Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP), one of the two government-run policy banks in the country, has offered VND1.14 trillion ($51 million) worth of soft loans to nearly 148,000 ethnic households nationwide in the 2011-2015 period. The money has helped ethnic people in rural and mountainous areas, islands and out-of-the-way places to improve their livelihood, activating the country’s National Target Programs on Sustainable Poverty Production. The loans have enabled ethnic people to develop agriculture, silviculture, husbandry, and focus on water supply and sanitation. The credit programs have largely lowered the country’s poverty rate to 5.9% in 2015 from 11.76% in 2011. VBSP’s loans have helped more than 121,000 people in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region escape poverty since 2013. The bank had offered a combined VND137 trillion ($6.14 billion) in soft loans for eight million clients who are poor households, families living near the poverty line, students and disadvantaged people between 2011 and September 2015. (Thoi Bao Kinh Te Viet Nam – Vietnam Economic Times Nov 24 p2, Vietnamplus.vn Nov 24)
