Sending money from the United Kingdom to Vietnam: the payments stack
Sending GBP 120 from the United Kingdom to Vietnam cost 3.95% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 25 services in the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide survey. Payouts in Vietnam typically run over NAPAS 247, VietQR (NAPAS 247 by QR); between now and the end of 2027 there are 14 weekdays when banks in the United Kingdom are closed but Vietnam keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 3.95% of GBP 120 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 4.26% across 22 services |
| Collect in United Kingdom | Faster Payments, CHAPS, Bacs (Direct Credit and Direct Debit) |
| Pay out in Vietnam | NAPAS 247, VietQR (NAPAS 247 by QR), CITAD (high-value interbank) |
What it costs to send GBP 120
The World Bank surveyed 25 services sending from the United Kingdom to Vietnam from 8 August 2025 to 22 August 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 3.95% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 4.26%. source
Bank and operator averages are worked out from the survey's provider types.
The send side: the United Kingdom
- Money remittance and the execution of credit transfers and direct debits are payment services under the Payment Services Regulations 2017; a firm providing them must be an authorised payment institution or a small payment institution unless it is already another type of payment service provider or is exempt. Issuing e-money requires authorisation or registration under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011. source
- Initial capital for an authorised payment institution is 20,000 euros for money remittance only, 50,000 euros for payment initiation and 125,000 euros for the services in paragraphs 1(a) to (e) of Schedule 1, such as executing payment transactions (PSRs 2017, Schedule 3). source
- An authorised e-money institution needs initial capital of at least 350,000 euros; a small e-money institution with average outstanding e-money of 500,000 euros or more holds at least 2% of that amount (EMRs 2011, Schedule 2). source
Licences, sponsor banks, collections, ramps and KYC providers: sending from the United Kingdom.
The payout side: Vietnam
| Payout partner | What it does in Vietnam | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Nium · our guide | Pays VND in real time 24x7 to 30+ major banks up to VND 499,999,999 per transfer, to wallets and via Visa Direct, and same day over CITAD above that; supports B2P, P2P and P2B flows. | source |
| dLocal · our guide | Supports payouts in Vietnam by bank transfer and to wallets such as MoMo, VNPAY, VNPT Pay and ZaloPay. | source |
| Xendit | Pays out VND over NAPAS (about 15 minutes, up to VND 299,000,000) and CITAD (same day, 2 p.m. cut-off, on activation) for B2C and C2C flows. | source |
| MoMo (M_Service) | Runs an international money receiving service with overseas and domestic remittance partners that credits verified MoMo wallet users 24/7, including weekends and holidays. | source |
Licensing, local banks, stablecoin ramps, FX and KYC in Vietnam: launching payments in Vietnam.
Payout rails in Vietnam
| Rail | Operator | What matters for payouts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| NAPAS 247 | National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS) | Real-time transfers to cards and bank accounts, also by phone number, e-wallet and mobile money, at any time including outside office hours and at weekends, for amounts below VND 500 million per transaction. | source |
| VietQR (NAPAS 247 by QR) | National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS) | QR-based NAPAS 247 transfers between accounts at 50+ member banks, 24/7, below VND 500 million per transaction. | source |
| CITAD (high-value interbank) | Used for payouts above VND 500 million; Nium processes them same day with a 15:30 local time (08:30 UTC) cut-off for supported banks. | source |
Holiday gaps to plan for, to December 2027
Weekdays when one side of the corridor is closed. On the 14 dates when the United Kingdom is closed and Vietnam is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them. On the 11 dates when Vietnam is closed, instant rails may still pay out.
