Vietnam Payments - VND
Vietnam operates a two-tier domestic payment infrastructure. NAPAS (National Payment Corporation of Vietnam) provides real-time bank transfers 24/7 for transactions up to 500 million VND, covering 30+ major banks. CITAD (Credit Information Technology And Data) is Vietnam's RTGS system operated by the State Bank of Vietnam, handling high-value and non-NAPAS transactions with same-day settlement. NIUM routes between NAPAS and CITAD automatically based on transaction amount and the beneficiary bank's scheme membership — clients do not need to specify a rail. SWIFT payouts are handled separately via international wire. Vietnam's major consumer wallets (MoMo, ZaloPay, VNPT Money) are supported as a distinct payout method.
The payout methods below are available through the existing TransferMoney API. The primary change between methods is the payout_method value. NIUM handles rail selection, amount-based routing, and real-time status updates automatically. For up-to-date corridor capabilities, see the Vietnam Playbook.
Supported Payment Methods
| Feature | NAPAS (Real-time) | CITAD (High-value) | Wallet | SWIFT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payout Method | LOCAL | LOCAL (automatic) | WALLET | SWIFT |
| Use Case | Bank account, real-time — major NAPAS banks | Bank account, high-value — CITAD-capable banks or amounts above 500M VND | MoMo, ZaloPay, VNPT Money | International wire |
| Delivery | Real-time (24/7) for 30+ major banks; T0 for other NAPAS banks | Same-day (business days) | Real-time | T0 to T1 |
| Cutoff | 24x7 for real-time banks; 07:30 UTC for T0 banks | 08:30 UTC (15:30 local, business days) | 24x7 | 07:30 UTC |
| Transaction Limit | Min 2,000 VND; Max 500,000,000 VND | Min 500,000,001 VND; No upper limit | Varies by wallet provider | No fixed limit |
| Routing Code | SWIFT BIC | SWIFT BIC | WALLET | SWIFT BIC |
Bank Account Payouts
When you send a bank account payout (payout_method = LOCAL) in VND, NIUM automatically routes it to NAPAS or CITAD based on the transaction amount and the beneficiary bank's supported scheme. You do not need to specify a rail.
NAPAS routing (real-time, up to 500,000,000 VND):
- Real-time settlement (24/7) — applied to transactions under 500,000,000 VND where the beneficiary bank is a NAPAS real-time participant (30+ major Vietnamese banks).
- T0 settlement with 07:30 UTC cutoff — applied to transactions under 500,000,000 VND where the beneficiary bank is a NAPAS member but not a real-time participant.
CITAD routing (high-value and non-NAPAS banks):
- Transactions above 500,000,000 VND — automatically routed to CITAD for banks that support high-value settlement. Same-day processing subject to 08:30 UTC cutoff (15:30 local time).
- Banks not on NAPAS (e.g. Citibank Vietnam) — always routed via CITAD regardless of amount.
- Banks on NAPAS only — capped at 500,000,000 VND. Transactions above this limit are rejected at validation.
No additional fields are required to trigger CITAD routing. NIUM determines the route based on the SWIFT BIC of the beneficiary bank and the transaction amount.
Documents may be requested by the beneficiary bank for transactions above 250,000,000 VND. NIUM will surface this as a Return if the receiving bank requests additional documentation post-settlement.
Required Fields — Bank Account Payouts
The table below covers fields with VND-specific requirements. For the full list of required fields, refer to the TransferMoney API Reference.
| Field | Value / Validation |
|---|---|
routing_code_type_1 | SWIFT CODE |
routing_code_value_1 | SWIFT BIC of the receiving bank — 8 or 11 characters |
beneficiary_account_number | Max 22 characters |
beneficiary_address | Required by the processing partner |
Payout Lifecycle
VND bank account payouts follow the standard remittance lifecycle with additional VND-specific status updates.
| Step | Status | Description | Step type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SCHEDULEDAWAITING_FUNDSCANCELLEDEXPIREDFAILEDINITIATEDRFI_REQUESTEDRFI_RESPONDEDCOMPLIANCE_COMPLETEDREJECTEDPG_PROCESSING | Standard payout lifecycle statuses. For definitions, see Track Payouts. | Generic |
| 2 | SENT_TO_BANK | The payment has been submitted to NAPAS or CITAD for processing. | Country-specific |
| 3 | PAID | The beneficiary has been credited — in real time for NAPAS, or same-day for CITAD. | Country-specific |
| 4 | RETURN | The payout was returned by the receiving bank, for example due to an invalid account number, closed account, or missing documentation for high-value transactions. | Country-specific |
For more information, see Payout Lifecycle.
Wallet Payouts
Vietnam's three major mobile wallets are supported as a payout method. Wallet transfers are real-time and available 24/7.
| Wallet | routing_code_value_1 |
|---|---|
| MoMo | MOMO |
| ZaloPay | ZALOPAY |
| VNPT Money | VNPTMONEY |
The wallet type is specified via routing_code_value_1. The beneficiary's registered phone number is passed as beneficiary_account_number.
Required Fields — Wallet Payouts
The table below covers fields with VND wallet-specific requirements. For the full list of required fields, refer to the TransferMoney API Reference.
| Field | Value / Validation |
|---|---|
routing_code_type_1 | WALLET |
routing_code_value_1 | MOMO, ZALOPAY, or VNPTMONEY |
beneficiary_account_number | Phone number registered to the wallet (e.g. 0912345678) |
Wallet Payout Lifecycle
| Step | Status | Description | Step type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SCHEDULEDAWAITING_FUNDSINITIATEDCOMPLIANCE_COMPLETEDPG_PROCESSING | Standard payout lifecycle statuses. For definitions, see Track Payouts. | Generic |
| 2 | SENT_TO_BANK | The payment has been submitted to the wallet provider for processing. | Country-specific |
| 3 | PAID | The wallet has been credited in real time. | Country-specific |
| 4 | RETURN | The payout was returned — typically because the wallet account was not found or is inactive. | Country-specific |
SWIFT
SWIFT payouts to Vietnam are routed via JPMC and are unaffected by the NAPAS/CITAD local rail. Use payout_method = SWIFT with a valid SWIFT BIC. There is no fixed transaction limit. Settlement is typically same-day (T0) subject to a 07:30 UTC cutoff on business days.
Return Codes
The following ISO return codes are the most common errors observed for VND transactions.
| ISO Code | Reason | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
AC03 | Invalid creditor account number | Verify the beneficiary account number and SWIFT BIC. Confirm both belong to the same bank |
AC04 | Closed account number | Request updated account details from the beneficiary |