State Bank expands support areas for customers affected by natural disasters

State Bank expands support areas for customers affected by natural disasters

The directive expands the list of supported localities to include four additional provinces – Khánh Hòa, Gia Lai, Đắk Lắk and Lâm Đồng – alongside central localities that had already suffered significant damage.

Heavy rains and flooding cause severe damage to aquaculture cages and rafts in Xuân Cảnh Commune, Đắk Lắk Province. — VNA/VNS Photo

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has issued a directive requesting credit institutions and SBV branches in Regions 8, 9, 10 and 11 to focus on implementing measures to support customers recovering from the impacts of storms Fengshen and Kalmaegi, as well as severe flooding in October and November this year.

Notably, the directive expands the list of supported localities to include four additional provinces – Khánh Hòa, Gia Lai, Đắk Lắk and Lâm Đồng – alongside central localities that had already suffered significant damage. This expansion considerably broadens the range of beneficiaries, given the widespread losses caused by the recent major storms.

SBV branches in Regions 8, 9, 10 and 11 currently oversee the localities of Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Trị, Huế, Đà Nẵng, Quảng Ngãi, Khánh Hòa, Gia Lai, Đắk Lắk and Lâm Đồng.

Earlier, under a document dated November 4, 2025, the central bank instructed credit institutions, foreign bank branches, and SBV regional branches (Regions 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12) to implement solutions to support customers affected by natural disasters, storms and floods.

Specifically, the SBV requested banks to swiftly address their own damages and restore operations to ensure uninterrupted services for customers and local residents.

They have also been tasked with reviewing and assessing the business operations and repayment capacity of borrowers affected by major storms and floods between July and October, in order to promptly introduce supportive measures.

These include restructuring repayment schedules; waiving or reducing interest rates and fees in line with current regulations; developing and deploying preferential credit packages; and applying loan interest rate reductions of 0.5–2 per cent per year for three to six months on existing loans held by customers affected by storms and flooding. 

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