The Government of Vietnam has approved the Vietnam Bank of Social Policy to lend VND5 trillion ($270.6 million) to poor students this year. This year is the third consecutive year the program on soft credit loans for poor students has been carried out to ease the burden on both students and families, the Vietnamese Government said on its website Jan 5. To date, around 1.7 million students nationwide have benefited from the program, it added. By September 2007, the bank has lent VND17.87 trillion to poor students. Vietnam welcomes 22 million pupils and students in the 2009-2010 school year.
