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Merchant guide

Vietnam MoMo, ZaloPay and bank transfer checkout

Vietnamese shoppers pay with e-wallets (MoMo, ZaloPay) and instant bank transfers via VietQR. This guide explains how each works at checkout, the role of NAPAS, and how to choose a gateway or local partner.

How Vietnamese shoppers actually pay

Vietnam is a QR- and wallet-first market. Two e-wallets lead: MoMo, operated by M_Service, is the largest consumer wallet with tens of millions of users, and ZaloPay, backed by VNG and distributed inside the Zalo messaging app. Alongside wallets, instant bank transfers via VietQR are now near universal. Cash-on-delivery is still significant for ecommerce, especially outside Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. For a merchant, the practical checkout is wallets plus VietQR plus cards, with COD handled through a logistics partner. Offering the methods your segment uses is the biggest driver of conversion, so lead with what local buyers recognise.

  • MoMo is the largest e-wallet; ZaloPay rides on the Zalo app.
  • VietQR bank transfers are near-universal and low cost.
  • Cash-on-delivery remains material for ecommerce.
  • Wallets plus VietQR plus cards is the usual mix.

How MoMo and ZaloPay work at checkout

At online checkout the shopper picks MoMo or ZaloPay and is taken to the wallet to approve the payment, often by scanning a QR shown on screen. In person, the shopper scans your VietQR or wallet QR code and confirms the amount in the app. Both wallets hold a payment intermediary licence from the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) and connect to NAPAS 247 for funding and withdrawals. MoMo is strong in peer-to-peer, bills and in-app purchases; ZaloPay benefits from distribution through Zalo. For merchants, wallet payments capture younger, urban, mobile-first buyers and are a familiar online checkout option. Reconcile wallet payments through your gateway rather than per-wallet apps.

  • Shopper approves the wallet payment in-app, often via QR.
  • Both wallets are SBV-licensed payment intermediaries.
  • Both connect to NAPAS 247 for funding and cash-out.
  • Wallets capture mobile-first urban buyers.

VietQR and the role of NAPAS

VietQR is Vietnam's national interoperable QR standard, routed through NAPAS, the national switching operator. One VietQR code accepts instant transfers from any participating bank or wallet, making it the cheapest and broadest in-person and invoice method. For the merchant, VietQR bank transfers are often near-zero cost to receive, because the transfer is a standard NAPAS interbank transfer. The limitation is that VietQR is a push payment: the customer initiates the transfer, so it does not natively support merchant-initiated charges or subscriptions. For recurring billing you need a card-on-file or wallet direct-debit arrangement instead. Most merchants display VietQR plus wallet QR plus a card option.

  • VietQR is the national QR standard routed via NAPAS.
  • One code accepts transfers from any bank or wallet.
  • Receiving VietQR is often near-zero cost for the merchant.
  • VietQR is push-only; use cards or wallets for recurring billing.

Cash-on-delivery and the long tail

Unlike some neighbours, Vietnam has no standard national convenience-store voucher rail at ecommerce scale, so cash handling is a logistics problem, not a payment-gateway problem. Cash-on-delivery still accounts for a large share of ecommerce volume outside major cities, collected by carriers such as GHN, GHTK, J&T and Viettel Post and remitted on a cycle. Factor remittance speed into cash flow and reconcile COD against orders. Cards (domestic NAPAS cards and Visa/Mastercard) serve higher-value and cross-border purchases, with credit-card processing fees higher than wallet or transfer rails. A complete Vietnam stack balances all of these by segment.

  • COD is a logistics task handled by delivery carriers.
  • No national OTC voucher rail at ecommerce scale.
  • Cards serve higher-value and cross-border orders.
  • Reconcile COD, wallet and card settlements separately.

Choosing a gateway or local partner

You can integrate MoMo, ZaloPay and VNPay directly, but each needs its own contract, API, sandbox and settlement account. Most merchants use a gateway that bundles wallets, VietQR, cards and COD into one integration, such as VNPay (also a gateway), OnePay, or international providers with Vietnamese wallet acceptance. Foreign merchants usually route through a licensed Vietnamese payment intermediary or a registered local entity, because direct collection in Vietnamese dong generally needs local banking relationships and SBV licensing. Compare method coverage, settlement timeline, supported currency and reconciliation, and confirm the provider holds an SBV payment intermediary licence.

  • Direct wallet integration means separate contracts and APIs.
  • A gateway bundles wallets, VietQR, cards and COD.
  • Foreign merchants usually need a licensed local intermediary.
  • Confirm SBV licensing and settlement terms.

Fees and what to confirm

Public pricing is only a first filter. Actual pricing changes with country, industry, volume, settlement currency, integration method and contract terms. Confirm against the provider's official pricing page or a written quote before you go live. In Vietnam, VietQR and bank transfers are typically the cheapest (often near-zero for consumer transfers), cards carry interchange-style fees of a couple of percent, and wallets or gateways add a per-transaction percentage plus possible fixed fees. Because the SBV has been updating QR and intermediary rules, confirm current terms with your provider. Ask for separate VietQR, MoMo, ZaloPay, card and COD-handling fees, the payout timeline, and any FX margin if you settle outside dong. Read the provider's Vietnam pricing page and get a written quote before launch.

  • Ask for VietQR, MoMo, ZaloPay and card fees separately.
  • Check COD remittance fees and timing with your carrier.
  • Check FX margin if settling outside Vietnamese dong.

Questions merchants ask

What is the difference between MoMo and ZaloPay?

MoMo (M_Service) is Vietnam's largest consumer e-wallet, strong in peer-to-peer, bills and in-app purchases. ZaloPay is backed by VNG and distributed inside the Zalo messaging app, giving it reach with urban users. Both hold State Bank of Vietnam payment intermediary licences and connect to NAPAS 247.

What is VietQR and why does it matter?

VietQR is Vietnam's national interoperable QR standard routed through NAPAS. One code accepts instant transfers from any participating bank or wallet, and receiving it is often near-zero cost for the merchant. It is the broadest and cheapest checkout method for transfers.

Can a foreign business accept payments in Vietnam directly?

Usually through a registered Vietnamese entity, a local partner, or a licensed payment service provider that settles to an eligible account. Direct collection in Vietnamese dong generally requires local banking relationships, and payment-intermediary activity is regulated by the State Bank of Vietnam, so most foreign merchants route through a local PSP.

How do I handle recurring payments or subscriptions in Vietnam?

VietQR is a push payment initiated by the customer, so it does not natively support merchant-initiated recurring charges. For subscriptions use a card-on-file arrangement or a wallet direct-debit agreement with MoMo, ZaloPay or a gateway that supports it.

Public sources