Sending Money from Japan to Vietnam — Wise, SBI Remit, and Seven Bank Compared

Detailed Look at Each Service

1. Wise (Transferwise) — Top Choice in 2026

Pros:

• Mid-market exchange rate—the same as a Google search for "1 JPY to VND," with no spread
• Extremely low fees: 0.4% + 500y. For a 100k-yen transfer, the fee is 900y (153k VND)
• Funds arrive within 1-2 hours (via Vietcombank, Techcombank, BIDV, and other banks)
• Well-designed app with Vietnamese-language support
• Wise debit card available—use it in Japan and Vietnam with no currency-conversion fee

Cons:

• Per-transaction limit: 1,500,000 yen (larger transfers must be split into multiple transactions)
• Annual total limit: 10,000,000 yen for accounts that have not completed full verification
• You must register for a Wise account: initial verification takes 1-3 days

How to sign up:

1. Download the Wise app from the App Store / Play Store
2. Register with your email and Japanese phone number
3. Upload photos of your residence card and passport, plus a selfie
4. Wait 1-3 days for verification
5. Send money: select "Send money" → enter the yen amount → select VND → enter the recipient’s Vietnamese bank details

2. SBI Remit — Established and Reliable

Pros:

• Operating since 2010 and trusted by many Vietnamese users
• Flat 500y fee, whether you send 10k or 1M yen
• Funds arrive in a Vietnamese bank account after 1 business day
• Cash pickup available at Agribank/BIDV using an MTCN code (similar to Western Union)
• Deposit locations: any FamilyMart / Lawson (Loppi machines)

Cons:

• 1.5-2% spread—not as good as Wise
• Lower limits for new accounts (1,000,000 yen/month during the first 3 months)

How to sign up:

1. Website: remit.co.jp
2. Complete the online form and upload your residence card and passport
3. SBI mails you a membership card (5-7 days)
4. After receiving the card, deposit money through a convenience store or bank transfer

3. Seven Bank Money Transfer

Pros:

• Deposit money through Seven Bank ATMs (27,000+ machines across Japan, available 24/7)
• Convenient for night-shift workers who can’t visit a bank during business hours
• No need to open a Seven Bank account

Cons:

• Expensive tiered fees:
  • <10k yen: 990y
  • 10-100k yen: 1,500y
  • 100-300k yen: 3,000y
• 2-3% spread (worse than Wise + SBI)
• Per-transaction limit of 1,000,000 yen

4. Yuucho International Transfer

Pros:

• Send money directly from an existing Yuucho account—no need to sign up for a new service
• Post offices have counters with English-language support

Cons:

• Extremely expensive: 2,500y minimum for transfers via SWIFT
• 3-4% spread—the worst among the 5 services
• Requires filling out paper forms at the counter; slow and takes 1 hour
• The recipient’s Vietnamese bank may deduct an additional $15-25 in “SWIFT intermediary fees”

When to use it: only if you have NO other option (for example, you live in a remote area without a convenience store where you can use SBI Remit). Otherwise, avoid Yuucho International.

5. DooriQ / DomuaBan / Smaller Vietnamese Services

Features:

• Transactions handled through an app/website, with 100% Vietnamese-language customer support
• Mid-range fees and exchange rates (between Wise and SBI)
• Fast transfers (1-4 hours)
• Lower limits (~500k-1M yen/month)

Cons:

• Less reputable than the major services—choose a company that has been operating for ≥3 years and has Facebook/Google reviews
• May be inspected by the FSA (Financial Services Agency), which can occasionally lead to 1-2 weeks of suspended operations

When to use them: for frequent small transfers (50-200k yen/month) when Vietnamese-language customer support is important.

