International Payment Receiving Fees in Vietnam and Overlooked Costs

International payment receiving fees in Vietnam go well beyond the figure a bank or payment platform lists on its fee schedule. A single payment from an overseas client can pass through intermediary banks, platform fees, withdrawal fees, and a currency conversion before it reaches your VND account. For freelancers, IT outsourcing companies, and service exporters, the gap between the invoice amount and the amount actually received can reach several percent of monthly revenue. This guide breaks down each fee layer, compares the most common channels using public 2026 fee schedules, and shows you how to calculate the real total cost before choosing a channel.

What International Payment Receiving Fees in Vietnam Include

A payment from abroad into Vietnam can carry up to five layers of cost. Not every transaction triggers all five. Knowing each layer helps you read your statements correctly and set clear terms with clients.

Why Receiving Money in Vietnam Works Differently

The Vietnamese dong is not freely convertible, so most international payments arrive in a foreign currency and are converted to VND later. This creates two separate costs:

a transfer or platform fee when the money arrives;
a conversion cost when you exchange the foreign currency into dong.

The second cost is easy to miss because it rarely appears as a separate line on a statement.

Sender Fees and SWIFT Charges

SWIFT is the global interbank messaging network that carries most international bank transfers. When a client pays by SWIFT, their bank charges a service fee and a cable fee. According to a WorldFirst reference table updated in October 2026, sending-side service fees run at around 0.2%–0.25% of the transaction value, and SWIFT cable fees at around USD 5–10 per transaction.

These fees belong to the sender. They still matter to you, because clients weigh their own costs when they decide how to pay you.

Intermediary Bank Fees and the OUR, SHA, and BEN Options

When the sending bank has no direct relationship with the receiving bank, the payment passes through one or more intermediary banks. Each intermediary may charge around USD 10–30, and this amount can be deducted from the transfer before it reaches you.

Who pays depends on the option the sender selects when creating the transfer:

OUR: the sender pays all fees, and the recipient usually receives the full amount.
SHA: fees are shared, and the recipient may receive less than the amount on the order.
BEN: the recipient pays, and fees are deducted before the funds are credited.

With new clients, state the fee option clearly in your contract or invoice. This avoids payment investigations when a transfer arrives short.

Inward Remittance Fees at Vietnamese Banks

Vietnamese banks charge an inward remittance fee when they credit an incoming international transfer to your account. Two examples from public fee schedules:

Vietbank (schedule effective 24 December 2025): 0.05% per transaction, with a minimum of USD 5 and a maximum of USD 100.
PVcomBank: 0.05%, with a minimum of USD 2.

The minimum matters more than the percentage. On a USD 1,000 payment, 0.05% is only USD 0.50, but you still pay the bank’s minimum fee.

Payment Platform Fees

If you receive money through an international e-wallet or a multi-currency collection account, that platform charges its own fees. These may apply to each incoming payment, to each withdrawal to Vietnam, or to both. Each platform structures its pricing differently. The comparison section below gives specific figures.

FX Markup When Converting to VND

This is the cost people overlook most often, because it usually does not appear as a separate fee. When you convert foreign currency into VND, the bank applies its transfer buying rate. That rate is lower than its selling rate and lower than the mid-market rate. Vietbank’s fee schedule, for example, states that withdrawals in VND from a foreign currency account are converted at the bank’s transfer buying rate at the time of the transaction.

Some payment platforms add a margin on top of the base exchange rate when they convert. WorldFirst estimates conversion costs commonly fall between 1.5% and 3% of the amount, depending on the provider and the currency pair.

Comparing International Payment Receiving Fees Across Common Channels in 2026

The three most common channels for Vietnamese sellers and freelancers are: direct SWIFT transfers to a Vietnamese bank;

international e-wallets;
multi-currency collection accounts.

Each has its strengths. The right choice depends on payment size, your clients’ payment habits, and the documentation you need.

