How international travelers, nomads & expats can pay with QR codes in Vietnam
Bánh mì in Hanoi, egg coffee in the Old Quarter, a Grab bike across Ho Chi Minh City: in Vietnam they all end with a QR code on the counter. Moreta Pay scans that code for you, funded from your own bank or card at home, so there is no Vietnamese account to open and no wad of dong to count.
VietQR
MoMo
ZaloPay
Costs, limits and tips
Paying in Vietnam
Guide updated
What it costs
- Transaction fee
- 1.5%
- Exchange rate today
- 1 USD = 25,790 VNDLive rate, updated recently
Limits
- Max payment
- 50M VND
- Weekly limit
- 160M VND
The app always shows the live rate and the exact cost before you pay.
Local tips
- Look for the VietQR mark, or a MoMo or ZaloPay sticker, on the stand or the printed card by the till.
- Keep some small dong notes for parking attendants and the occasional stall that still prefers cash.
- Get an eSIM before you land: scanning needs a data connection.
Why QR code is the best way to pay in Vietnam
QR codes are how people pay in Vietnam: hold up a phone, scan the code on the counter, done. Vietnam went from cash to QR in a few years, and the code on the counter is now how most people pay. VietQR is the standard the banks share, and MoMo and ZaloPay wallet stickers sit beside it at coffee shops, street kitchens and market stalls in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.
Moreta gives you the same thing as a visitor. A scan is contactless, so there is no card to hand over and no cash to carry, and each payment costs one flat fee at the live rate instead of a foreign transaction fee and a marked-up rate from your bank at home.
The problem with paying abroad as a tourist, expat or nomad
Paying abroad with the card in your wallet is easy until it is not. Your bank may block the first charge as suspicious. When it goes through, most cards add a foreign transaction fee and convert at a rate of their choosing, and some terminals offer to charge you in your own currency at a worse one.
Cash is no better. ATMs stack your bank's withdrawal fee, the operator's fee and a poor rate, and you still end up carrying more Vietnamese dong than you need and changing the rest back at the airport. Paying by QR from a wallet you fund yourself skips all of it: one fee, the live rate and no plastic.
Card or cash
- A foreign transaction fee on most cards
- Your bank's rate, or the terminal's worse one
- ATM fees from your bank and the operator
- Leftover Vietnamese dong to change back
Moreta
- One flat fee, shown before you slide to pay
- The live rate at the moment you pay
- No ATM and no card to hand over
- What you do not spend stays for the next country
How Moreta Pay works
Moreta is a wallet on your phone that pays VietQR, MoMo, and ZaloPay codes as if a local had scanned them. Set it up once, at home or on the plane, and it is ready before you land in Vietnam.
01Verify your identity
Download Moreta, scan your passport and take a selfie. Verification usually takes a few minutes, and your account can move money as soon as it passes.
- 02
Load funds to your Moreta Pay wallet
Link a US bank through Plaid, or send a SEPA, Faster Payments, Interac or PayID transfer. Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and USDC work too, and you can top up from the road.
- 03
Scan QR codes at local shops & restaurants
Tap Scan and point your camera at the VietQR, MoMo, and ZaloPay code on the counter. Moreta reads it the way a Vietnamese bank app would.
- 04
Get seamless payments on the go
Check the amount in Vietnamese dong, what it costs in your own currency and the fee, then slide to pay. The merchant sees the payment in their own app the moment it clears.
USD
EUR
GBP
CAD
AUD
Why Moreta Pay is better than alternatives
No local bank account required
Pay from the bank or card you already have. Nothing to open, nothing to close when you leave.
Seamless integration with VietQR, MoMo & ZaloPay
VietQR is run by Napas, the national switch, so a code printed by any Vietnamese bank lands in the merchant's account in seconds. Moreta pays VietQR codes and MoMo and ZaloPay codes, so most counters you meet are covered.
Designed for international travelers, expats & nomads
A two-week trip or a year abroad, it works the same, and what you do not spend stays for the next country.
Several accepted payment types
Top up by bank transfer in US dollars, euros, pounds, Canadian or Australian dollars, or with a card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or USDC.
Lower fees compared to cash or card alternatives
One flat fee per payment, shown before you confirm. No ATM fees, and most banks add no foreign transaction fee.
Instant, contactless QR payments
Scan, check, slide. Nothing to hand over, and the merchant is paid in seconds.
Real exchange rates
Every payment converts to Vietnamese dong at the live rate at the moment you pay.
See today's rate
Frequently asked questions
What travellers ask before paying by QR in Vietnam.
Showing 6 of 9 questions
Guides for Vietnam
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Will Your Card Work in Vietnam? Probably Not, and Here's What to Do Instead
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Expat life5 min read
The Laminated QR Card on Every Vietnamese Counter Is the Real Banking System
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The Dong Has Too Many Zeros, and Other Money Mistakes Tourists Make in Vietnam
Watch the counter of any Hanoi cafe for ten minutes and you will see the same motion over and over: a customer lifts a phone, points it at a laminated card taped next to the register, taps twice, shows the screen, and…
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More ways to pay
Activate your Moreta Pay account before your trip
Set up Moreta, add money and land in Vietnam ready to scan. No cash to change, no card to worry about, and one flat fee at the live rate on every payment.
Also works in 
Thailand, 
Cambodia, 
the Philippines, 
Laos, 
Malaysia, and 8 more countries