Large Transfers (>100 million VND) — Important Notes

When sending around 1,000,000 yen or more (=170 million VND), pay attention to the foreign-exchange control laws of both countries:

Japan

• >1,000,000 yen per transaction: the service automatically reports it to the FSA (this is not a penalty, just an audit trail)
• >5,000,000 yen/year: declare it on your year-end tax return (確定申告 — kakutei shinkoku)
• This is not income tax—just a reporting requirement

Vietnam

• <300 million VND: normally received through a bank
• >300 million VND: Vietnamese banks commonly request an explanation of the source of funds (proof of income in Japan, employment contract)
• >500 million VND: report it to the Vietnamese tax authority if it is income (not a gift or loan)

Tips for Large Transfers

1. Split the transfer into multiple transactions (100-300k yen each)—to avoid questions and save on fees (Wise fee flat 0.4%)
2. Keep proof of income: retain your employment contract + 6 months of payslips in case the Vietnamese bank requests them
3. Use Wise: the app provides detailed transaction statements, making it easier to explain the transfer to a Vietnamese bank
4. Avoid Seven Bank ATMs for large amounts: the tiered fees are expensive
5. Don’t send money through friends: this violates Vietnam’s rules on “proxy transactions,” and the bank may freeze the recipient’s account

Real-World Comparison — A 250k-Yen Monthly Salary

Suppose your monthly salary is 250k yen and you send 200k yen to Vietnam (keeping 50k for living expenses in Japan):

Conclusion: Wise saves someone sending 200k yen per month ~24 million VND per year compared with Yuucho.

5 Common Mistakes

1. Choosing a Service Based on Vietnamese Facebook Ads

• Many small services advertise the “highest exchange rate”—but are actually scams
• Only use companies licensed in Japan (check at fsa.go.jp)

2. Forgetting to Complete Wise Verification—Then Getting Locked Out After 3-6 Months

• Wise may ask you to upload additional documents after you have transferred a total of 5-10 million yen
• If you don’t provide them, the app will automatically suspend transactions
• Tip: complete full verification the first time

3. Entering the Vietnamese Recipient’s Name Incorrectly

• Vietnam requires the name to match the ID card: "NGUYEN THI AN" (ALL CAPS, no diacritics)
• Entering "Nguyen Thi An" (lowercase) may cause the Vietnamese bank to reject the transfer
• A single incorrect letter can result in the transaction being returned, with the fee lost

4. Sending Money During Major Market Volatility

• Sending when the yen is weak (135 VND/yen in 2024) versus when it is strong (175 VND/yen in 2025)—a 25% difference
• Tip: track exchange rates and send when the yen peaks (Google "JPY VND chart")

5. Not Keeping Receipts

• Receipts are needed for year-end tax reporting (if the total exceeds >5 million yen)
• Wise lets you export PDFs, while SBI provides convenience-store receipts—save them
• Losing your receipts makes a year-end audit very difficult to explain

Sending Money via Crypto—Is It Worth It?

Some Vietnamese people use USDT to send money from Japan to Vietnam through Binance P2P:

Pros: extremely competitive exchange rates (close to the mid-market rate), completed in 5-10 minutes
Cons:

• Vietnam’s crypto regulations remain unclear—you may have your bank account frozen if you receive money from a P2P source
• Risk of being scammed by a P2P counterparty (although Binance provides escrow)
• Not suitable for beginners or people without technical experience

Recommendation: Wise is the right choice for 99% of Vietnamese users; crypto is only for people with ≥1 year of experience.

Summary

Wise is the number 1 choice for sending money from Japan to Vietnam in 2026: mid-market exchange rates, a 0.4%+500y fee, and funds arriving within 1-2 hours. It saves 24 million VND/year compared with Yuucho International. SBI Remit is the second-most reliable option (500y flat fee, T+1). For large transfers over >1M yen, remember to split the transfer into multiple transactions, keep your receipts, and retain proof of income for the Vietnamese bank.

Read more about how to open a Yuucho account for receiving your salary—this account makes withdrawing money for Wise transfers especially easy. If you’re leaving Japan and returning to Vietnam permanently, see how to reclaim nenkin Dakkai Ichijikin—the final payment you can transfer home.

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