Vietnam and Singapore launch cross-border QR payment service

Vietnam and Singapore launch cross-border QR payment service

At a ceremony on July 2 in Hanoi, the National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS), in collaboration with Liquid Group (Singapore) and VietinBank, launched cross-border QR payment service between Vietnam and Singapore, enabling users of participating Singapore payment apps to make QR payments at VietQRGlobal acceptance points in Vietnam.

The event marks a milestone in connecting the retail payment infrastructures of Vietnam and Singapore, supporting tourism, trade and digital economic cooperation, while delivering a faster, more convenient and secure payment experience for Singapore visitors and Vietnamese businesses.

Delegates press the button to inaugurate the Vietnam-Singapore cross-border QR payment connection

In recent years, cooperation between Vietnam and Singapore has continued to grow strongly across multiple sectors, particularly following the elevation of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2025.

Alongside trade and investment, tourism has remained a key area recording positive growth, driving increasing demand for modern, convenient, and secure digital payment solutions.

According to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, in the first five months of 2026, Vietnam welcomed 10.6 million international visitors, representing a 14.9 per cent increase on-year and the highest five-month total recorded in years.

Singapore has been recognised as one of Vietnam’s fastest-growing inbound tourism markets.

A survey conducted by Changi Airport Group found that three out of five Singaporeans have travelled to Vietnam, and 95 per cent of those surveyed expressed their desire to return.

Singaporean travellers are also recognised as a high-spending visitor segment with a strong preference for cashless payment methods. The launch of Vietnam-Singapore cross-border QR payment connectivity not only addresses the growing demand for convenient digital payments among consumers and travellers but also supports tourism, trade and boosts the digital transformation.

The Vietnam-Singapore cross-border QR payment service leverages the payment infrastructures connectivity between NAPAS and Liquid Group- a Singapore-headquartered fintech specialising in cross-border digital payments.

Through this collaboration, users of participating payment applications in Singapore can make QR payments at VietQRGlobal acceptance points across Vietnam.

The real-time transaction processing mechanism, along with direct currency conversion between Singapore dollars (SGD) and VND, enables travellers to make fast and convenient payments at retail stores, restaurants, hotels, and shopping destinations nationwide without the need for cash or currency exchange.

A visitor from Singapore uses a QR code to pay in Vietnam

The seamless payment experience, similar to that in their home country, enhances convenience and overall satisfaction for Singaporean visitors.

In the initial phase, the service is expected to reach approximately three million users through Liquid Group's partner network in Singapore.

With its tangible benefits for consumers, the Vietnam-Singapore cross-border QR payment service is expected to serve as a key driver of tourism and trade between the two countries in the coming years.

At the same time, for Vietnamese businesses – particularly those operating in retail, services, and tourism – the solution, with its simplicity, ease of integration, and cost efficiency, enables access to a high-spending international customer segment, while optimising operations, increasing revenue, and enhancing competitiveness in an increasingly digital economy.

At the launch ceremony, Nguyen Quang Minh, CEO of NAPAS, noted that the launch of the Vietnam-Singapore cross-border QR payment service marked a significant milestone in NAPAS’s journey to expand QR payment connectivity.

“Building on Vietnam's national retail payment infrastructure and the widely adopted VietQR standard, NAPAS will continue working closely with domestic and international partners to further expand the cross-border payment ecosystem, delivering greater convenience for consumers, travellers and businesses while supporting tourism, trade and the digital economy in line with the strategic direction of the government and the State Bank of Vietnam,” he said.

As part of the next phase of the partnership, NAPAS and its partners plan to roll out outbound QR payment services from Vietnam to Singapore in 2026, completing a two-way payment ecosystem to meet the growing demand in both countries.

VIR