Direct SWIFT Transfers to a Vietnamese Bank

For larger payments, a direct SWIFT transfer usually carries low fees on the recipient’s side. You mainly pay the inward remittance fee, plus intermediary fees if the sender chose SHA or BEN. There are three trade-offs:

Your client pays international transfer fees on their side.
The final amount is hard to predict until intermediary fees are known.
Conversion follows the bank’s rate at the moment you sell the foreign currency.

International E-Wallets

PayPal is a widely used international e-wallet among Vietnamese freelancers. According to PayPal Vietnam’s merchant fee page, updated 28 May 2026:

Receiving commercial payments from outside Vietnam: 4.40% plus a fixed fee; for USD, the fixed fee is USD 0.30.
Currency conversion: 3.00% above the base exchange rate in standard cases.
Withdrawal to a bank account in Vietnam: VND 60,000 per withdrawal when no currency conversion is involved.
Refunds: PayPal charges no fee to issue a refund, but the fees you paid to receive the original payment are not returned.

E-wallets suit small payments, individual clients, or clients who prefer to pay by wallet. For high-value invoices, percentage-based fees grow quickly with the amount.

Multi-Currency Collection Accounts

A multi-currency collection account gives you account details in your client’s country. Your client then pays in their own currency through a domestic payment network (a local rail), such as ACH in the US, instead of sending a SWIFT transfer. Pricing varies by provider. For example, Payoneer lists a fee of 1% or a fixed amount, depending on the sum, for payments to its receiving accounts, and up to 3.99% for card payments.

When comparing providers in this group, look at four things: the receiving fee per channel, the withdrawal fee to Vietnam, how the exchange rate is displayed, and the documentation provided with each transaction.

How to Calculate the Total Cost of Receiving an International Payment

To compare channels fairly, calculate the VND you actually receive rather than reading listed fees:

VND received = (Invoice amount − deducted fees) × conversion rate − withdrawal and inward remittance fees

Worked Example for a USD 5,000 Monthly Invoice

Assume an IT outsourcing company receives USD 5,000 per month from a client in the United States.

This example uses the public fees cited above and is for illustration only. For a real transaction, check the current schedule of the bank or platform you use. The takeaway is that the same invoice can cost hundreds of dollars more each month depending on the channel. The conversion rate can widen that gap further.

Overlooked Costs When Receiving Money From Abroad

Beyond the main fees, five issues often leave you with less than you expected:

Minimum fees. On small payments, minimums take a large share. Combining several small payments into one withdrawal lowers the cost per dollar.
Exchange rate instead of fee. A channel with a low advertised fee can still cost more overall if its conversion rate is weak. Compare the final VND amount.
Investigation fees. Missing or incorrect beneficiary details trigger payment investigations, which WorldFirst puts at around USD 10 per request plus costs from other banks involved.
Fees not returned on refunds. Some platforms keep the original receiving fee even after a full refund.
Incomplete documentation. Missing invoices or contracts can lead a bank to hold funds until you supply the paperwork, which delays your cash flow.

Documentation and Tax Obligations When Receiving International Payments in 2026

2026 brings significant tax changes for individuals and household businesses with income from abroad.

Personal Income Tax Law No. 109/2025/QH15 was passed on 10 December 2025 and takes effect on 1 July 2026. Provisions on business income and on salaries and wages of resident individuals apply from the 2026 tax period.
Decree 253/2026/ND-CP guides the law. It took effect on 1 July 2026 and replaces Decree 65/2013/ND-CP.
For household businesses: the presumptive (lump-sum) tax method ended on 1 January 2026 under Resolution 198/2025/QH15. Household and individual businesses now self-declare their tax and must notify the tax authority of the bank accounts and e-wallets they use for business.

Recipients of money from abroad should keep two types of payments clearly separate:

Payment for goods or services is business income or income from wages, depending on how you work with your client.
Remittances from relatives abroad are exempt from personal income tax under current guidance.

