How do Vietnamese purchase game apps on smartphone?

Smartphone is becoming as one of the most popular items one must have in Vietnam. As a result, using apps (free and paid items) are also a certain following popular action.

The most common method of payments for apps on mobile all over the world is by Visa or Master card. Thus, Vietnamese is facing the difficulty when they want to purchase any apps on any stores due to the low penetration of credit card here.

So how the Vietnamese buy mobile apps nowadays? Let’s us discover their methods of payment.

Traditionally, there are currently 2 ways of payment for apps on stores which are by credit card (master or visa) and by gift card. The first method (by credit card) is not popular in Vietnam due to the low penetration of credit card. The second method is more popular; however, we can buy the genuine gift card for android but not for iOS because there is no App Store in Vietnam.　Therefore, there will the third party who will provide the gift card code, and most of the gift card available in the market now is from US store which means you can only use it with account registered from US.

There is the other way in Vietnam, to recharge directly to you Apple/Google Play account by top up mobile card through a third party as well.

For the gift card, you can either buy it at the mobile store or buy online. For online, there are various vendors; however, for the trust safety, you should choose the popular website such as www.muacash.com.

Following is the process.

How to Buy Gift Card Online

I choose www.muacash.com as an example.

Here is the process:

You will choose either purchase as a guest or as their member.

For member, there will be 4 steps:

- Sign up for account (by Facebook account, Google account or traditional way to sign up)

- Recharge for McCash (this is website special money)

- Choose the products you want to buy (they have tons of products such as: game cards, gift card for iOS, Android, etc)

- Receive the product in the history of transaction)

For non-member, there will be 3 steps:

- Choose the products you want to buy

- Payment

- Receive the product through email

Buying as a non-member, after you choose the product you want to buy, you will be asked to provide some basic information (name, email, address and phone number)

Next is the payment method you would like to use as they have numerous types of payment (ATM card, transfer money by post, international money transfer, cash at the office, etc.) but with the fees.

After they receive money, you will receive your code through email.

Recharge directly to your Apple/Google Play account

Another method of payment in Vietnam is recharge directly to one’s account by top up mobile card through website.

There will be a form for you to fill your information in.

You have to choose type of mobile carrier is your top up card; then type in your existing Apple ID/Google Play ID you want to have credit on. The next step is the top-up card code, which can be purchased and is used as payment method this time, and serial number to finish. The money will be transferred immediately after you click “finish”.

In case you don’t have Apple or Google Play account, you also can buy it from them with the cost of 3,000VND per ID.

The conversion rate is different from different stores and following is the illustration:

Furthermore, the Vietnamese sometimes asks their friends whether they have Apple or Google Play account which can use to pay for paid apps and then they will receive cash in return. Or in other case, people will go to the mobile phone store in which they can buy Apple or Google Play gift cards and recharge directly to their accounts.