For digital nomad banking in Japan and Vietnam, the short answer is to bring a foreign Visa or Mastercard debit card plus a backup card, and plan on carrying some cash. In Japan, foreign cards work at Seven Bank and Japan Post Bank ATMs, but local trains and rural businesses often still need cash. In Vietnam, rules for foreigners opening accounts vary by bank and branch, so treat a local account as something to confirm in a branch, not something to count on.

How we checked this

We used official pages from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), Seven Bank, Japan Post Bank, Japan’s Immigration Services Agency, Vietnam’s national tourism site and Vietnam’s immigration e-visa portal. Facts checked on September 24, 2026. Most of these pages carry no publication date, so we list them as accessed on that day.

How we compare the two countries

Both country sections below follow the same order: cards and cash, ATMs and fees, QR payments, opening a local account as a non-resident, receiving foreign income, and what the visa requires financially. This is an educational guide: it does not cover tax, and whether your foreign income is taxable in Japan, Vietnam or at home is a question for a qualified tax adviser in the countries involved. For the wider toolkit (multi-currency accounts, invoicing, bookkeeping), start with our hub, Money tools for expats and freelancers (2026): accounts, cards, invoicing, AI bookkeeping, and the rest of the Money without borders section.

Question Japan Vietnam
Foreign cards accepted? Generally yes, per JNTO; cash still needed for short trips and rural areas Varies by merchant; carry cash as backup
ATMs for foreign cards Seven Bank (7-Eleven), Japan Post Bank Varies by bank
Posted ATM fee Japan Post Bank: ¥220 per use for some foreign cards, ¥50,000 per withdrawal Varies by bank; check the ATM screen
QR payments for visitors PayPay, LINE Pay, Rakuten Pay, Merpay exist; some don’t work on non-Japanese phones Cross-border VietQR for South Korean apps since April 2024
Nomad-specific visa Yes: up to 6 months, ¥10 million annual income E-visa up to 90 days

Japan

Cards and cash

JNTO says international credit, debit and prepaid cards are “generally accepted throughout the country,” but not every shop shows which card brands it takes, so it suggests asking before you order. Cards work for major transport such as the Narita Express and the shinkansen, but JNTO warns you “can’t always use them for short distance train/subway fares.” Its cashless page adds that rural areas “may still only accept cash, even hotels” and that IC card top-up machines do not accept credit cards. In practice that means carrying a modest amount of yen at all times, especially outside the big cities.

The usual way around cash for daily transport is an IC card. JNTO describes Suica and Pasmo as working on trains and buses and at convenience stores and a growing number of shops and restaurants. Mobile Suica and Mobile Pasmo work the same way and can be linked to a credit card inside the app, which is one of the few places a foreign card can fund an otherwise cash-topped card.

ATMs and fees

JNTO points visitors to two ATM networks for foreign cards: Japan Post Bank and Seven Bank. Seven Bank says it has more than 28,000 ATMs at 7-Eleven stores, airports, department stores and supermarkets, and lists the brands it accepts as Visa, Plus, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, UnionPay, American Express, JCB, Discover and Diners Club. It also warns that a card with one of those logos may still not work.

Japan Post Bank is more specific. Its international ATM page accepts Visa, Plus, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, JCB, UnionPay and Discover cards, charges “¥220 (tax included) per use” for certain foreign cards, and caps each withdrawal at ¥50,000. Your own card issuer may add its fee on top. Post office ATMs run 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Sundays and holidays; Japan Post Bank ATMs inside FamilyMart stores run almost around the clock. You can’t check your balance at these ATMs, and the page notes that the transaction may be settled in your card’s home currency rather than yen. If the machine offers to convert for you, compare that rate with your card’s rate before accepting. We explain how those conversion prompts affect cost in Transfer fee calculator: Wise, Revolut, bank wire, USDC side by side.

QR payments

JNTO names PayPay, LINE Pay, Rakuten Pay and Merpay as the most widely accepted smartphone payment apps, and it also warns that “some mobile payment systems are not compatible” with phones bought outside Japan. Assume that a foreign card, an IC card and cash will cover most of what you need, and treat QR apps as a bonus if they work on your phone.

