Vietnamese SMEs face green lending hurdles over missing ESG records
Forum speakers said companies could begin with utility bills and better documentation before moving towards product-level carbon measurements.
Poor ESG record-keeping and weaknesses in management are restricting Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises’ access to green finance, speakers told a panel at the Autumn Economic Forum 2026. They also warned that these shortcomings complicate efforts to meet requirements in overseas markets.
Hoang Van Tam, an official at Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, said surveys indicated that numerous manufacturers had collected little ESG information, or none at all. He recommended beginning with utility and fuel bills, then adding inexpensive sensors to energy-intensive machinery before progressing to carbon-footprint measurements for individual products.
Nam A Bank deputy general director Ha Huy Cuong said companies often save resources and comply with labour regulations but fail to capture those activities in standardised reports. Few borrowers have ESG practices sufficiently advanced to qualify for green credit, he said.
Cuong said the bank provides technical guidance and frameworks to manage environmental and social risks, helping businesses meet its lending conditions. Companies meeting those conditions can obtain green loans with preferential interest rates.
Ernst & Young Vietnam executive Hoang Manh Thang said a supplier’s ESG record could tip a contract decision when price, quality and delivery terms are comparable. He called for evidence-backed reporting to guard against greenwashing, advising businesses to select one priority product or issue, establish a starting benchmark and monitor subsequent improvements.
