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In the context of an increasingly interconnected global economy, the consideration of foreign loans and domestic loans by businesses and financial institutions has become an important issue. Each form of loan has its own advantages and limitations, depending on financial goals, project scale and access to capital. In this article, we will delve into the comparison between these two forms of loans, thereby helping businesses have a more comprehensive view when making financial decisions.

 1. Principles for applying foreign loan conditions 

According to Article 3 of Circular No. 12/2014/TT-NHNN dated March 31, 2014 of the State Bank of Vietnam, when borrowing foreign capital, enterprises must comply with the following principles: 

- The borrower and foreign loans must satisfy the general conditions and additional conditions corresponding to each specific foreign loan. 

- The borrower is responsible for complying with the provisions of this Circular and other relevant legal provisions when signing and implementing foreign loans. 

- The State Bank supervises the borrower's compliance with foreign loan conditions through confirming the registration of foreign loans. For loans not subject to registration with the State Bank, the borrower is solely responsible before the law for complying with the conditions prescribed in this Circular. 


Principles for applying foreign loan conditions
 

2. Comparison of foreign loans and domestic loans 

 

Foreign loans 

Domestic loans 

Loan object 

According to the provisions of Article 14 of Circular No. 12/2022/TT-NHNN dated September 30, 2022 of the State Bank of Vietnam, the subjects that need to register when borrowing foreign capital include: 

- The borrower signs a foreign loan agreement with a non-resident lender. 

- The organization is responsible for directly repaying the debt to the entrusting party in the case where a credit institution or foreign bank branch signs a contract to receive a re-lending trust with a non-resident entrusting party. 

- The party with the obligation to repay the debt under a debt instrument issued outside the territory of Vietnam to a non-resident. 

- The lessee in a financial leasing contract with a non-resident lessor. 

- The organization inheriting the obligation to repay the foreign loan is subject to registration and registration of changes according to the provisions of this Circular in the case where the borrower is implementing a foreign loan and is divided, separated, consolidated or merged. 

According to the provisions of Article 5 of Decree No. 32/2017/ND-CP dated March 31, 2017 of the Government, the subjects eligible for State investment credit loans include: 

- Subjects eligible for State investment credit loans are customers with investment projects on the List of projects eligible for State investment credit loans issued together with this Decree. 

- In case the projects mentioned in Clause 1 of this Article have enjoyed preferential credit from other State financial institutions, they are not eligible for State investment credit loans according to the provisions of this Decree. 

Loan terms 

According to Circular No. 12/2014/TT-NHNN dated March 31, 2014 of the State Bank of Vietnam, when borrowing foreign capital, enterprises will need to fully satisfy the general conditions and additional conditions as prescribed by law. 

In which, the general conditions will include conditions on: 

- Purpose of foreign borrowing 

- Foreign borrowing agreement 

- Foreign borrowing currency; 

- Transactions securing foreign loans; 

- Foreign borrowing costs. 

At the same time, additional conditions will depend on each different case, including the following 02 cases: 

- The borrower is a credit institution, a branch of a foreign bank; 

- The borrower is not a credit institution, a branch of a foreign bank. 

According to the provisions of Article 6 of Decree No. 32/2017/ND-CP dated March 31, 2017 of the Government, when borrowing domestic capital, the borrower must fully meet the following conditions: 

1. Belonging to the subjects specified in Article 5 of this Decree. 

2. Having full legal capacity and performing investment procedures according to regulations. 

3. The investment project applying for capital is appraised and evaluated by the Vietnam Development Bank as an effective project with the ability to repay the loan. 

4. Having equity capital participating in the project implementation process of at least 20% of the total project investment capital, the specific level is considered and decided by the Vietnam Development Bank in accordance with the financial capacity of the investor and the project's debt repayment plan, except for special projects decided by the Prime Minister. 

5. Provide loan security in accordance with the provisions of this Decree and the provisions of law. 

6. The customer has no bad debt at credit institutions at the time the Vietnam Development Bank considers lending and disbursing the loan. 

7. Purchase property insurance from an insurance company legally operating in Vietnam for the loan security property. 

8. The customer implements the accounting regime, financial reporting and annual financial reporting audit in accordance with the provisions of law. 

