Vietnam Recognizes Cryptocurrencies as Property, But Regulations Remain Strict

In January 2026, Vietnam's new law on digital technology industry recognized cryptocurrencies and digital assets as property.

This development is a major step forward for Vietnam's digital asset industry, enabling a five-year pilot program for crypto asset markets.

The State Bank of Vietnam still does not accept cryptocurrency as legal tender and forbids merchants from accepting crypto payments for their services or products.

To comply with regulations, most crypto payment gateways in Vietnam don't initiate crypto payments directly and instead use an Asset-to-Fiat approach.

This involves users making payments via cryptocurrencies like USDT and USDC, which are then instantly converted into Vietnamese Dong (VND) by the gateway before being deposited into merchants' accounts.

Some companies have integrated with licensed payment providers in Vietnam, such as VietQR, to offer services to their users.