Thirty million people access soft loans in 15 years
Over 30 million poor households and other welfare beneficiaries have accessed soft loans from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) as of the end of August 2017, according to the VBSP.
Over 30 million poor households and other welfare beneficiaries have accessed soft loans from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) as of the end of August 2017. (Photo: VNA
Hanoi (VNA) – Over 30 million poorhouseholds and other welfare beneficiaries have accessed soft loans from theVietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) as of the end of August 2017, accordingto the VBSP.
The VBSP was established on October 4, 2002 to implementpreferential credit policies targeting disadvantaged groups. Over the past 15years, its soft loans have helped more than 4.5 million families escape frompoverty; created jobs for 3.5 million people, including 111,000 overseas guestworkers; and enabled over 3.5 million poor students to continue education.
The bank has also funded the construction of approximately10 million rural clean water and environment treatment facilities; 520,000houses for poor people and welfare policy beneficiaries and about 116,000 stormand flood-resistant houses, mostly in the Mekong Delta.
By the end of August, the bank’s total outstanding loansstood at an estimated 167 trillion VND (7.34 billion USD) with bad debtsaccounting for only 0.43 percent.
Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Dao Minh Tusaid the VBSP has contributed to preventing predatory lending practices inrural areas, encouraging the poor to save money for their future andimplementing the national target programme on sustainable poverty reduction.
The percentage of poor households across the countrydeclined from 11.8 percent in 2010 to 4.25 percent in 2015.-VNA
The Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) said it had a total credit balance of nearly 166.43 trillion VND (7.3 billion USD) as of June 30, 2017, up 5.8 percent compared with the end of last year.
More than 1,473,000 ethnic minority households across the country have been benefiting from preferential credit programmes with total loans worth up to 40 trillion VND (over 1.76 billion USD).
Credits provided by the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies have helped 179,100 households in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho escape from poor and near-poor status over the past 15 years.
The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre has implemented a plan with numerous programmes to help locals develop livelihoods and achieve sustainable poverty elimination from 2016 – 2020.
The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh is making a beeline for sustainable poverty reduction, aiming to cut the rate of impoverished households in the locality by 2.5 percent by the end of this year.
In the context where AI dominates and produces vast volumes of content, the only sustainable path forward for journalism is to focus on high-quality content and core values. Journalism must redefine its mission - not to report the fastest, but to provide the most profound and trustworthy value.
Granma and the VNA have great potential for cooperation, especially in sharing content regularly, so that VNA products are published on Granma platforms and vice versa, thereby helping Cuban and Vietnamese people access true information and gain a deep understanding of each other's country and people.
During his stay in China’s Guangzhou city from 1924 to 1927 to prepare for the establishment of a Communist Party to lead Vietnam’s revolution, President Ho Chi Minh founded “Thanh nien” newspaper and released its first issue on June 21, 1925.
Vietnam and Cambodia are hoped to strengthen their robust collaboration across various sectors, particularly in resolving remaining border issues to transform the border area into a zone of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development.
The strategic product, managed and operated by the Vietnam News Agency Digital Media Centre (VNA Media), is an official channel for popularising the Party and State’s information and documents as well as delivering mainstream and trustworthy news to both domestic and international audiences through various kinds of multimedia formats.
Since President Ho Chi Minh founded Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper in 1925, the Vietnamese revolutionary press has become the voice of the people. During the resistance war against the colonialists, journalists took great personal risks to inspire patriotism and the will of rising up against foreign invaders.
The total investment exceeded 319 billion VND (12.2 million USD), including over 261 billion VND from the state budget and 57.5 billion VND mobilised from businesses, organisations, and individuals.
The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang is intensifying efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing as part of the country’s goal of having the European Commission’s “yellow card” warning lifted.
Throughout its 80-year history, the VNA has remained at the forefront of information dissemination. It has consistently delivered timely, accurate, and objective reports on both domestic and international events, serving the Party’s leadership, the State’s management, and the public’s demand for official news.
With strong support from local authorities, businesses, organisations, and residents, the province has successfully built or repaired 10,707 homes for disadvantaged households, including war veterans, families of martyrs, ethnic minority people, and low-income residents.
Throughout its resistance against colonialists and imperialists, Vietnam developed a revolutionary press that has served as a benchmark for just and legitimate causes worldwide.
Founded in 1842, the Vienna Philharmonic is regarded as a cultural ambassador of Austria, with prestigious conductors like Mahler and Karajan who shape its legacy. Its New Year’s Concert, broadcast to over 90 countries annually, stands as a global symbol of classical music excellence.
PM Chinh lauded the press’s historic role in the nation’s fight for independence and its ongoing process of national development, affirming that the Government always highly appreciates the close partnership and steadfast support of press agencies and journalists nationwide.
In recent decades, Vietnam’s mainstream media has become a reliable and persuasive channel for showcasing the nation’s development policies and achievements, especially in economic matters, according to a senior assistant editor at the Times of India.
A hub for sharing best practices, the event aims to forge solutions for financial sustainability, public media contracts, audience engagement, content innovation, and newsroom restructuring. It is also a moment for Vietnam’s media to accelerate its progress and figure out what the “revolutionary press” means in a new era.
From “Thanh nien”, Vietnam’s first revolutionary newspaper founded by Nguyen Ai Quoc (later President Ho Chi Minh) on June 21, 1925, the revolutionary press has remained devoted to its sacred missions -accompanying the nation, serving the Fatherland, and working for the people.
The official launch of Emirates’ Dubai–Da Nang route on June 2 has sparked a “tourism revolution” for Vietnam’s central coastal city. Da Nang is emerging as a top destination for high-end travelers, particularly from the lucrative Middle Eastern market.
Bernama CEO Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin said VNA has been a consistent and reliable partner in OANA, contributing actively to the regional media landscape through content sharing, coordination, and policy discussions. Their coverage of ASEAN and Indochina issues adds valuable perspectives. Bernama appreciates the collaboration with VNA.
In this era of global integration and digitalisation, the press must adopt modern multimedia models to not only meet increasing information and communication demands but also align with the broader socio-economic development of the country.
Over 30 million poor households and other welfare beneficiaries have accessed soft loans from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) as of the end of August 2017. (Photo: VNA 
