From October 6 to 13, 2025, a delegation of the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU), led by Vice President Tran Lan Phuong, paid a working visit to the Netherlands and France. This important people-to-people diplomatic activity opened up opportunities for strategic cooperation with leading global financial institutions, aiming to enhance the economic empowerment of Vietnamese women.
Strategic Cooperation with Leading Financial Institutions
The delegation included representatives from the Tinh Thuong One-Member Limited Liability Microfinance Institution (TYM).
During the mission, the delegation held working sessions with some of the world’s leading financial institutions — Rabo Foundation, Rabo, and Rabo Partnerships in the Netherlands; and BNP Paribas Bank and the Just Institute in France.
The meetings were conducted in an open and constructive spirit, with a view to strengthening long-term relationships and expanding strategic cooperation between the VWU, TYM, and international partners.
At the meetings, Ms. Tran Lan Phuong, VWU Vice President, shared insights into Vietnam’s recent socio-economic achievements and the Government’s breakthrough strategic orientations in digital transformation, green transition, and sustainable development. She emphasized the significant role of Vietnamese women and the VWU in contributing to the success of these national strategies.
Ms. Phuong also outlined the VWU’s key orientations and priorities for the 2025–2035 period, with a vision to 2045, highlighting women’s economic empowerment and international integration as central themes. As the owner of TYM, the VWU has always provided guidance and favorable conditions for TYM to fulfill its mission as a tool for helping women access finance, develop household businesses, and start enterprises.
The delegation presented a souvenir gift to the Executive Director and senior representatives of Rabo Foundation (Netherlands).
In the Netherlands, the delegation held official meetings with leaders of Rabo Foundation, Rabo Rural Fund, and Rabo Partnerships (affiliated with Rabobank). In addition to exchanging views on the VWU’s role in Vietnam and TYM’s development, the parties discussed TYM’s development strategy for 2025–2030, with a vision to 2045, and explored directions for expanding credit cooperation in the coming years.
The nearly two-decade-long partnership between TYM and Rabo Foundation continues to be strengthened, with new commitments on credit and technical assistance. Rabo Foundation pledged to initiate the appraisal process for a new loan in 2025 once TYM completes the required documentation. Both sides also discussed establishing a long-term cooperation framework to reinforce a sustainable partnership.
Rabo Foundation further expressed its willingness to provide technical support in key areas such as risk management, digital transformation, and green finance—important pillars in the VWU’s and TYM’s sustainable development strategies. These cooperation programs are expected to help TYM strengthen its financial capacity, improve services for rural women clients, and continue advancing financial inclusion, a mission the organization has steadfastly pursued for over 30 years.
In France, the delegation met with representatives of BNP Paribas, one of the world’s largest financial institutions and TYM’s strategic international credit partner for more than a decade.
Both sides praised the stable and effective cooperation achieved so far and discussed TYM’s capital needs and financial plans for 2025–2030. BNP Paribas acknowledged TYM’s strong performance and expressed openness to maintaining or even increasing its credit limit in the coming years, in line with TYM’s growth and market conditions.
The delegation worked with representatives of BNP Paribas Bank and the Just Institute (France) on international credit cooperation and green, sustainable development initiatives.
In particular, BNP Paribas strongly supported introducing Just Institute to work with TYM upon learning that TYM has piloted green credit initiatives. The Just Institute, a global non-profit organization, promotes climate finance, biodiversity, and financial inclusion, focusing on smallholder farmers and vulnerable communities. With its extensive experience in sustainable finance, the Just Institute serves as a technical advisor and connector of international resources to support organizations in their green transition efforts. BNP Paribas, as a co-founder and strategic partner of the Just Institute, contributes both financial and technical expertise.
Both BNP Paribas and the Just Institute expressed willingness to send experts to assist TYM in product design and organizational capacity-building in this area. BNP Paribas hopes TYM can soon scale up its green credit products, which could serve as a foundation for granting new preferential credit lines to TYM.
The delegation took a commemorative photo with representatives from BNP Paribas Bank and Just Institute (France) after the working session on cooperation to promote green finance and sustainable development.
Enhancing International Standing and Promoting Social Value for Vietnamese Women
The mission opened up positive prospects for cooperation in both financing and technical support, strengthening the foundation for TYM’s sustainable development strategy in the coming years. With the partnership of reputable global financial institutions, TYM expects to gain additional resources to expand microcredit operations, enhance institutional capacity, and provide tens of thousands of new financing opportunities for poor and vulnerable women across its operational areas.
In the medium term, through its cooperation with Rabo Foundation and BNP Paribas, TYM has the opportunity to strengthen its financial capacity, disburse trillions of VND in microloans, and create positive social impact—thereby contributing to gender equality in economic development.
“This mission not only helped TYM expand partnerships with leading global financial institutions but also reaffirmed TYM’s reputation and international integration capacity in the microfinance sector. It lays an important foundation for TYM to continue accompanying Vietnamese women on their journey toward empowerment and sustainable development. The VWU will continue to provide every necessary support for TYM to grow and remain a leading microfinance institution in Vietnam,”
— shared Ms. Tran Lan Phuong, Vice President of the Vietnam Women’s Union.
The achievements of this mission have not only opened new directions for TYM in mobilizing funds and technical support but have also contributed to enhancing Vietnam’s reputation in the global microfinance community. These activities reaffirm TYM’s position as a pioneering, efficient, and community-oriented microfinance institution.