June 10, 2009

President Nguyen Minh Triet wished the banking industry would continue its tradition of helping the country overcome difficulties on the path towards sustainable development.Triet made this statement while presenting the award "Hero of the People’s Armed Forces" to the Special Finance Unit (N2683) and Special Fund (B29) at a ceremony held by the State Bank of Viet Nam in Ha Noi yesterday.He emphasised that this honour was for the whole banking industry, but the two agencies in particular.

"During the American War, the banking industry made great silent contributions to the country’s victory, which the Party and people highly appreciated," said the President.In wartime, B29 collected foreign currency reserves to assist the battlefields in a timely way and for any circumstances and circulated these reserves to minimise the losses caused by the depreciation of foreign currencies, as well as to take advantage of high interest rates to increase the State’s reserves.