Vietnamese banks have tightened requirements for Russian companies due to fear of sanctions – media

Vietnamese banks have begun to impose additional requirements on Russian companies when making payments; now money is transferred if the goods concern Vietnam or its citizens.

This was reported in The Moscow Times.

Vietnamese banks fear secondary sanctions from Europe and the US for transactions with Russia.

The new requirements were introduced in mid-summer 2025. Some banks have already had cases where transfers were delayed or blocked due to non-compliance with these conditions.

A lawyer who works with deals in Vietnam clarified that banks now require a full package of documents: a contract, invoice, transport and customs papers confirming the connection of the deal with Vietnam.

“Shipping of goods to the country is not planned, they are looking for an “anchor” in the form of a local founder, office or long-term partner to justify to the regulator that the operation is related to the country’s economy and is not intended to circumvent sanctions,” the legal expert noted.

It is noted that for companies from Russia that purchase or process goods in Vietnam, practically nothing has changed, but transit schemes have become so complicated that now there is no place for Russian business in Vietnam.

Earlier it became known that Russia sent the first shipment of oil to Vietnam . It began looking for new buyers of energy resources after India refused to buy its resources.