Opening an account as a non-resident

The Immigration Services Agency says holders of the digital nomad status are not issued a residence card (在留カードの交付対象外). How banks treat applicants without a residence card varies, so ask at a branch before you rely on a local account.

Receiving foreign income

For a nomad without a local account, the practical route is to keep receiving USD or EUR into a home or multi-currency account and spend or withdraw in yen with a card. The cost then comes down to your card’s exchange rate plus any ATM fee, such as Japan Post Bank’s ¥220. We compare two common multi-currency accounts in Wise vs Revolut for living in two countries.

Visa financial requirements

Japan has a dedicated digital nomad status under “Designated Activities”. According to the Immigration Services Agency, the applicant must have personal annual income of at least ¥10 million at the time of applying, hold citizenship of one of the listed countries, and carry private medical insurance that covers death, injury and illness, with at least ¥10 million of cover for treatment. The stay lasts up to six months and cannot be extended; you can apply again after spending six months outside Japan. A spouse and children can come along under a companion status. Check the agency’s list of eligible countries before planning around this visa.

Vietnam

Cards and cash

Where foreign cards are accepted in Vietnam, and where cash is still required, varies by merchant. Plan the way you would for any cash-heavy country: carry two cards on different networks (Visa and Mastercard), and keep some dong for small purchases.

ATMs and fees

ATM fees and per-withdrawal limits for foreign cards vary by Vietnamese bank, so check the fee shown on the ATM screen before you confirm a withdrawal. Watch for the same currency conversion prompt as in Japan: choosing to be charged in your home currency usually means accepting the ATM operator’s rate instead of your card’s rate.

QR payments

Vietnam’s domestic QR standard is VietQR, run through NAPAS, the national payment switch. On cross-border use, Vietnam’s national tourism site reports that NAPAS, together with BIDV, Hana Bank and GLN International, launched VietQRGlobal payments for South Korean tourists in Hanoi on April 23, 2024. Korean visitors scan merchant codes with their own bank or wallet apps, and the site says payments are settled in won and dong at “hundreds of thousands of merchants across Vietnam.” That is useful if you bank in South Korea. For everyone else, paying a VietQR code has usually meant having a Vietnamese bank app or a third-party service, so don’t count on QR payments without a local account.

Opening an account as a non-resident

Rules for foreigners opening accounts vary by bank and branch; confirm requirements in person before you rely on a local account. When you visit a branch, ask which visa or residence document they need to see, whether it has to remain valid for a minimum period, and whether a Vietnamese phone number is required for the banking app.

Receiving foreign income

As with Japan, for a short stay, keeping income in a USD or EUR account at home or in a multi-currency account and spending with a card is the route that doesn’t depend on local account rules. If you are paid in stablecoins and considering a card that spends them, read Stablecoin cards (USDC): how they work, fees, and where they fail first. This guide doesn’t cover Vietnam-specific stablecoin on- or off-ramps.

Visa financial requirements

The national e-visa portal says an e-visa is “valid for maximum of 90 days, single or multiple entry,” that fees are paid through an online payment gateway, and that fees are not refunded if the application is refused. It also states that since November 11, 2024 the service has moved to evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn, which is where you should check current fees and eligible nationalities.

What to watch out for

  • Dynamic currency conversion at ATMs. Japan Post Bank notes that withdrawals may be settled in your card’s home currency. Compare the offered rate with your card’s before accepting.
  • Logos don’t guarantee a working card. Seven Bank says cards with an accepted logo may still fail. Carry a second card on a different network.
  • Cash gaps in Japan. Short train trips, IC card top-ups and rural hotels can be cash-only, per JNTO.
  • Japan’s nomad visa has a high bar. The requirements are ¥10 million in annual income plus ¥10 million of medical cover, for a stay of no more than six months with no residence card.
  • Vietnam’s e-visa is capped at 90 days. Check the current portals for rules and fees before you book.
  • Tax is separate. Staying in a country for months can create tax obligations there or at home. Talk to a qualified tax adviser, since this guide doesn’t cover it.

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