On this page
- No licensed sàn yet: where things stand
- The five pilot exchange applicants
- What changes once the first licence is granted
- Offshore platforms Vietnamese users commonly use
- How to judge the best crypto exchange in Vietnam for XLM
- P2P risks: frozen accounts and VietQR transfers
- Moving XLM to a wallet: memos and minimums
- Global options beyond the usual names
There is no licensed crypto exchange in Vietnam yet, so the honest answer to “where to buy XLM in Vietnam” has two parts. Five domestic applicants are working towards the country’s first pilot licences, but none had one at our latest check, and none has said which coins it will list. Meanwhile, Vietnamese users who hold Stellar Lumens (XLM) mostly got them on offshore exchanges, typically after buying USDT through P2P markets. Those platforms are not licensed by Vietnamese authorities, and that will matter more once the first licence is granted.
This page reviews both sides without cheerleading for either: the pilot applicants and their status, the global platforms that verifiably list XLM, the specific risks of P2P, and what will change when the new regime switches on. For the legal background, including the 0.1% transfer tax and the payment ban, read our Stellar Lumens Vietnam guide.
No licensed sàn yet: where things stand
Vietnam’s pilot crypto market runs under Resolution 05/2025/NQ-CP, effective from 9 September 2025 for five years. Licensed providers must be Vietnamese enterprises with at least VND10,000 billion of paid-in capital, foreign ownership of at most 49% and level-4 information security, and all trading must be in dong. The Ministry of Finance started accepting applications on 20 January 2026 (Government portal).
Seven applications were filed, and five passed the initial review. At our latest check, no exchange had been licensed (Thanh Niên). Any website claiming to be “Vietnam’s licensed crypto exchange” before an official announcement deserves suspicion.
The five pilot exchange applicants
| Applicant | Linked group | Status at our latest check |
|---|---|---|
| CAEX | VPBank ecosystem | Passed security appraisal; capital met |
| TCEX | Techcom | Passed initial review |
| VIXEX | VIX | Passed initial review |
| SCEX | Sacom / Lộc Phát-linked | Passed initial review |
| Moonbase | Vietnam Digital Asset JSC | Passed initial review |
CAEX (Vietnam Prosperity Crypto Asset Exchange) looks furthest along. In its most recent update it said it had passed the level-4 security appraisal and met the VND10,000 billion capital requirement, but still had to complete its technology and operating processes. It has also attracted foreign strategic investors: OKX Ventures and HashKey Capital took stakes, announced in April 2026 (Tuổi Trẻ). Under the 49% foreign-ownership cap, that is how global players get a foothold, since foreign organisations cannot hold a licence themselves.
Will any of them list XLM? We do not know. We found no published coin list from any applicant, so for now the honest answer is “unknown”. The pilot’s rules also shape what can be listed: trading must settle in VND, and the definition of a crypto-asset excludes digital forms of fiat money, which leaves the treatment of dollar stablecoins unclear.
What changes once the first licence is granted
The new regime is not just about new exchanges; it changes the status of the old routes. Decree 284/2026/NĐ-CP, in force from 1 September 2026, fines domestic investors VND30–50 million for trading through unlicensed providers and organisations up to VND200 million (Dân trí). Under the pilot, though, sanctions on users who trade outside licensed providers start only six months after the first licence is granted. No licence has been issued yet, so that clock has not started.
When it does, several things shift. Buying and selling should happen on a licensed domestic venue, in dong. The 0.1% personal income tax on each transfer, in force since 1 July 2026, would be withheld by the provider (Thị trường Tài chính Tiền tệ). An SSC official has said investors need not move coins out of personal wallets, but that any transaction must go through a licensed provider. Some experts have suggested offshore platforms may start blocking Vietnamese users once the rules bite; that is speculation for now, but it is worth planning for.
A simple timeline for XLM holders
It helps to think in three stages. Today, there is no licensed venue, users of offshore platforms sit in a legal grey area, and the user fines in Decree 284 are not yet being applied. On the day the first licence is announced, check the Ministry of Finance and the State Securities Commission for the official list, and look at whether the new venue lists XLM at all; nobody has confirmed that it will. Six months after that date, trading through unlicensed providers becomes fineable for individuals. If XLM is not on any licensed venue by then, holders will face a real choice about where, and whether, they can trade it legally, while still being able to keep coins in a personal wallet.
Offshore platforms Vietnamese users commonly use
Local media, including VietnamNet, describe Binance as the most popular international exchange in Vietnam, with OKX, Bybit, Bitget, MEXC, Gate, BingX and KuCoin also in use. We checked XLM availability for each. Binance runs an active XLM/USDT market on its public API. OKX lists XLM against USDT, USDC and EUR, and Bybit against USDT, USDC and BTC. Bitget, MEXC, Gate, BingX and KuCoin all show XLM markets on CoinGecko. None of them is licensed in Vietnam, and none can be under the current rules. The reason almost every pair is quoted in USDT is simple: at our latest check, roughly three-quarters of global XLM spot volume traded against USDT, and no dong pair exists. So the realistic offshore path for a Vietnamese buyer has always been two steps, dong into USDT and USDT into XLM, with a spread and a fee at each step.
