The goal of this article is to examine the antecedents of behavioral intention toward mobile money, as well as the mediating role of trust on behavioral intention and financial inclusion in Vietnam during the COVID-19 period, using an expanded unified theory of technology acceptance and use (UTAUT2). The data were collected by an online self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SmartPLS 3.3.3. To determine the exogenous constructs’ relevance and performance, a matrix analysis of importanceperformance
was used. The findings indicate that behavioral desire to use mobile money is primarily driven by awareness, structural assurance, habit, and performance expectation. The behavioral intention of mobile money will substantially influence its adoption, and trust will not act as a mediator between behavioral intention and financial inclusion. The extended UTAUT2 was used for the first time to analyze mobile money in Vietnam. Additionally, the new research provides a more comprehensive explanation for users’ financial inclusion than past research provided.