Sharing experiences on housing savings and loans

(VBSP News) Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) will be in cooperation with the German Bank of Bausparkasse Schwabisch Hall (BSH) to organize the Workshop “Sharing experiences on housing savings and loans” on 21st November 2018 in Hanoi. 

Housing plays an important and valuable role in every country. Vietnam has a high population growth, hence big demand for housing. Ensuring housing for all is both a short-term and long-term targets of the nation.

VBSP is established as a government bank to provide financial products and services for the poor and other disadvantaged groups in Vietnam. To date, Vietnam Bank for Social Policies has the largest operation coverage  in the Vietnam Banking system with a view to ensuring that customers in rural, mountainous and remote areas can easily access to financial services. To date, VBSP has 63 provincial branches, 631 district transaction offices, nearly 11,000 transaction points at communes, wards and towns and around 200,000 savings and credit groups at villages and hamlets in the whole country.

VBSP is serving over 20 financial schemes, out of which four housing loans such as: housing loan for the poor; storm-resistant housing loan for the poor in the Central North and the Central Coast Areas; housing loan for flood-prone areas of Mekong Delta and the social housing loan. Up to now, total loan volume of four housing schemes reaches VND 7,611 billion serving over 682,000 active customers and total outstanding loan reaches VND 6,397 billion (3.4% of the total loan portfolio). VBSP’s financial schemes have helped building 568,000 houses for the poor and other vulnerable persons; 105,000 houses in flood-prone areas in the Mekong Delta and West highland; over 13,000 storm-shed houses in central areas; 1,280 households access the social housing loan. As a result, the poor and other disadvantaged groups have safe and stable settlements contributing to economic development and sustainable poverty reduction.

Vietnam is studying effective models to develop housing for its citizens from other countries, including the housing saving bank in Germany. The workshop is such a good opportunity for Vietnam, regional economies, international organizations to exchange models and experience in this field; join hands with the BSH, and the German Embassy to build suitable models to encourage housing savings in Vietnam.