Da Nang Tests Crypto-to-Dong Trials for Tourism Payments

Da Nang is testing supervised crypto-to-dong solutions, but the report does not say international tourists can use them yet.

Da Nang is testing crypto-asset solutions in supervised sandboxes, including a model that converts USDT into Vietnamese dong through a city-licensed app before payment.

How the supervised trial works

At an October 16 conference, Da Nang Vice Chairman Ho Quang Buu said the city was testing new technology within defined scopes and timeframes under state supervision. He said six solutions had been approved for trial. One crypto-asset model lets users convert Tether (USDT) to Vietnamese dong through a city-licensed app; payments are then made in dong.

Buu described tourism as an area with potential for digital-asset solutions and said the city was developing criteria to select models around visitors’ payment needs. The announcement did not set out access arrangements for international visitors.

Why payments are part of the discussion

Da Nang recorded 7.73 million international tourist visits in the first nine months of the year, and accommodation and food-service revenue reached nearly VND53 trillion (US$2.04 billion), the report said. At the conference, participants discussed whether digital tools could make transactions more convenient across hotels, restaurants, transport, shops and attractions.

Tran Manh Huy, a member of Vietnam’s 16th National Assembly and the Vietnam Blockchain and Digital Assets Association’s executive committee, said a sandbox approval does not authorize companies to operate outside its approved scope. He also distinguished converting crypto-assets into Vietnamese dong before payment from paying directly in crypto, describing conversion as the more suitable approach under the current framework.

For established places to obtain Vietnamese dong outside the trial, our Da Nang and Hoi An money-exchange guide distinguishes airport counters from city bank offices.