A 69-Year Journey and the Aspiration for Enduring Prosperity Alongside the Nation
Building on a 69-year legacy of service, BIDV reaffirms its leading position with a record total assets of 3.25 million billion VND as it enters a new era. In this dialogue, CEO Le Ngoc Lam shares his vision of “creating enduring value,” marking a shift from “fulfilling tasks” to “purpose-driven growth,” using trust and social responsibility as the benchmarks for success to realize the aspiration of becoming one of the 50 strongest banks in Asia.
Building on a 69-year legacy of service, BIDV reaffirms its leading position with a record total assets of 3.25 million billion VND as it enters a new era. In this dialogue, CEO Le Ngoc Lam shares his philosophy of “creating enduring value,” marking a shift from “fulfilling tasks” to “purpose-driven growth,” using trust and social responsibility as the measure of success to realize the aspiration of becoming one of the 50 strongest banks in Asia.
Shifting the mindset toward value creation
Closing out 2025, BIDV achieved total assets exceeding 3.25 million billion VND—making it the largest bank in Vietnam. According to him, what does BIDV need to do in the coming period to maintain its current position?
Mr. Le Ngoc Lam: Thanks to the persistent efforts of our staff and employees, BIDV has now become the largest bank in the system; however, we clearly recognize that if we merely stop at meeting plan targets, BIDV will fall into the trap of complacency, while there is still significant room for breakthroughs and creating additional value. Therefore, in bank management, for many years now, we have been shifting from a “task-completion” mindset to one of “value creation” for both the bank and our customers; we have also fundamentally changed our operational methods and management models, with a customer-centric mindset being emphasized and implemented more clearly than ever before.
“Creating value” here means that every BIDV employee must become a consultant, supporter, and partner to our customers. We are changing, shifting from a mindset of “mere credit provision” to offering “comprehensive financial solutions.” For example, with a corporate client, we do not merely provide loans but also advise them on financial solutions to optimize capital structure, such as issuing corporate bonds, utilizing domestic L/C products, derivative credit, providing solutions to optimize cash flow, products for better risk management and corporate governance, tax advisory support, and connecting partners in the input and output markets for the business’s products… When we prioritize the customer as the center, both parties grow sustainably together—that is how we create value for both our customers and the bank itself.
Could you share a specific example of “creating value” in BIDV’s business operations?
Mr. Le Ngoc Lam: Take the B-Home project as an example. Previously, the bank provided loans for home and car purchases but had to pay fees to real estate agencies and car dealerships to refer customers; but now, with a new approach, we collaborate directly with customers and developers to market products to customers through digital channels, creating a seamless digital ecosystem that delivers value to developers, sellers, homebuyers, car buyers, and more… At the same time, our bank can provide loans, extend credit, and offer services to both developers/sellers and buyers more quickly while better managing risks. This is the shift in business thinking aimed at “creating value” for society.
Pillars of Sustainability
It is known that BIDV has identified technology as one of its three pillars of development. Could you share more about the application of information technology and digital transformation at BIDV in recent times?
Mr. Le Ngoc Lam: In our development strategy, BIDV has identified technology and digital banking as one of the three pillars of development. For us, technology is no longer a supporting function but a driving force—a direct resource that determines productivity and operational efficiency. In 2025, we are launching a new technology project—developed in-house—almost every month, while ensuring the system operates safely and seamlessly. The bank-wide internal management system (B-One) helps us move toward a paperless office; the Bcash project digitizes 80% of cash transaction processes; the BIDV Direct and BIDV Smartbanking systems provide convenience for customers… the implemented technology projects have completely reshaped how we operate our organization and serve our customers.
We have designated 2026 as the year of Comprehensive Operational Transformation, continuing to automate and centralize operational processes such as disbursement, asset valuation, and cash management… We have piloted centralized disbursement and estimate that while previously nearly 200 branches required 1,000 staff members, centralization would reduce this to approximately 300. This improves labor productivity and allows staff to dedicate more time to customer service.
In addition, we have also launched business model transformation projects integrated with technology platforms to enhance operational efficiency, such as: the retail banking transformation project starting in 2024; launching the business model transformation project for the corporate customer segment as early as the beginning of 2026 using internal resources and with the support and partnership of strategic shareholder Hana Bank…
In summary, the application of technology has enabled BIDV to fundamentally transform its management and operations, improve the customer experience, and enhance operational efficiency.
Alongside technology, discipline is prioritized in BIDV’s 2026 guiding principles (Discipline – Quality – Efficiency – Comprehensive Transformation). Is this the compliance culture of a large-scale system like BIDV?
Mr. Le Ngoc Lam: Banking operations are inherently risky. As BIDV’s business scale continues to grow, we are compelled to enhance our governance and management capabilities to ensure the system operates systematically and in accordance with established guidelines. This necessitates strengthening discipline, and discipline. To achieve this, we have instilled the spirit of “discipline and responsibility” throughout the system; particularly in credit operations, we have clearly defined that identifying and controlling risks is a mandatory requirement that must be carried out regularly and continuously, while also strictly enforcing regulations against units and individuals responsible for violations to ensure fairness, prevent further damage, and avoid legal risks.
