Visa and NAPAS Strengthen Collaboration to Advance the Digital Payment Acceptance Ecosystem in Vietnam

05/15/2026

• The Visa Acceptance Forums convened financial institutions, merchants, and technology partners to explore how secure, seamless, and scalable acceptance solutions can unlock new growth opportunities across Vietnam’s digital economy.

 

The Visa Acceptance Forum series – a platform where experts and partners discussed breakthroughs in payment innovation and the optimization of Vietnam’s digital payment acceptance network – was held in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Co-hosted by Visa and the National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS), the series underscored both organizations’ shared commitment to advancing a more connected, secure, and inclusive digital payments ecosystem.

Across the two forums, industry leaders explored four key themes shaping Vietnam’s digital economy: the rise of agentic commerce and the role of AI-driven journeys in creating new opportunities for secure payments; how payment innovation and ecosystem partnerships can unlock new growth; the importance of omnichannel acceptance in connecting in-store and online commerce experiences; and practical ways businesses are applying payment innovation to deliver more seamless, frictionless payment experiences.

Mr. Nguyen Dang Hung, Deputy CEO, NAPAS, said: “Strengthening Vietnam’s digital payment acceptance ecosystem requires close collaboration between the banking system and merchants to optimize costs while enhancing the user experience. Through its collaboration with Visa, NAPAS aims to expand interoperability and improve the convenience of digital payment services, thereby delivering greater benefits to both businesses and consumers. This collaboration also reflects both organizations’ shared commitment to supporting the development of a modern and sustainable payments market and contributing to the growth of Vietnam’s digital economy.”

“Vietnam’s digital commerce growth depends on secure, seamless and scalable payment acceptance. Visa is committed to working alongside NAPAS, financial institutions, and our partner network to strengthen trust, expand access and support long-term value for businesses and consumers. Together, we aim to help build a more inclusive and resilient payments ecosystem for Vietnam,” said Ms. Dung Dang, Visa Country Manager for Vietnam and Laos.

 

 

The discussions centered on four pivotal themes, each addressing a critical dimension of the digital transformation redefining Vietnam’s commerce landscape.

1. The New Era: Agentic Commerce

Artificial intelligence is evolving beyond its role as a decision-support tool to become an increasingly active participant in the transaction lifecycle. As agentic commerce emerges, AI agents can support consumers across the end-to-end journey of discovery, evaluation, and purchase.

For businesses, this shift creates a clear imperative to prepare for an AI-enabled commerce environment. Key priorities for businesses will include assessing organizational readiness, exploring new business models, strengthening payment security, and identifying near-term actions that can help companies stay competitive in an AI-first economy.

2. Unlocking New Verticals with Strategic Partnerships

Business expansion no longer needs to come with unnecessary complexity. Strategic partnerships, combined with targeted payment innovations, can help businesses enter and scale across high-growth verticals more efficiently.

A key growth opportunity lies in expanding digital payment acceptance across sectors such as hospitality and MSMEs. Integrated Service Providers, or ISPs, can play an important role in accelerating this shift by enabling seamless acceptance frameworks, scalable operating models, and easier access to digital payment capabilities across the broader commerce chain.

3. Shaping the Future of Payment Acceptance in Vietnam through Ecosystem Collaboration

As Vietnam’s payments ecosystem continues to evolve, one of the industry’s important priorities is scaling merchant acceptance in a way that is both commercially viable and operationally sustainable.

This requires coordinated efforts across the ecosystem to enhance customer experiences, strengthen transaction security, improve connectivity, and unlock new growth opportunities. Against a backdrop of intensifying competition and rising consumer expectations, trust and interoperability will remain central to building a more resilient and inclusive national acceptance ecosystem.

4. Building Frictionless Payment Experience for the Hospitality Industry and Beyond

The hospitality sector is being reshaped by mobile-first consumer behavior, digital booking journeys, and the growing complexity of cross-border commerce. Modern merchants are under increasing pressure to deliver connected, seamless payment experiences across every touchpoint, from initial reservation to final checkout and settlement.

Achieving this requires continued modernization of payment infrastructure, deeper ecosystem collaboration, and solutions that can support both domestic and international customers. Ecosystem-wide partnerships are becoming essential to building a frictionless payment experiences required to scale in a digital-first economy.

By combining Visa’s global payment technology capabilities with NAPAS’s domestic network strength and market expertise, the collaboration aims to support the continued adoption of next-generation payment solutions and contribute to Vietnam’s position as one of the region’s most dynamic digital economies.

 

 

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com. 

About NAPAS

National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS) has more than 20 years of experience in financial switching and electronic clearing. As the operator of the national retail payment infrastructure, NAPAS has been collaborating with banks, payment intermediaries, and partners to provide new, modern payment services and developing Vietnam’s cashless payment ecosystem. At the same time, NAPAS is expanding its international connectivity to enable cross-border payments in line with the direction of the Government and the State Bank of Vietnam.

For more information, please visit: https://www.napas.com.vn.