Skip to content
AppDuo
ReviewsComparisonsBest ofCollectionsVibe Hub

Cake vs SHB SAHA: a branchless digital bank or a branch bank's app?

By Official AppDuo editorial team · Updated

Cake by VPBank logoCake by VPBank7.4/10Free · FreeOur pickSHB SAHA logoSHB SAHA6.3/10Free · Free

Quick verdict

Cake rates clearly higher and publishes its loan rates and basic fees; SHB SAHA scores lower but has an English interface and branches to visit.

Cake is VPBank's mobile-only digital bank, with eKYC account opening. Beyond savings from VND 100,000, a credit card and cash loans, it links to the Be app and to DNSE for investing. The catch is cash loans at 28.7% to 36% a year.

SHB SAHA is SHB's app, an upgrade of SHB Mobile with a design aimed at younger users. It is free and bundles transfers, bills, savings, virtual cards and overdrafts. It scores just 3.1/5 on Google Play, with complaints centred on bugs and face verification on new phones.

Head-to-head

Cake by VPBank leads on 4, SHB SAHA on 1, 5 even

FeatureCake by VPBankSHB SAHA
Opening an account[2],[1],[8],[15]Online via eKYC with no branch visit; at launch it came with a free Mastercard debit card.The sources AppDuo read only spell out eKYC for ages 15 to 18 (added December 2025). Foreign customers must verify passport, visa and biometrics at a branch.
→ Cake works only on the phone, so account opening happens entirely in the app; with SHB SAHA some customers, such as foreigners, still need a branch visit.
Transaction fees[1],[2],[12],[8]The cake.vn homepage lists account opening, deposits, withdrawals, transfers and SMS Banking as free; the full schedule sits elsewhere on the site.Free to download. The launch article says the app's services are free, but AppDuo did not find SHB's official fee schedule.
→ Cake lists its free services on its own website; with SHB SAHA, ask the bank about fees for specific transactions.
Savings[1],[10]Term deposits from VND 100,000. Advertised maximum of 6.9% a year (conditional); demand deposits earn 0.1% a year.Flexible savings deposits and withdrawals in the app. The sources AppDuo read give no rates.
→ With no SHB SAHA rates to set beside Cake's, compare the current rate tables in both apps before depositing.
Cards[5],[1],[7],[10],[12]Cake 2in1 credit card with limits up to VND 100 million, co-branded Be Cake and VieON Cake cards; 2in1 Premium (August 2026) lets you pick and change benefits.Virtual cards, limit changes, card lock and unlock in the app, and online credit card applications.
→ Cake describes its card products in more detail; SHB SAHA covers self-service card controls in the app.
Borrowing[5],[10],[12]Cash loans of VND 5 million to 60 million over 6 to 60 months, at a fixed 28.7% to 36% a year depending on profile and lending partner.24/7 overdraft applications in the app. The sources AppDuo read give no rates.
→ Cake publishes its loan rates, and they are high; with SHB SAHA, ask the bank for the overdraft rate before applying.
Investing and extras[1],[5],[8],[10],[12]Stock investing through DNSE, vehicle insurance, international receipts (Cake GlobalX), and access from inside the Be app.Recurring investment in VinaCapital funds, asset management, airport lounge booking, insurance and road tolls.
→ Those who want to buy shares themselves lean to Cake; those who want regular fund contributions get that in SHB SAHA.
App store ratings[4],[5],[8],[10],[11]Vietnamese App Store 4.6/5 (67,783 ratings), Google Play 4.7/5 (69,500).Vietnamese App Store 3.7/5 (4,455 ratings), Google Play 3.1/5 (5,060), US App Store 3.2/5 (67).
→ Cake has more than ten times as many ratings and clearly higher scores in both stores.
Complaints and help with problems[5],[8],[10],[13]Hotline 1900 636 686, [email protected] and in-app chat. Some reviews mention slow replies or display bugs; a January 2025 Google Play review reports a wrong savings balance and no email reply after 7 days, and Cake replied publicly.24/7 *6688 hotline and chat on SHB's website. Many reviews report recurring bugs and face-verification trouble; SHB's replies are largely templated, and some say staff could not fix the issue.
→ Both apps draw complaints, but SHB SAHA's bugs and face-verification trouble recur as a pattern across reviews, and SHB's replies are mostly templated.
Data declarations[4],[5],[8],[10]Google Play says no collection or sharing and accepts deletion requests; the App Store declares many data types that may be used for tracking.Google Play says personal info may be shared with third parties and data can't be deleted on request; the App Store declares usage data that may be used for tracking.
→ Cake's declarations contradict each other, while SHB SAHA's rule out deletion; read each bank's privacy policy.
Interface languages[4],[9]Vietnamese only.Vietnamese and English.
→ Of the two, only SHB SAHA offers an interface for people who do not read Vietnamese.