Two Vietnamese-founded names come up constantly in local forums. Remitano, a P2P marketplace, and ONUS, an app historically associated with the VNDC token, both blocked or failed our checks, so we cannot confirm whether either supports XLM today. Treat any claim that they do as unverified until you see it in the app. Vindax, a brand originally associated with Vietnam, shows XLM pairs with large reported volume on CoinGecko, but its licence status is unknown and the volume may not be reliable. We do not recommend it.
Reports also say several Vietnam-based staff of Binance stepped back from local community groups from March 2026.
How to judge the best crypto exchange in Vietnam for XLM
Until a domestic licence exists, “best” mostly means “least likely to hurt you”. If you are weighing an offshore platform, run through these questions:
- Who regulates it, and where? Look for real licences in named jurisdictions you can check on a regulator’s register, not logos on a homepage.
- Does it actually list XLM on the Stellar network, with deposits and withdrawals open, not only a price chart?
- How does VND get in and out? If the only route is P2P, the P2P risks below apply to every trade.
- What is its track record on withdrawals during market stress and on security incidents?
- Is it likely to keep serving Vietnamese users after the transition period, or could your account be restricted?
Our XLM regulation and safety guide explains how to spread custody risk, and the general guide to buying Stellar Lumens covers order types and fees.
P2P risks: frozen accounts and VietQR transfers
Because no exchange has a dong order book, VND usually enters crypto through P2P. A buyer sends a bank transfer to a merchant, often by scanning a VietQR code, and the platform releases USDT from escrow once the merchant confirms. Binance P2P showed live USDT/VND offers at our latest check, and other platforms run similar markets.
The weak point is the bank leg. If a merchant’s account has received money linked to fraud, banks can freeze it, and honest buyers who paid into it can be drawn into the investigation. Scammers also try to pull trades outside the platform’s escrow, where there is no one to appeal to. Keep every step inside the platform, pay only to the account shown in the order, and keep records. Then compare the P2P price with the live XLM price: a rate that looks too generous usually is.
Moving XLM to a wallet: memos and minimums
Whatever platform you use, keeping lumens on it means trusting it with your coins. A self-custody wallet removes that exposure. Stellar transfers settle in about five seconds for a tiny network fee, as our XLM fees and speed guide shows, but two details trip people up. First, a brand-new Stellar account needs a 1 XLM minimum balance, so your first transfer must cover it. Second, exchanges usually require a memo to credit your deposit; a missing or wrong memo can delay or lose it (Stellar docs). Sending to your own wallet normally needs no memo. Send a small test first, every time you use a new address. Our Stellar wallets guide compares mobile, browser and hardware options.
A related question comes up often: can family abroad send XLM to someone in Vietnam? Technically, yes; a Stellar payment arrives in seconds wherever the receiving wallet is. Legally and practically it is murkier. Turning XLM into dong today means an unlicensed offshore exchange or P2P, there is no Stellar anchor paying out in Vietnam, and the pilot rules require VND settlement on licensed venues. Our cross-border payments guide explains how Stellar remittances work where the rails do exist.
Global options beyond the usual names
If you would rather use a platform with a long licensing record in other jurisdictions, CEX.IO is one long-running option: founded in 2013, it sells XLM by card to verified customers, holds NMLS #1804170 and US state money-transmitter licences, and its UK entity is registered with the FCA under the Money Laundering Regulations. Its availability varies by country, and we could not confirm whether it serves Vietnamese residents, so check before signing up. The same Vietnamese rules apply to any foreign platform: it is not licensed in Vietnam.
For a comparison with a market where licensed local apps already sell XLM in local currency, see our Indonesia exchange review, or return to the Asia hub.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best crypto exchange in Vietnam for XLM?
There is no licensed Vietnamese exchange to recommend yet. Vietnamese users mostly rely on large offshore platforms that list XLM against USDT, but none is licensed by Vietnamese authorities. Once the first pilot licence is granted, a licensed domestic venue becomes the legally safer route.
Is any crypto exchange licensed in Vietnam?
Not at our latest check. Five applicants, VIXEX, CAEX, TCEX, SCEX and Moonbase, passed the Ministry of Finance's initial review under Resolution 05/2025/NQ-CP, but none had received a licence. Foreign exchanges cannot be licensed directly.
Where can I buy XLM in Vietnam right now?
In practice, Vietnamese users buy XLM on offshore exchanges such as Binance or OKX, usually after buying USDT on a P2P market with a bank transfer. This is a legal grey area today and will carry fines six months after the first domestic licence. See our Vietnam crypto rules guide.
Do Remitano or ONUS list XLM?
We could not verify it. Both are Vietnamese-founded platforms, but their sites blocked or failed our checks, so we cannot confirm current XLM support. Check inside the app before depositing.
What happens to my offshore exchange account when licences are granted?
An SSC official has said investors do not need to move coins out of personal wallets, but transactions are expected to go through a licensed domestic provider. Fines for trading via unlicensed providers apply six months after the first licence is granted.