Loan term 

According to the provisions of Article 12 of Circular No. 12/2022/TT-NHNN dated September 30, 2022 of the State Bank of Vietnam, the loan term for foreign borrowing activities will be determined as follows: 

1. For loans specified in Clause 1, Article 11 of this Circular, the loan term is determined from the expected date of the first capital withdrawal to the expected date of the final principal repayment based on the provisions of the foreign loan agreement. 

2. For loans specified in Clause 2, Article 11 of this Circular, the loan term is determined from the expected date of the first capital withdrawal to the expected date of the final principal repayment based on the provisions of the foreign loan agreement and the foreign loan extension agreement. 

3. For loans specified in Clause 3, Article 11 of this Circular, the loan term is determined from the expected date of the first capital withdrawal to the expected date of the final principal repayment. 

4. The withdrawal date specified in this Article is: 

a) The date on which money is credited to the borrower's account for loans disbursed in cash; 

b) The date on which the lender makes payment to a non-resident providing goods and services under a contract for the purchase and sale of goods and services with a resident borrower; 

c) The date on which the borrower is recognized as having fulfilled its payment obligation to the lender in the event that the parties choose to withdraw capital from a medium- or long-term foreign loan in the form of offset payment as prescribed in Point d, Clause 1, Article 34 of this Circular. 

d) The date on which the borrower receives leased assets for loans in the form of foreign financial leasing in accordance with relevant legal provisions; 

d) The date the borrower is granted a Certificate of Business Registration, a License for Establishment and Operation under specialized laws, the date of signing an investment contract under the public-private partnership method (PPP contract), the date the parties sign a foreign loan agreement to convert the amount of investment preparation into loan capital (whichever comes later), applicable to foreign loans arising from the conversion of the amount of investment preparation of projects that have been granted an Investment Registration Certificate into foreign loan capital according to the provisions of the law on foreign exchange management for foreign direct investment activities in Vietnam. 

According to the provisions of Article 8 of Decree No. 32/2017/ND-CP dated March 31, 2017 of the Government, the loan term for domestic loans is stipulated as follows: 

- The loan term is determined according to the project's capital recovery capacity and the customer's debt repayment capacity in accordance with the production and business characteristics of the project but not exceeding 12 years. For investment projects in Group A, the maximum loan term is 15 years. 

- The Vietnam Development Bank decides the loan term for each project based on the project appraisal results and in accordance with the provisions of Clause 1 of this Article. 

- For special projects requiring loans exceeding the maximum loan term prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article, the Vietnam Development Bank shall appraise and submit to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision. 

Loan currency 

Pursuant to Article 7 of Circular No. 12/2014/TT-NHNN dated March 31, 2014 of the State Bank of Vietnam, when borrowing foreign capital, the lending currency will be determined as follows: 

1. The foreign loan currency is foreign currency. 

2. Foreign loans in Vietnamese Dong can only be made in the following cases: 

a) The Borrower is a microfinance institution; 

b) The Borrower is a foreign direct investment enterprise borrowing from the profit shared in Vietnamese Dong from the direct investment activities of the Lender, which is a foreign investor contributing capital to the Borrower; 

c) Other cases when considered and approved by the Governor of the State Bank based on the actual situation and necessity of each case. 

According to the provisions of Article 10 of Decree No. 32/2017/ND-CP, the lending currency for domestic loans is determined as follows: 

1. The lending and debt collection currency is Vietnamese Dong 

2. For ODA projects and projects lending from foreign loans, the Vietnam Development Bank is allowed to lend and collect debts in foreign currency according to the provisions of law on the mechanism for re-lending foreign loans of the Government and the guidance of the State Bank of Vietnam 

 

Both foreign and domestic loans have their own strengths and weaknesses, depending on the specific needs of each business. Foreign loans can bring low interest rates and access to large financial resources, but come with exchange rate risks and complicated legal procedures. Meanwhile, domestic loans are easier in terms of procedures and minimize foreign exchange risks, but often have higher interest rates. Therefore, the choice of borrowing method needs to be carefully considered based on the long-term financial strategy and market context. 

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