Choose Cake by VPBank if…

  • You want to open an account and do everything on your phone, with no counter visit
  • You use the Be app a lot or want to buy shares through DNSE
  • You put weight on an app that many users rate highly

Choose SHB SAHA if…

  • You already bank with SHB or want a branch you can visit
  • You need an app with an English interface
  • You are 15 to 18 and want to open an account on your phone
  • You want to put money into VinaCapital funds regularly

A branchless digital bank versus a branch bank's app

According to VPBank's release of 12 January 2021, VPBank provides Cake's banking services under its own licence, while beFinancial, part of Be Group, runs the technology and operations. Cake has no branches at all; everything goes through the app, hotline, email or chat. Cake reports over 7.6 million customers (September 2026) and says it turned a profit after 3.5 years, without giving a profit figure. SHB SAHA, by contrast, is the digital channel of SHB, a commercial bank with branches. Vietnam News (18 June 2025) presents it as an upgrade of SHB Mobile with a social-media-style design aimed at younger users. If you want somewhere to see a member of staff in person, only SHB offers that.

What savings earn and what borrowing costs

Cake's advertised 6.9% a year is a maximum that includes a 2.2% a year bonus available only on a first deposit from VND 100,000 over 6 to 18 months. Money left in the demand account earns almost nothing, at 0.1% a year. On the other side, Cake's cash loans cost many times what its savings pay. For SHB SAHA, the sources AppDuo read give no savings or overdraft rates, and AppDuo did not find SHB's official fee schedule. The launch article only says the app's services are free and that new accounts get a VND 30,000 phone top-up e-voucher. Whichever app you use, confirm the rate and fees before borrowing.

Switching phones and biometric checks

Most SHB SAHA complaints on the App Store and Google Play come down to three things: the camera failing to read the ID when signing in on a new phone, face scans that do not pass, and bugs after updates. SHB states that under State Bank of Vietnam rules, from 1 January 2025 customers must match their chip-based ID and biometrics against Ministry of Public Security data to keep transacting, and since 1 July 2024 transactions above VND 10 million each or VND 20 million a day need biometric checks. Through 2026 SHB shipped a new version every one to four weeks, but most notes only mention generic bug fixes. For Cake, the sources AppDuo read record no complaints about new-phone sign-in or face scans; a few reviews mention display bugs, such as a savings balance shown incorrectly.

Personal data: read both declarations closely

Cake's two privacy declarations contradict each other. Its Google Play Data safety section says the app collects and shares nothing, while its App Store label declares many data types linked to the user and possibly used for tracking, including financial info, location and contact details. For SHB SAHA, the Google Play Data safety section says the app may collect personal info, financial info and 5 other data types, may share personal info and app activity with third parties, and you cannot ask for deletion; on the App Store, SHB declares usage data that may be used for tracking. AppDuo has not read either bank's full privacy policy. The sources it read record no press-reported data breach at SHB.

Frequently asked questions

Which app lets 15- to 18-year-olds open an account themselves?

SHB SAHA added eKYC account opening for ages 15 to 18 in version 3.3.15 (December 2025). The sources AppDuo read do not state a minimum age for a Cake account.

Which app works for foreigners?

Cake is Vietnamese-only, and the sources AppDuo read do not say how it handles foreign customers. SHB SAHA has English, but an SHB notice (November 2024) says foreign customers must verify passport, visa and biometrics at a branch. One Google Play review (June 2026) says the app asked for a Vietnamese ID card photo on a new device, so ask SHB on the *6688 hotline before opening an account.

Can I open Cake from the Be app?

Yes. Cake came out of a partnership between VPBank and Be Group, and the Be app has an entry for Cake in its menu.

Does either bank commit to limits on app outages?

Cake's listing commits to outages of no more than 15 minutes each and 60 minutes a year, excluding announced maintenance; no independent data confirms this. The sources AppDuo read show no similar commitment for SHB SAHA.

Sources

Numbers in the table refer to these sources, read on the dates shown.

  1. 1.Cake official website (cake.vn) · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  2. 2.VPBank press release: launch of Cake (12/1/2021) · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  3. 3.VPBank news: Cake reaches 1 million users (25/12/2021) · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  4. 4.App Store listing (Vietnam) · store · Nov 10, 2026
  5. 5.Google Play listing · store · Nov 10, 2026
  6. 6.Thị trường Tài chính Tiền tệ: Euromoney award (11/9/2026) · press · Nov 10, 2026
  7. 7.The Leader: Cake redefines digital banking (6/8/2026) · press · Nov 10, 2026
  8. 8.App Store listing (Vietnam), incl. version history · store · Nov 13, 2026
  9. 9.iTunes Lookup API (release date, version, rating, languages) · store · Nov 13, 2026
  10. 10.Google Play listing (Vietnam) · store · Nov 13, 2026
  11. 11.App Store listing (United States) · store · Nov 13, 2026
  12. 12.Vietnam News Bizhub: SHB launches next-gen digital banking app SHB SAHA (2025-06-18) · press · Nov 13, 2026
  13. 13.SHB official homepage · Vendor-provided · Nov 13, 2026
  14. 14.SHB official: E-banking page · Vendor-provided · Nov 13, 2026
  15. 15.SHB official: update valid ID and biometrics (2024-11-06) · Vendor-provided · Nov 13, 2026

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to share your experience.

Comments are readers’ opinions, not content from the AppDuo Editorial Team.