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SHB SAHA vs Vietbank Digital Plus: more services or shake-to-pay convenience?

By Official AppDuo editorial team · Updated

SHB SAHA logoSHB SAHA6.3/10Free · FreeVietbank Digital Plus logoVietbank Digital Plus6.8/10Free · Free

Quick verdict

SHB SAHA bundles loans, cards and investing for SHB customers; Vietbank Digital Plus stands out for shake-to-scan QR and pre-transfer warnings.

In June 2025 SHB presented SHB SAHA as the upgraded SHB Mobile, with a social-media-style design aimed at younger users. It packs many financial services into one app and updates often, but its store scores sit between 3.1 and 3.7 out of 5, with frequent complaints about signing in on new devices.

Vietbank Digital Plus reached the App Store in December 2025 and launched officially with VNPAY on 30 March 2026. It replaces Vietbank Digital, is limited to Vietbank customers, and scores higher, though from fewer than 210 ratings per store.

Head-to-head

SHB SAHA leads on 2, Vietbank Digital Plus on 4, 3 even

FeatureSHB SAHAVietbank Digital Plus
QR transfers[3],[5],[9],[13],[14]QR payments are available. The sources AppDuo read describe no shortcut to the scanner before login.Shaking the phone on the pre-login screen opens the QR scanner for a transfer; it is the feature the press mentions most.
→ Frequent QR payers at shop counters can reach the scanner faster with Vietbank Digital Plus, since no login comes first.
Who can use it and how accounts open[1],[8],[11],[13]Version 3.3.15 (Dec 2025) added eKYC account opening for ages 15 to 18. Foreign customers must verify passport, visa and biometrics at a branch.Vietbank customers only. The support page (written for the older Vietbank Digital app) describes activation with an SMS code from the bank, then Soft OTP setup; no source AppDuo read describes opening an account in the app.
→ SHB SAHA documents in-app eKYC account opening (at least for ages 15 to 18), while Vietbank Digital Plus needs an existing Vietbank account.
Fees[1],[3],[5],[9],[11]Free to download with no in-app purchases. The launch article says the app's services are free; AppDuo did not find the official fee schedule.Free to download. A custom account number costs extra; transaction fees sit in a separate schedule with no amounts on the support page.
→ Neither shows concrete fee amounts in the sources read, so check the fee schedule before heavy use.
Store ratings[1],[3],[4],[9],[10]3.1/5 (about 5,060 reviews) on Google Play, 3.7/5 (4,455) on the Vietnamese App Store, 3.2/5 (67) on the US App Store.4.3/5 (184 reviews) on Google Play, 3.96/5 (204) on the Vietnamese App Store.
→ Vietbank Digital Plus scores higher, but from far fewer ratings than SHB SAHA's thousands, so the signal is weaker.
Fraud warnings[8],[14],[15]Under State Bank of Vietnam rules, SHB has required biometrics since 1 July 2024 for transactions above VND 10 million each or VND 20 million a day. No source read mentions dedicated pre-transfer warnings.Password, Face ID/Touch ID, SMS OTP and Soft OTP. On 12 April 2026 Vietbank announced pre-transfer warnings, alerts for logins or transactions between 23:00 and 05:00, and flagging of unusual transfer descriptions.
→ Anyone worried about transfer scams, for themselves or older parents, gets an extra layer of prompts with Vietbank Digital Plus.
Loans, cards and investing[1],[3],[5],[13],[14]24/7 overdraft loans, online credit card applications, virtual cards, insurance, recurring VinaCapital fund investment, asset management and airport lounge booking.Savings interest illustrations. No source read mentions loans, credit cards or fund investing in the app.
→ If you want an overdraft, a card or a recurring fund plan without visiting a branch, SHB SAHA covers more.
Everyday money management[3],[9],[10],[13],[14]Balances, transaction history, savings deposits and withdrawals, utility bills, phone top-ups, road tolls, card limits and card lock.Spending tracking, balance alerts shared with family, scheduled transfers, automatic bill payment, instant statements, Voice OTT for small merchants, plus taxi, movie and flight booking.
→ Vietbank Digital Plus suits families watching one account together and small sellers who want spoken payment alerts.
Store data disclosures[1],[3],[9],[10],[12]Google Play says personal info and app activity 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.The App Store says no data is collected, while Google Play lists location, personal info and four other types, with no sharing and deletion on request. The terms give no retention period.
→ SHB SAHA's disclosures are less favourable to users, while Vietbank Digital Plus contradicts itself across stores, so neither is clearly better.
Support channels[1],[3],[6],[11],[12]24/7 hotline *6688 and chat on SHB's website; store replies are largely templated.Toll-free hotline 1800 1122 and email [email protected]; transaction disputes within 60 days.
→ SHB offers chat and round-the-clock phone support; Vietbank states a clear dispute window. No response-time data exists for either.

