The effectiveness of policy credit capital for poor households in Can Tho.

TPO - In recent times, social policy credit for poor and near-poor households to borrow for economic development and job creation has helped many families escape poverty and rise to prosperity. Based on the practical implementation of loans for poor households to develop their economy and create jobs, a reporter from Tien Phong newspaper had an interview with Ms. Trinh Bich Tuyen - Deputy Director of the Social Policy Bank Branch in Can Tho City - regarding the implementation of this credit group.

Ms. Trinh Bich Tuyen - Deputy Director of the Social Policy Bank Branch in Can Tho City .

PV – Madam, over the past period, how many poor and near-poor households have received loans from the Social Policy Bank of Can Tho City to develop their livelihoods, and what is the current outstanding loan balance? What are the main models that have been financed?

Ms. Trinh Bich Tuyen: From 2023 to the present, the Social Policy Bank branch in Can Tho City has disbursed loans to 20,796 poor and near-poor households, totaling over 952 billion VND. The outstanding debt as of November 30, 2025 is over 1,572 billion VND, with 43,967 households still having outstanding loans.

The models for which the bank disburses loans are mostly production, livestock farming, services, and traditional crafts. In addition, the bank also provides loans to poor and near-poor households for consumer purposes, such as repairing or building houses, sanitation facilities, and education.

PV - Could you tell us about some cases where families borrowed capital from the Social Policy Bank branch in Can Tho City, and from there they rose out of poverty, even became wealthy and supported other poor people?

Ms. Trinh Bich Tuyen: The effectiveness of social policy credit has affirmed that the management methods and organizational model of governance, operation, and management of the Social Policy Bank are entirely suitable to the practical conditions of our country. The process of implementing preferential loan policies for poor and near-poor households has mobilized the combined strength of the entire political system and society to participate in poverty reduction and ensure social security.

Through social policy credit, many effective business models have emerged. Typical examples include: raising king cobra snakes in Phuoc Thoi ward; growing ginseng in O Mon ward; making rice paper in Thuan Hung ward; making dried catfish paste in Tan Loc ward; making fish sauce in Thoi Lai commune; raising eels in Trung Hung commune; growing durian in Dong Hiep commune; raising turtles and growing lotus in Vinh Thanh commune; making cages for ornamental birds in Nhon Nghia commune; raising eels without mud in Hung Phu ward; providing shuttle services on Cai Rang floating market in Le Binh ward; a rice paper production facility in Binh Thuy ward; raising mangrove crabs in Long Hung commune; making Pia cakes in Phu Tam commune; and raising eel fry in Tan Long commune...

Among them, the family of Ms. Chau Kim Lieu (Hamlet 4, Phu Loi Ward, Can Tho) stands out as a former impoverished household in the area. Ms. Lieu's husband passed away when their eldest child was only 10 years old, and their second son was still in the womb. They haven't even finished paying off the loans for building the house and changing the land use purpose. With no land for production, their greatest asset being a newly built, dilapidated house with outstanding debts, the burden of caring for two young children and providing for the family falls entirely on the mother's shoulders.

In 2007, the local government and organizations reviewed and recommended Ms. Lieu for a preferential loan for poor households from the Social Policy Bank of Soc Trang province (now Can Tho) to develop her economy. With an initial loan of only 7 million VND, Ms. Lieu invested in opening a coffee and beverage shop at home.

After more than three years, Ms. Lieu repaid her initial loan and confidently requested an additional 15 million VND to expand her business. The effective use of the loan gradually lifted her family out of poverty, but with a thriving and highly profitable business model. From those initial small loans, Ms. Lieu then borrowed an additional 80 million VND from the job creation and expansion support loan program to open a restaurant selling rice and laundry services.

Currently, Mrs. Lieu's family has become one of the more economically well-off households in the locality. Her restaurant and laundry business also provides employment for about four local workers, with stable incomes. Both of Mrs. Lieu's sons have also received a good education, graduated, and have stable jobs.

Mrs. Chau Kim Lieu's restaurant.

