Pi Hotel Vietnam: First to Accept Pi Coin Payments in Real-World Transactions

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Pi Hotel Vietnam Pioneers Real-World Pi Coin Payments

Key Highlights

  • The newly opened Pi Hotel in Ninh Binh’s historic Hoa Lư Old Town now accepts Pi Coin, signaling a shift from digital accumulation to practical spending. 
  • Previously, other Vietnamese hotel merchants have valued Pi internally at over $100, a stark contrast to its global exchange spot price. 
  • The network has migrated to Protocol 20, laying the technical foundation for smart contracts and broader Web3 integrations.

Pi Network has achieved a significant step forward with the opening of Pi Hotel in Ninh Binh, Vietnam. This hotel is one of the first to accept Pi Coin as full payment for stays. Conveniently located in the historic Hoa Lư Old Town, guests can now pay for their entire visit using Pi Coin.

FireSide reports that a golden Pi logo now greets visitors at the entrance, signaling a rise in local Pi Network users. This shows a shift in how the Pi token is being used – it’s moving beyond small businesses like cafes and starting to be accepted at larger places like hotels.

In 2023, Pi News reported that a local business was charging around 0.57π per night, which equated to about $57 at the time, based on how Pi was valued within the community. This demonstrates an interesting trend: businesses within the Pi network frequently use their own, higher valuation for the Pi token compared to what it’s worth on major cryptocurrency exchanges.

The current price of 0.57 Pi, set at $57, is a value agreed upon by the local community, not the price determined by the wider market. In the early stages of Pi’s development, communities – such as Pi users in Vietnam – have often given the token a higher perceived value (around $100 per token, for example) to boost local transactions and create a self-sustaining economy.

In contrast, the worldwide price of the token is determined by open markets where actual buying and selling, trading activity, and overall market feeling decide the price. Since these two pricing systems – local rates set by utilities and global market prices – aren’t fully linked yet, significant price differences exist between what global traders are willing to pay and what local sellers will accept.

Vietnam emerges as Pi adoption hotspot

Vietnam is quickly becoming a central location for using Pi Network. More and more local businesses – including shops, restaurants, taxis, and hotels – are now accepting Pi as a form of payment. Origin Vietnam announced last year that starting in January 2026, travelers will be able to use Pi to pay for hotel stays, cruises, airport transportation, and personalized tours.

Popular travel spots include Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Sa Pa, Ha Giang, Da Nang, Hoi An, and the Mekong Delta. It seems more local communities are embracing tourism, despite the fact that official rules and regulations are still being developed.

Vietnam continues to keep a close watch on cryptocurrencies. Current rules, like Decree 52/2024/ND-CP, prevent the use of unapproved payment methods and include penalties for those who break them. Despite this, some businesses and groups are waiting for clearer regulations before using Pi’s smart contract and decentralized finance features.

Technical upgrades fuel real-world usage

Pi Network is gaining traction in Vietnam as the blockchain itself reaches important advancements. A recent update to Pi Network’s Mainnet, called Protocol 20, now includes simple smart contract features. This means apps can be built on Pi Network to handle payments and rewards directly, without needing a central authority.

The network moved forward with the second phase of its main network launch, giving out over 526 million Pi tokens to users who completed the Know Your Customer (KYC) process. Additionally, Pi Coin is now available on the Kraken exchange, which will make it more accessible worldwide and help determine its market price. Currently, Pi is trading at $0.189135, a 6.53% increase over the past 24 hours (according to CoinMarketCap data).

Vietnam is becoming a crucial real-world test for the Pi Network. As global markets adjust to the new Pi trading environment, local businesses are demonstrating that a decentralized currency can be used for everyday purchases. If the Pi Hotel’s approach works long-term, it could show how tokens earned on mobile devices can successfully integrate into the broader economy.

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2026-03-20 09:33