Phu Van is among the most disadvantaged communes in Binh Phuoc’s border district of Bu Gia Map, with 15% of local households rated “poor” and 67% “near-poor”. One such poor household is that of Thi Y’s family. They have borrowed money from the local bank for social policies to invest in their cashew nut farm and cattle herd. Their efforts seemed to have come to nothing as COVID-19 hit, but they can now breathe easy as the deadline on their loan repayment has been extended. A similar story is found in many households in Phu Van commune. With repayment deadlines extended, they are now driven to work hard and escape from poverty. Thanks to timely assistance from local authorities, nearly 300 underprivileged households in Bu Gia Map district that were hit hard by the pandemic can now breathe easy over their repayment deadline. The COVID-19 situation has been greatly eased due to the efforts of the country in containing the pandemic, and local people in the poor border commune of Phu Van can now focus on earning money and escaping from poverty./.