PV - In the coming period, to ensure the effectiveness of poverty reduction loans, what solutions, directions, and objectives has the Can Tho Social Policy Bank implemented, and how will it proceed? In particular, what are the innovative directions to ensure that this capital flow becomes increasingly effective and makes a practical contribution to the country's poverty reduction efforts?

Ms. Trinh Bich Tuyen: In order to continue promoting the effectiveness of policy credit for poor households, the Branch will continue to advise local Party committees and authorities to organize and implement well Directive 39-CT/TW dated October 30, 2024, of the Central Party Secretariat on improving the effectiveness of social policy credit in the new period; and Plan 28-KH/TU dated September 26, 2025, of the Standing Committee of the Can Tho City Party Committee on the implementation of Directive 39-CT/TW.

Continuing to coordinate with entrusted associations and organizations, the Savings and Loan Group will strengthen its propaganda efforts, fundamentally and thoroughly changing people's perceptions of credit relationships based on the principle of "borrowing and repaying." It will encourage borrowers to participate in regular member deposits to increase the participation rate and maintain a consistent monthly balance to generate funds for repayment of principal and interest as agreed.

We will continue to focus on directing the branches of the Social Policy Bank where loans are disbursed to coordinate closely with Party committees, authorities, and entrusted associations and organizations at all levels to decisively implement solutions such as: Strengthening supervision of the assessment and approval of loan applicants in accordance with regulations; only lending to those who meet the loan eligibility criteria and have effective production, livestock, and business plans; considering increasing investment rates for eligible households with effective production and business models and plans to help them expand; and increasing the outstanding loan balance to raise the average outstanding loan balance in the lending area.

In addition, the branches regularly review, assess, and analyze debt to manage and handle it appropriately; they strengthen efforts to collect overdue debts, especially frozen debts. The branches regularly monitor and urge the collection of loans that are 3 months or more inactive, overdue, or have outstanding interest.

Focus on strengthening and improving the quality of operations of Savings and Loan Groups, especially those classified as weak, to reduce their performance to the lowest level. Continue to consolidate Savings and Loan Groups in adjacent residential clusters, increase the number of members, and gradually increase the outstanding loan balance of the groups so that the Group Management Board can earn income from commissions, ensuring that the expenses of the group leader are covered.

Regularly instruct credit officers to closely monitor the area and support the group management board in urging debt recovery according to commitments, encouraging borrowers to pay monthly interest, and urging the recovery of overdue debts according to the schedule.

PV - Regarding the implementation of poverty reduction loans, based on local realities, what suggestions or recommendations do you have to make this policy increasingly effective, more accessible to the poor, and to ensure convenient and secure capital implementation from the banks' perspective?

Ms. Trinh Bich Tuyen: In order for social policy credit to truly resonate with the people and achieve increasingly higher effectiveness, we propose and hope that Party committees and authorities at all levels will continue to strengthen leadership and guidance over social policy credit activities; effectively implement Directive No. 39-CT/TW of the Party Central Committee and Decision 1560/QD-TTg dated July 18, 2025 of the Prime Minister on the Plan for implementing Directive No. 39-CT/TW, and other guiding documents of the City Party Committee and the City People's Committee.

From there, the role and responsibility of local Party committees and authorities in leading and directing social policy credit activities will be gradually enhanced. The goal is to establish this as a regular task for Party committees and authorities at all levels. Continued attention will be given to allocating resources from local budgets to supplement loan capital for poor households and other policy beneficiaries in the area; providing support in terms of infrastructure, locations, equipment, and working facilities to improve the operational capacity of the Social Policy Bank.

We also recommend that local Party committees and authorities direct the organization and implementation of a review of poor and near-poor households in each period within their areas, as a basis for providing loans according to regulations.

Local Party committees and authorities should incorporate loans for poor households into their socio-economic development plans, effectively integrating models, projects, technology transfer, business guidance, and vocational training. They should also develop and replicate effective production and business models, linking product consumption with social policy credit.

PV – Thank you, ma'am!

Source: https://tienphong.vn/hieu-qua-von-tin-dung-chinh-sach-cho-ho-ngheo-tai-can-tho-post1803677.tpo