Lao Cai (VNA) 🐓– Soft loans provided in the northwestern region helped lift more than 318,000 families out of poverty between 2011ꦿ and 2015.
The information was released at a meeting on September 21 to review credit provision in the northwest. The event was held in Lao Cai province by the Steering Committee for the Northwestern Region and the State-run Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP).
The region comprises 12 provinces and 21 western districts of the northern central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, home to a large ethnic minority population with high poverty rate.
State funding through the VBSP, with low interest rates, has assisted local residents’ agricultural and business activities, the meeting heard.
More than 2.2 million poor and near-poor families and other beneficiaries in the region have received credit from the VBSP since 2011. Among them, more than 1.5 million households are from ethnic minorities.
The VBSP’s outstanding loans were roughly 32.19 trillion VND (1.44 billion USD) as of August 31, 2016.
From 2011 to 2015, preferential loans helped create 114,000 jobs, helped 121,000 students continue studying, and build 681,000 clean water supply and sanitation facilities along with 61,000 houses for the poor in the northwest.
As a result, the rate of deprived households there dropped to 14.97 percent in 2015 from 34.58 percent in late 2010, the report said.
At the meeting, participants admitted shortcomings in loan provision and suggested ways to improve social policy credit.-VNA
Students in difficulty nationwide could get preferential loans from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) with a maximum amount of 1.25 million VND (54 USD) per month from January 9.
A credit policy that allows families who have just escaped from poverty within the last three years to receive preferential loans is proving effective in localities nationwide.
Hundreds of trillions of dong in preferential loans will be provided for social housing development, according to Chairman of the Vietnam Real Estate Association Nguyen Tran Nam.
Soft loans for poor households from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies have helped lower the poverty rate in the Central Highlands to 7.34 percent, according to the Steering Committee for the region
Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue asked the VBSP to increase lending under poverty alleviation programmes such as credit for the poor, labour export schemes and economic projects.
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.
Farmers harvest tea buds (Photo: VNA)
