vietnam.

Growing Demand for International Payments Among Vietnamese Travelers

According to data from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, in 2025 Vietnam recorded approximately 6.7 million outbound trips (for tourism, business, study, and other purposes), an increase of 26.4% compared to 2024. Among these, destinations in Asia such as South Korea, Singapore, Japan, and Malaysia are places where QR payments are becoming increasingly popular in everyday life. In Europe and the Americas, QR payments are also beginning to be accepted as a new payment method in addition to bank cards.

In particular, in China, QR code payments have become the dominant payment method. Unlike other markets, card and cash payments are not commonly used by foreign visitors traveling to China.

(Image: Customers experiencing cross border QR payments – source: Vietcombank)

Vietcombank Launches Cross Border QR Payment Service: Use VCB Digibank, Go Global, Pay by QR “Just Like at Home”

With the newly launched cross border QR payment service, Vietcombank has become the first Vietnamese bank to provide QR payment services in more than 50 countries and territories worldwide, including key markets such as China, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia, as well as many countries in Europe and the Americas. This service is the result of cooperation between Vietcombank and Alipay+, one of the world’s leading cross border payment platforms.

The usage process is simple: customers open the VCB Digibank application, scan the QR code at the checkout counter (or allow the merchant to scan the QR code on their phone), and then authenticate to complete the transaction. Customers do not need to prepare foreign currency in advance, as the applicable exchange rate is displayed instantly before transaction confirmation. All transaction history is stored on the app, making expense tracking easy throughout the trip.
QR Payments Are Especially Suitable for Travelers to China

For those planning to travel to China—one of the top Asian destinations for Vietnamese travelers—this service brings particularly good news. China is one of the countries with the highest QR payment adoption rates in the world: from convenience stores, restaurants, supermarkets, to tourist attractions, nearly all transactions are conducted via QR codes. Cash is increasingly less accepted, and international cards are not commonly used. With more than 80 million acceptance points in China within the Alipay+ network, Vietcombank customers can make payments easily without exchanging RMB or carrying payment cards.

Vietcombank and Alipay+: Connecting Two Worlds, Bringing Global Payments into One App

Alipay+ is a leading cross border payment platform operated by Ant International. With more than 1 billion users and over 150 million acceptance points across more than 50 countries, Alipay+ has become a digital payment infrastructure connecting Asia with the rest of the world.
On the other hand, Vietcombank is the largest commercial bank in Vietnam by market capitalization, with a large customer base and advanced technology platform, consistently pioneering modern payment solutions for individual customers and merchants.

“The cooperation between Vietcombank and Alipay+ is not merely a technical integration, but a meeting of two organizations that share the same aspiration: to make digital payments truly simple, seamless, and borderless for users everywhere. We want every Vietcombank customer, wherever they go, to feel confident paying instantly and securely with just a mobile phone. With VCB Digibank, anywhere in the world can feel like home” said Ms. Doan Hong Nhung, Director of Retail Banking, Vietcombank.

(Image: A merchant accepting Alipay+ payments – source: Alipay+)

The cross border QR payment service further demonstrates Vietcombank’s comprehensive digital transformation strategy—positioning the bank not only as a service provider within Vietnam, but also as a companion to Vietnamese customers wherever they travel internationally.