Vietnam could record the first official activity in its regulated crypto asset market by the third quarter of 2026, according to Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen Duc Chi.
Vietnam is making a bold move into crypto…
A Deputy Finance Minister says the country could officially launch its crypto asset market by Q3 2026, a big step toward regulation and mainstream adoption.
For a region already booming in retail crypto activity, this could unlock… pic.twitter.com/uc7826sc6R
— Fintech Bits (@fintechbite) May 13, 2026
Speaking at the Digital Trust in Finance 2026 forum on Tuesday, Chi said the government is preparing a regulatory structure aimed at ensuring transparency and investor protection as the country moves toward formal crypto market operations.
Government sets timeline for regulated crypto market
“We believe that, as early as the third quarter, Vietnam could witness the first official activities of its crypto asset market,” Chi said, according to local media outlet VnEconomy.
The update signals another major step in Vietnam’s effort to regulate one of Asia’s fastest-growing crypto markets. Earlier this year, authorities introduced a licensing pathway for domestic cryptocurrency trading platforms, opening the door for local firms to operate under government supervision.
Vietnam pushes ahead with regulated crypto market
Vietnam’s crypto plans are tied to its wider digital economy strategy, which aims to make the digital economy account for at least 30% of the country’s gross domestic product by 2030. The plan also targets 80% cashless transactions and stronger participation in innovation-driven businesses.
In March, five Vietnamese companies reportedly passed the initial qualification stage to compete for licenses tied to the country’s first regulated crypto exchange. The firms included affiliates of private banks Techcombank, VPBank and LPBank, alongside VIX Securities and conglomerate Sun Group.
Vietnam also proposed a crypto tax framework in February that would apply a 0.1% tax on crypto transactions processed through licensed platforms, treating them similarly to traditional securities trades.
Vietnam remains one of Asia’s biggest crypto hubs
Despite the lack of a fully regulated market, Vietnam remains one of the world’s most active crypto economies. Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis ranked Vietnam fourth in its 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index, behind India, the United States and Pakistan.
The country also ranked third in Asia for onchain value received, with an estimated $200 billion in crypto transactions recorded in the 12 months leading to June 2025. However, most Vietnamese traders still rely on offshore exchanges such as Binance, OKX and Bybit.
To encourage local adoption, Vietnam launched a five-year crypto pilot program in September 2025 requiring transactions to be processed in Vietnamese dong through locally registered companies.
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