| Date | United Kingdom | Vietnam | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 24 Nov 2026 | Open | Vietnamese Culture Day (Ngay Van hoa Viet Nam) | Vietnam banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 30 Nov 2026 | St Andrew's Day (Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Vietnam the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | Open | Prefund Vietnam the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 28 Dec 2026 | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Open | Prefund Vietnam the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | New Year's Day | Both closed |
| Mon 4 Jan 2027 | 2nd January (substitute day, Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Vietnam the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Thu 4 Feb 2027 | Open | Tet holiday (28th day of the 12th lunar month) | Vietnam banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 5 Feb 2027 | Open | Tet holiday (eve of Lunar New Year) | Vietnam banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 8 Feb 2027 | Open | Tet holiday (3rd day of the 1st lunar month) | Vietnam banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 9 Feb 2027 | Open | Tet compensatory day | Vietnam banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 10 Feb 2027 | Open | Tet compensatory day | Vietnam banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 17 Mar 2027 | St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland only) | Open | Prefund Vietnam the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Good Friday | Open | Prefund Vietnam the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 29 Mar 2027 | Easter Monday | Open | Prefund Vietnam the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 16 Apr 2027 | Open | Hung Kings Commemoration Day (10th day of the 3rd lunar month) | Vietnam banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 30 Apr 2027 | Open | Reunification Day (Victory Day) | Vietnam banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 3 May 2027 | Early May bank holiday | Labour Day compensatory day | Both closed |
| Mon 31 May 2027 | Spring bank holiday | Open | Prefund Vietnam the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 12 Jul 2027 | Battle of the Boyne (Northern Ireland only) | Open | Prefund Vietnam the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 2 Aug 2027 | Summer bank holiday (Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Vietnam the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 30 Aug 2027 | Summer bank holiday | Open | Prefund Vietnam the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Thu 2 Sep 2027 | Open | National Day | Vietnam banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 3 Sep 2027 | Open | National Day (second day) | Vietnam banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 24 Nov 2027 | Open | Vietnamese Culture Day (Ngay Van hoa Viet Nam) | Vietnam banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 30 Nov 2027 | St Andrew's Day (Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Vietnam the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 27 Dec 2027 | Christmas Day (substitute day) | Open | Prefund Vietnam the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Tue 28 Dec 2027 | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Open | Prefund Vietnam the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
Full calendars: United Kingdom and Vietnam. Size the buffer with the corridor runway calculator.
Funding the corridor
- Faster Payments is available to customers 24/7, but net settlement between participants takes place in the Bank of England RTGS system three times each business day. source
- CHAPS does not run on weekends or England and Wales bank holidays, and the customer payment deadline is 17:40, so any same-day sterling funding of an overseas account must be instructed before then. source
- NAPAS 247 handles transfers below VND 500 million per transaction at any hour; larger payouts move to same-day CITAD, which Nium cuts off at 15:30 local time. source
- Xendit caps NAPAS payouts at VND 299,000,000 and cuts off CITAD at 2 p.m. Vietnam time, so provider limits can sit below the network limit. source
- Nium notes that banks can ask for documents on transactions above VND 250 million. source
Running the corridor
Polynopsis shows every balance on both sides of this corridor in one live position: the collection accounts in United Kingdom, the payout partners and banks in Vietnam and any stablecoin in between. It warns before the Vietnam balance runs dry, holidays included. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from the United Kingdom to Vietnam?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending GBP 120 at 3.95% in Q3 2025, across 25 services. Money transfer operators averaged 4.26%.
Which rails pay out in Vietnam?
Local payouts run over NAPAS 247, VietQR (NAPAS 247 by QR), CITAD (high-value interbank).
When do I need to prefund Vietnam payouts ahead of holidays?
Between now and December 2027 there are 14 weekdays when the United Kingdom is closed and Vietnam is open, the first on Mon 30 Nov 2026. The payout balance has to cover those days before they start.
Related corridors
Sources
- World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset · World Bank
- UK bank holidays (JSON feed) · GOV.UK
- UK bank holidays · GOV.UK
- Thong bao lich nghi tet Am lich va le Quoc khanh nam 2027 · Ministry of Home Affairs
- Viet Nam announces 2027 public holiday schedule · Viet Nam Government Portal
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.