A customer pays her bill in Co.op Mart in HCM City with Momo. (Photo courtesy Momo)
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - To prevent the spread of the new strain of coronavirusin Vietnam, customers are encouraged to adopt cashless payment methods.
Somebanks and fintech firms have taken the opportunity to promote the safety ofcashless payments, especially after news that the People’s Bank of China isusing ultraviolet light and high-temperature ovens to disinfect incoming cash.The bank also started replacing old notes with newly minted bills on February 4.
NguyenBa Diep, CEO of Momo, an e-wallet with more than 12 million users, told VietnamNews: "Tests have shown cash harbours a wide variety ofbacteria which can be transmitted by contact. The coronavirus is spread throughnormal contact, so cash is likely to be a risky source."
Diepquoted health experts as saying as 90 percent of people in Vietnam use cash,banknotes are sources of pathogens and pose a threat to public health.
Whilee–wallets like Moca and Airpay promoted the use of online payments, some banksare following suit and telling their customers to switch to online transactionswhile the epidemic continues.
Onits Facebook page, SeABank told its customers to use electronic banking tocheck balances, transfer money and pay bills instead of going to the bank.
OceanBank told its customers to use the #EasyOceanBankMobile if they didnot want to go to a branch.
LeThi Thanh Hang, Deputy Director of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV)'s Branch inHo Chi Minh City, told local media on February 5 that the SBV has boosted theuse of non-cash payments for a long time.
Sheadded that passing from hand to hand, the banknotes were definitely not clean,adding: “It is advisable to gradually switch to digital payment methods ande-commerce instead of direct exchange with each other using cash during anoutbreak.”
Accordingto banking experts, Vietnam, with a population of 97 million people, is a greatmarket for fintech firms, including e-wallets, as more than 80 percent of theretail market uses cash.
TheDepartment of E-commerce and Digital Economy under the Ministry of Industry andTrade reported an annual growth of 35 percent in the local fintechsector while the 'e.Economy SEA 2019' report by Google, Temasek Holdingand Bain & Co said that digital payments in Southeast Asia areexpected to cross 1 trillion USD by 2025, becoming the payment method fornearly one in two dollars spent in the region./.
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In the first four months of 2025, trade turnover between Vietnam and Cambodia surpassed 3 billion USD, marking a 7% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
On June 19 alone, a total of 2,005 trucks completed customs clearance at Lang Son’s border gates — the highest single-day figure ever recorded in the province. Of these, 634 carried exports and 1,371 imports.
The OECD Economic Surveys: Vietnam 2025 report focuses on analysing the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals, the impact of international integration on attracting foreign investment and trade, and the country’s prospects for developing a low-carbon economy.
Antoine Colin, Senior Vice President for Global Supply Chain Digital Transformation & Resilience at HP Inc., affirmed HP’s strategic commitment to building a supply chain and ecosystem in Vietnam and the region.
Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)’s Trade Promotion Agency Bui Quang Hung emphasised that logistics has evolved from a technical function into a core capability for Vietnamese exporters to maintain their competitive advantage in the US market.
A trade official has suggested companies work closely with shipping lines, airlines, and freight forwarders to monitor routes, transit times, and potential surcharges while exploring broader cargo insurance to cover risks like war and terrorism.
In addition to institutional reform, the agency is also rolling out key solution groups to combat counterfeit goods, imitations, and intellectual property infringements in the digital environment.
The event, co-organised by the Vietnam Trade Office in the UK and TT Meridian, a local importer of Vietnamese fresh produce, aims to build a national lychee brand and encourage broader recognition of Vietnamese fruits in a competitive, high-end market.
The industry's performance has been powered by bold investments in modern production lines, enabling Vietnamese firms to produce complicated products which were exclusive to advanced economies.
A customer pays her bill in Co.op Mart in HCM City with Momo. (Photo courtesy Momo) 
