(VOVworld) – Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Vu Duc Dam chaired a press briefing in Hanoi on Thursday on the outcomes of the February government meeting.

Dam said the Vietnamese economy has seen a number of positive signs. According to the latest report by the State Bank of Vietnam, the ratio of bad debts for the banking system has dropped from 8% to 6%. The consumer price index in the first two months of the year was 2.59%, lower than the same period last year. Vietnam has set a twin target of maintaining growth while controlling inflation. To achieve this, the government has asked relevant agencies to evenly space credits over the rest of the year to avoid inflation pressure. In addition, Minister Dam said, the government will create a roadmap for adjusting the prime interest rate.
Asked about ATM fees starting from March 1^st, Nguyen Dong Tien, Deputy State Governor, said ‘A new fee will be based on a legal foundation while ensuring that credit institutions will be managed better and on a principle that consumers can will accept the fees offered by commercial banks. It’s necessary to reduce the use of cash.’

At the press conference, Deputy Finance Minister Vu Thi Mai said a resolution on tax and registration fees will take effect in the middle of this month.