Do Russian UnionPay bank cards work in Vietnam, and is it worth getting a local Vietnamese bank card?
Based on 4 discussions with 7 participants · Last activity: 1 day ago
TL;DR
UnionPay cards from Russian banks (like Rosselkhozbank) generally work in Vietnam, but issuance can take up to 2 months. Many expats also recommend getting a local Vietnamese bank card since cash isn't accepted everywhere in Da Nang and Nha Trang.
What the community said
Some places in Nha Trang and Da Nang simply don't accept cash — you have to pay by card, so having a working card is essential.
2 days ago Da Nang, Nha Trang
Many travelers aren't sure why they need a local Vietnamese bank card, but in practice it provides stable access to cashless payments without the blocking risks foreign cards sometimes face.
3 days ago
Getting a Vietnamese bank card issued can take a long time: one traveler waited 2 months for confirmation after applying — check processing times with the bank branch in advance.
10 days ago issuance time ~2 months
There's no single confirmed answer in the chat about whether Rosselkhozbank's UnionPay card currently works in Vietnam — it's recommended to verify acceptance status right before your trip since conditions can change.
10 days ago UnionPay, Rosselkhozbank
Some note that foreign cards and payment systems keep working smoothly in Vietnam partly due to relatively loose enforcement by local banking regulators — convenient for expats, but conditions could change at any time.
15 days ago