Mastering money is not just for the rich.

TPO - Experts from Vietcombank have shared frankly and practically, removing psychological barriers to financial management for students; mastering money is not a distant story, only for the rich, but a necessary skill that can be started right from school, even with a limited budget.

From understanding to breaking psychological barriers

On October 2, at Hanoi University of Science and Technology, the Organizing Committee of Vietnam Card Day 2025 coordinated with the Office of the State Bank of Vietnam to organize a seminar on "Protecting personal finances - mastering money".

Speaking at the seminar, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong Giang - Deputy Head of Retail Customer Policy Department, Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam ( Vietcombank ) shared about the role of the bank in accompanying young people in protecting personal finances.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong Giang emphasized that mastering money is not a distant story only for the rich, but a necessary skill that can be started right from school, even with a limited budget.

The Deputy Head of Retail Customer Policy Department, Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam gave a close example of a student's monthly budget, about 5 million VND, including family allowance and income from part-time jobs. With this amount of money, she said that talking about "investment" or "creating assets" can make students "laugh" because it feels "too far away". However, this is a misconception that needs to be changed.

According to the Deputy Head of Retail Customer Policy, Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam, the core principle is "have little, use little, have much, use much, if we know how to manage our finances, we will form a habit in the future. When we have the principle of managing our finances, we are always proactive, never passive and we never fall into awkward situations".

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong Giang discussed at the discussion. Photo: Duong Trieu

From budget rules to the power of technology

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong Giang said that banking applications today are not only for money transfer but also integrate many convenient features for smart financial management.

The Deputy Head of Retail Customer Policy Department, Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam suggests a simple budget allocation rule: 50% for daily essential expenses; 20% for emergency funds (such as in case of illness or unexpected expenses); 20% for savings and investment.

In addition, the banking application also has a warning feature when spending in a certain category reaches a threshold, helping users "slow down" and control spending better. In addition, features such as "income and expenditure management" or "group management" when going out or traveling also make tracking cash flow more transparent and easier.

To ensure safe banking transactions, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong Giang clearly stated the "golden rule": The bank never asks you to provide anything via a link. Do not fill in anything in the link. Also, we never ask you to provide a password or user to log in to our application.

Accumulate and increase assets

Nguyen Thi Huong Giang, Deputy Head of Retail Customer Policy Department, Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam, asked the question “how to make a profit” and affirmed that students do not need to have 100 million VND to start saving. The power lies in starting from very small but steady numbers.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong Giang gave an example, with only 100,000 VND saved each month, after 10 years, a student can accumulate 24 million VND. This number is not large but is an important "capital" for big goals in the future such as getting married, buying a house or studying abroad.

Regarding investment channels, the Deputy Head of Retail Customer Policy Department, Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam advised young people not to "rush to invest in gold", "virtual currency" or "volatile stocks" because of high risks and requiring in-depth knowledge. Instead, safe, disciplined and expert-managed investment channels such as investment funds are more suitable choices for beginners.

Closing the sharing session, Deputy Head of Retail Customer Policy Department, Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam sent a message to the young people attending the discussion: Equipping skills to protect personal finances and accumulate assets should be started right from school and maintained throughout life. When we have understanding, we will always be proactive in managing and protecting our assets.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/viec-lam-chu-dong-tien-khong-chi-danh-cho-nguoi-giau-post1783333.tpo