Many businesses suggested more detailed policies should be issued to help them access bank loans as there remain difficulties in lending.

The Vietnam Banks Association (VNBA) has urged international card organisations Visa and Mastercard to reduce several types of fees on Vietnamese banks as the fourth wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam has seriously affected the lives and production of people and businesses.

The Vietnam Bank for Social Policies has begun accepting applications from businesses for interest-free loans to fund furlough and salary payments, its deputy director Bui Van Son has said.

Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Dao Minh Tu has asked the Vietnam Banks Association (VNBA) to campaign lenders to slash interest rates immediately this month.

Nearly 1.3 million poor and near-poor households had got access to loans from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) to cope with COVID-19 in the first half of this year.

As of March, more than 6.4 million poor and near-poor households had won access to loans from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP).

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has affirmed the significant role played by the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) in the country’s poverty alleviation efforts.

Work started on the Vietnam – Republic of Korea Friendship Village in the mountainous district of Bac Ai, the south-central province of Ninh Thuan on February 23.

Relevant agencies are required to strengthen inspection, detect and strictly handle violations in foreign/cash exchange trading, according to the State Bank of Vietnam.

The National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (Napas) and seven domestic banks recently launched domestic credit chip cards with unified standards to promote cashless payments and tackle black credit.