In addition, we place special emphasis on and impose higher, stricter standards on unit heads regarding accountability, exemplary conduct, and setting a good example. We are also focusing on human resources management based on the principle of “clear roles, clear tasks, clear results,” and exploring the application of technology to objectively and substantively measure and evaluate work outcomes and staff capabilities. Alongside this is the development of a new salary mechanism designed to provide both motivation and pressure while ensuring fairness, encouraging staff to shift their mindset from merely fulfilling tasks to creating value for the entire system.
Our goal is to make risk management a deeply ingrained cultural norm in every business decision and operational action. BIDV’s effectiveness must be substantive: preserving and growing state capital, contributing to and paying taxes to the nation (over 12.7 trillion VND by 2025), which is the result of a sustained effort, closely integrating the fulfillment of political tasks with enhancing operational efficiency in accordance with market principles. This is the crucial foundation for BIDV to confidently move into a new phase of development with higher goals.
Partnering for Development
BIDV is often referred to as the “Bank of Major Projects.” In this new era, how does this role differ from the past?
Mr. Le Ngoc Lam: As Vietnam’s oldest bank, we have undergone 69 years of development with pride as the Construction Bank, then the Vietnam Investment and Construction Bank, providing capital for many landmark projects of national significance such as: the Bac Hung Hai Irrigation Project, the Cao-Xa-La Industrial Zone, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, the Thai Nguyen Steel Complex, the North-South Railway, and special projects supporting the liberation of the South, such as the B12 Oil Pipeline, the Ho Chi Minh Trail on land and at sea… and later, the Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, the Yaly Hydropower Plant, the Chuong Duong Bridge, the Thang Long Bridge,…
This highlights BIDV’s crucial role and standing in financing and providing capital for the economy; in the current context, as the nation enters a new era of development, we have clearly defined our responsibility in allocating and arranging capital—particularly for key entities such as major economic groups—to implement critical infrastructure and energy projects, ensuring the lifeblood of the economy; simultaneously, we actively provide capital to foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs), contributing to creating a favorable environment to attract and supplement capital for the nation’s economic development. Funding these projects not only yields operational efficiency but is also a political mission, contributing to macroeconomic stability and national infrastructure development in the current phase.
In our development strategy through 2030, with a vision toward 2045, BIDV has committed to becoming a Large – Strong – Green bank, leading the market in ESG practices and sustainable finance. We have clearly defined our green transformation across three key dimensions, reflecting our role as a leading financial institution in Vietnam: (i) A key player in mobilizing and providing capital for green transition, as well as in guiding and shaping green transition; (ii) A pioneer in the greening process, energy and resource conservation, and reducing internal emissions; and (iii) Leading and promoting the green transition of our customers and partners...
In October 2025, BIDV officially became a recognized entity of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), marking it as the first commercial bank in Vietnam to be recognized by the GCF as a partner with direct access to the Fund’s preferential capital to implement climate finance projects in Vietnam. This recognition serves as a driving force for BIDV to steadfastly pursue its green transition journey alongside the nation’s economy.
Looking to the Future
With its 2045 vision, BIDV aims to be among the top 50 strongest banks in Asia. This is a very ambitious goal. Could you share more about the strategic direction for the coming period, as well as your expectations for BIDV’s team of 30,000 employees?
Mr. Le Ngoc Lam: In the future, alongside the nation’s development, we will prepare the necessary resources to enter new business sectors based on technology, data, AI, and more, so that BIDV is not just a traditional bank but a versatile and modern financial group.
We remain steadfast in our strategic direction toward sustainable development, guided by a spirit of responsibility toward the community and service to the nation, actively contributing to the country’s prosperous development in this era of national rejuvenation.
In this new context and era for our country, I hope that every employee will remain passionate, responsible, and ambitious, working together to build BIDV into a Large – Strong – Green financial banking group, a bank that brings happiness to workers. These values are also reflected in BIDV’s core values (iBIDV): Wisdom – Trust – Integrity – Compassion – Aspiration.
On the occasion of the 69th anniversary of our founding, on behalf of BIDV’s leadership, I would like to express my gratitude to the tens of millions of customers who have accompanied and remained loyal to BIDV throughout the nearly seven-decade journey; I would also like to express my deep gratitude to the preceding generations of BIDV staff—those who laid the foundation, built the bank, and left an invaluable legacy for today’s generation. I would also like to sincerely acknowledge and pay tribute to the relentless efforts of the Executive Board and nearly 30,000 staff members and employees across the entire system today; it is your dedication, unity, and creativity that have carried on our traditions, built upon our achievements, and written new glorious chapters in history, propelling BIDV to greater heights and broader horizons on our journey toward sustainable development alongside the nation.
Thank you very much, sir!