Declaring the correct purpose when you receive each payment is the simplest way to avoid issues at filing time. Keep a contract, an invoice, and a transaction confirmation for each payment so you can reconcile revenue when you file.

FinFan’s Perspective on Receiving Payments Through IRID Virtual Accounts

Working with freelancers and service exporters, FinFan sees two problems repeat:

Recipients do not know the total cost of a payment in advance.
When they file taxes, they lack the documentation to show where the money came from.

IRID was built to address both.

How IRID Works

IRID is a technology platform that lets individuals and businesses in Vietnam open multi-currency virtual accounts (VAs) in their own name. A virtual account is an account number issued by an international financial partner. It lets you receive funds without opening a bank account in each country. IRID runs on infrastructure from Visa and Currencycloud.

The process has four steps:

Your overseas client pays into the virtual account in your name, through their domestic payment network or through SWIFT.
Each IRID customer has a unique IRID code, used to identify and reconcile every incoming payment.
You create a withdrawal to Vietnam in the portal or the app.
A partner bank in Vietnam handles the collection, the currency conversion, and the transfer to your VND account.

The exchange rate is applied by the partner bank and shown before you confirm each transaction. IRID’s collection network covers more than 180 countries. The platform supports up to 30+ currencies; currently available in the interface are EUR, USD, GBP, JPY, AUD, and CAD.

IRID Fees and How to Keep Costs Down

Two practices help you keep IRID costs down:

Share local account details with clients instead of SWIFT details. For clients in the US, UK, or EU, a domestic transfer costs them less and avoids the SWIFT receiving fee. If a client can only pay by SWIFT, calculate the total cost and compare it with a direct SWIFT transfer to a Vietnamese bank before you choose.
Combine several payments into one withdrawal. The withdrawal fee has a USD 25 minimum, so one USD 5,000 withdrawal (fee USD 35) costs less than five USD 1,000 withdrawals (USD 25 each, USD 125 in total). The portal lets you group multiple incoming payments into a single withdrawal.

Documentation Required When Withdrawing to Vietnam

Each IRID withdrawal requires a stated purpose, such as invoice payment, purchase of goods, or subscription fees. For each incoming payment, the system may also request:

the sender’s country and bank;
the invoice number;
a list of orders, with product names, prices, and quantities.

This step takes extra time on your first withdrawal. In return, every payment arrives with documentation and a declared purpose that supports reconciliation and tax filing. FinFan recommends preparing your contracts and invoices before you create a withdrawal.

Conclusion

International payment receiving fees in Vietnam are the sum of several layers: intermediary bank fees, inward remittance fees, platform fees, withdrawal fees, and the FX markup. Each channel combines these differently:

Direct SWIFT keeps recipient-side fees low on large payments, but the final amount is hard to predict.
International e-wallets are convenient for small payments, but their percentage fees grow quickly with size.
Multi-currency collection accounts let clients pay in their own currency through domestic networks and give you complete documentation.

The most reliable way to choose is to calculate the VND you actually receive for a typical payment. Keep full documentation as well, because from 2026, a transparent money flow is a requirement when you file taxes.

Are you a freelancer, IT outsourcing company, or service exporter who wants to know your total receiving cost through IRID? The FinFan team can walk you through account opening, the channels that suit your clients, and how to prepare your documentation. Contact FinFan today so our team will guide you to fast, secure financial solutions.

Website: https://finfan.io
Email: support@finfan.vn
Phone: +84 2866.853.317

Disclaimer

FinFan is the commercial brand of Nhat Phuong Joint Stock Company (Best Way Corporation), licensed by the State Bank of Vietnam for foreign currency acceptance and payment under License No. 973/GP-HCM. FinFan provides the technology platform; partner banks in Vietnam handle collection and foreign currency conversion. FinFan is not a bank and does not provide deposit services.

This content is general information and does not constitute tax or legal advice. Please consult a tax adviser about your specific situation. Fees for other banks and platforms are taken from public fee schedules at the time of writing (October 2026) and may change.

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