“Lifebuoy” helps people recover after natural disasters

Mr. Do Long Thao - Deputy Director of Lao Cai Province Social Policy Bank Branch said: The whole province has 560 households that borrowed policy credit that were affected, with a total outstanding debt of about 25.6 billion VND. Of which, 78 households had severely damaged houses, equivalent to 5.6 billion VND in loans from policy credit programs.

Immediately after the natural disaster occurred, the Provincial Social Policy Bank Branch reported to the Board of Directors and proactively coordinated with the People's Committees of communes, entrusted socio-political organizations, village heads, savings and loan groups to review each case of damage in detail, ensuring that no borrowers were left out.

The work of reviewing and discussing risk handling plans was urgently deployed by the Lao Cai Provincial Social Policy Bank Branch and entrusted organizations at the commune transaction point.

Depending on the extent of damage, the Provincial Social Policy Bank applies appropriate forms of support. Households with 100% damage are instructed to prepare debt rescheduling documents, while households with partial damage are considered for debt extension or additional loans to restore production. To date, the branch has completed debt rescheduling procedures for 57 loans, with a total amount of 2.17 billion VND.

At the same time, the Provincial Social Policy Bank has accelerated the disbursement of new capital to help people have more resources for reproduction. In October and November 2025 alone, the bank disbursed about 400 billion VND, of which 200 billion VND was for job creation loans, 50 billion VND for poor households, 45 billion VND for near-poor households, and the remaining VND for clean water and rural environmental sanitation loans. Policy capital has become a timely support, helping people in flood-affected areas gradually overcome damage and restore their livelihoods.

Commune transaction point - a place to receive and disburse capital, helping people restore production after floods.

After the flood, policy funding has motivated people to recover. Typical cases include Ms. Tran Thi Thu Huyen, in Tien Phu residential group, who was able to borrow 100 million VND to plant and take care of forests; Mr. Nguyen Tien Hieu, in Tuy Loc residential group (Van Phu ward), was able to borrow 80 million VND to raise pigs. The provincial Social Policy Bank has guided these households to postpone debt and created conditions for additional loans, helping them restore production, stabilize their lives and gradually regain confidence.

Staff of the Social Policy Bank and savings and loan groups directly handle procedures and accompany people at commune transaction points.

The widespread damage is the biggest challenge, making it difficult to count and determine the extent of damage at the grassroots level. However, with a high sense of responsibility, the Social Policy Bank system in the whole province has mobilized its maximum force and closely coordinated with local authorities to ensure that all affected households have access to support policies as soon as possible.
_- _{Mr. Do Long Thao - Deputy Director of Lao Cai Provincial Social Policy Bank Branch.}

Currently, Lao Cai Branch of the Social Policy Bank has a total outstanding loan balance of more than 11,480 billion VND, with more than 160,000 customers still having outstanding loans; the loan program for poor and near-poor households alone accounts for 36%, equivalent to 4,160 billion VND. This figure vividly demonstrates the humane role of policy credit in poverty reduction and ensuring social security.

In the coming time, the Provincial Social Policy Bank Branch will continue to review, reschedule and extend debt for eligible households in a timely manner, while prioritizing capital sources for households in areas that have suffered heavy damage. In particular, the bank reported to the Vietnam Social Policy Bank to propose that the Government consider reducing loan interest rates for 100% of policy loan households in December 2025.

With that spirit, Lao Cai Social Policy Bank Branch will continue to accompany the people, turning each loan capital into a "seed" of hope, helping them have more resources, confidence and opportunities to overcome difficulties and reach a better future.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/phao-cuu-sinh-giup-nguoi-dan-vuc-day-sau-thien-tai-post886609.html