Choose SHB SAHA if…

  • You already bank with SHB or plan to open an account there
  • You want overdrafts, a credit card or a recurring fund plan in the same app
  • Your 15- to 18-year-old needs their own bank account

Choose Vietbank Digital Plus if…

  • You already bank with Vietbank or use the Vietbank Digital app
  • You pay by QR several times a day and want the scanner one shake away
  • You want prompts before transfers and alerts for night-time activity
  • Your family wants to follow one account's balance changes together

Both "new", but not equally new

SHB SAHA has actually been on the App Store since 19 April 2023. In June 2025 SHB presented it as the upgraded SHB Mobile, alongside the SAHA Alliance reward game. It already has thousands of ratings and, through 2026, a new release every one to four weeks, the latest being 3.4.12 on 9 November 2026. Vietbank Digital Plus is much newer: version 1.0.0 arrived on 2 December 2025, the official launch came on 30 March 2026, and by 9 November 2026 it had reached only 1.1.1. Vietbank Digital users can move across. A short history means little data on long-term stability.

Switching phones and face verification

Many complaints about SHB SAHA centre on signing in on a new phone: reviewers describe a camera that fails to recognise them on first login and demands for ID-card or face scans, while SHB's replies are largely templated and point to the *6688 hotline. 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. Vietbank's terms require facial biometrics plus an OTP for the first Mobile Banking transaction or one on a new device, but the sources AppDuo read record no specific complaints about that step. One caveat: those terms were written for the older Vietbank Digital app and do not name Digital Plus.

The real costs sit in the fee schedules

Both apps are free to download and sell no paid tier, so the cost question becomes one of bank fees. For SHB SAHA, the claim that services are free comes from a launch article (along with a VND 30,000 phone top-up e-voucher for new accounts), not from an official fee schedule, which AppDuo did not find. For Vietbank Digital Plus, the only fee spelled out is for picking a custom account number; amounts live in a separate schedule. If you plan to use SHB SAHA's overdraft or credit card, check the interest and charges on those first.

Read the data sections before installing

Both apps need sensitive data such as face scans and financial details, and both sets of disclosures deserve a careful read. SHB states on Google Play that data may be shared with third parties and cannot be deleted on request. Vietbank contradicts itself: the App Store says nothing is collected, while Google Play lists location and personal info. Vietbank's terms allow passing information to third parties needed to carry out instructions or settle disputes. AppDuo found no reported data breach involving either app and has recorded no controversies about them.

Frequently asked questions

Can foreigners use these apps?

For SHB SAHA, foreign customers must verify passport, visa and biometrics at a branch, and one Google Play reviewer says the app asked for a Vietnamese ID card on a new device. For Vietbank Digital Plus, the sources AppDuo read state no rules for foreigners, so ask the bank first.

Do Vietbank's warnings block my transactions?

No. Vietbank says its 23:00 to 05:00 alerts and pre-transfer warnings are advisory and do not block transactions.

How do I lock the app if I lose my phone?

Vietbank says to call 1800 1122 to lock the service, or log in on another phone and enter a wrong password five times. The sources AppDuo read give no specific SHB procedure; its *6688 hotline runs 24/7.

Are both apps available in English?

Yes. Both apps offer Vietnamese and English, and no other languages.

Sources

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

  1. 1.App Store listing (Vietnam), incl. version history · store · Nov 13, 2026
  2. 2.iTunes Lookup API (release date, version, rating, languages) · store · Nov 13, 2026
  3. 3.Google Play listing (Vietnam) · store · Nov 13, 2026
  4. 4.App Store listing (United States) · store · Nov 13, 2026
  5. 5.Vietnam News Bizhub: SHB launches next-gen digital banking app SHB SAHA (2025-06-18) · press · Nov 13, 2026
  6. 6.SHB official homepage · Vendor-provided · Nov 13, 2026
  7. 7.SHB official: E-banking page · Vendor-provided · Nov 13, 2026
  8. 8.SHB official: update valid ID and biometrics (2024-11-06) · Vendor-provided · Nov 13, 2026
  9. 9.App Store listing (Vietnam) · store · Nov 13, 2026
  10. 10.Google Play listing · store · Nov 13, 2026
  11. 11.Vietbank support page · Vendor-provided · Nov 13, 2026
  12. 12.Vietbank electronic banking terms · Vendor-provided · Nov 13, 2026
  13. 13.Thị trường tài chính tiền tệ (2026-04-06) · press · Nov 13, 2026
  14. 14.Đại biểu Nhân dân (launch coverage) · press · Nov 13, 2026
  15. 15.VNBA: Vietbank risk controls (2026-04-12) · press · Nov 13, 2026

Prepared by the AppDuo Editorial Team from the sources cited in this article. AI assists with organising and cross-checking data; editorial responsibility remains with AppDuo.

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