Pursuant to the Government�s Decree No. 100/1998/ND-CP of December 10, 1998 on the financial regime of the State Bank of Vietnam, and after consulting and reaching an agreement with the State Bank of Vietnam, the Ministry of Finance hereby guides its implementation as follows:

I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. This Circular applies to the State Bank of Vietnam (hereinafter abbreviated into the SB), including: the Central SB; the SB�s branches in the provinces and centrally-run cities; its domestic and overseas representative offices; and such non-business units attached to the SB as: "Thoi Bao Ngan Hang" (the Banking Times), "Tap Chi Ngan Hang" (the Banking Review), the Credit Information Center, the Propaganda and Press Center, and the Management Board of International Credit Projects.

The Banking Institute and enterprises attached to the SB shall not be subject to this Circular and shall comply with the general financial management regime prescribed by the State for the non-business units and State enterprises.

2. On principle, the SB�s financial revenues and expenditures shall comply with the State Budget Law and the Law on the State Bank of Vietnam. The SB may use its revenue sources to cover its operation expenses. The remainder of the difference between the revenues and expenditures, after deductions are made for setting up various funds according to the Law on the State Bank of Vietnam, the Government�s Decree No. 100/1998/ND-CP of December 10, 1998 regarding the financial regime of the State Bank of Vietnam and the specific provisions of this Circular, shall be remitted to the State budget.

3. The SB shall not have to pay taxes for its professional operations and banking services.

4. The SB Governor shall be answerable to the Government for the elaboration of the financial revenue and expenditure plans and the observance of regulations on financial management in the Government�s Decree No.100/1998/ND-CP of December 10, 1998 regarding the financial regime of the State Bank of Vietnam and the specific guidance in this Circular.

5. The Ministry of Finance shall perform the function of State management over finance, and exercise the financial management over the SB through the plan evaluation and synthesization, and inspection and examination of financial revenue- and expenditure-related activities of the SB.

II. PROVISIONS ON CAPITAL, FUNDS AND ASSETS

1. The SB shall have to strictly manage, and rationally and safely use for the right purpose the capital, funds and the State�s assets already assigned to it for management, more concretely:

1.1. The legal capital: The SB�s legal capital is 5,000 billion VN dong (five trillion VN dong) derived from the State capital source.

The SB shall coordinate with the Ministry of Finance in identifying the State capital sources currently managed by the SB which are allowed to be accounted into the SB�s legal capital. The deficient difference between the existing capital and the initial legal capital as prescribed shall be annually supplemented by the following sources:

- Capital for procurement of fixed assets, technical and informatic facilities and equipment, and storehouse and fund safety, which is accounted into the annual expenditures as prescribed.

- Capital for the capital construction investment which is annually allocated by the State.

The change of the legal capital level shall be decided by the Prime Minister at the proposals of the SB Governor and the Minister of Finance.

1.2. The capital for the capital construction investment and fixed asset procurement:

- The SB�s annual capital for the capital construction investment and fixed asset procurement is created from the following sources:

+ Fixed asset depreciation.

+ Funds allocated by the State for capital construction according to the State�s plans.

+ Amounts deducted from the annual expenditures which are equal to 12% of the average fixed asset value in the year.

+ Proceeds from the liquidation, assignment and sale of the fixed assets, after paying for liquidation, assignment and/or sale expenses (if any).

+ Other lawful sources according to the State�s regulations.

- The SB�s entire capital construction and fixed asset procurement work shall be carried out within the capital source ratified in the annual capital construction plans. The capital construction investment and fixed asset procurement by the SB must comply with the State�s regulations on investment and construction management.

The investment capital planned for the capital construction in a year, which has not been used up, shall be incorporated into the capital source for capital construction investment for use in the subsequent year.

1.3. The SB shall have to manage and use for the right purpose(s) the money amounts put into circulation, which have been approved by the Government, with a view to materializing the monetary policy.

1.4. Deposits of credit institutions and the State Treasury.

1.5. Capital borrowed from international organizations, foreign governments and/or credit institutions.

1.6. Other capital sources such as exchange rate difference and price difference due to the revaluation of foreign currency(ies), gold, silver and assets.

1.7. The SB shall strictly manage the State�s gold, silver and foreign currency reserve funds, use them for the purposes of materializing the monetary policy and ensuring the international settlement capability. The gold, silver and foreign currency reserve funds shall be supplemented under the Prime Minister�s decisions. Quarterly, the SB shall report on the use of such funds to the Government and the Ministry of Finance.

1.8. The SB�s fund for materialization of the national monetary policy and risk reserve are the State capital assigned to the SB for management and use. Annually, the SB shall be entitled to set aside 10% of the revenue and expenditure difference to supplement the fund for materialization of the national monetary policy. Such fund shall be administered by the SB Governor according to the objectives annually approved by the Government, aimed at serving the materialization of the national monetary policy. The risk reserve shall be set up and used under the specific guidance in this Circular.

1.9. Other capital sources and funds shall be used in service of the SB�s professional operations.

2. The SB is not allowed to make capital contributions to or purchase shares of credit institutions and other enterprises.

3. The SB shall carry out the revaluation of its asset in the following cases:

- Inventory and revaluation of asset under the decisions of the competent State agency(ies).

- Transfer, assignment or sale of assets to organizations outside the SB.

The asset inventory and revaluation shall be carried out strictly according to the State�s regulations. The increase or reduction amounts due to the asset revaluation shall be accounted as the increase or decrease of the State�s capital.

4. The transfer, liquidation, assignment and sale of the SB�s assets shall be effected as follows:

4.1. The transfer of the State�s assets at the SB shall comply with the provisions of the Government�s Decree No.14/1998/ND-CP of March 6, 1998 on the management of the State�s assets and other relevant regulations.

4.2. The procurement, liquidation, assignment and sale of assets being automobiles, vessels, communications means, machinery and equipment in service of working activities shall be decided by the SB Governor. The SB shall have to determine the price such assets and organize auctions thereof according to the provisions of law.

4.3. The difference between the proceeds from the asset liquidation, assignment and/or sale, and the expenses therefor (if any) shall be accounted into the capital source for capital construction investment and fixed asset procurement.

7. The State�s capital and assets at the SB must be inventoried by the end of the 31st of December each year. The differences in kind and in value through the inventory must be handled according the State�s regulations.

III. PROVISIONS ON MANAGEMENT OF REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES

A. Principles

- The SB shall have to fully, accurately and promptly account its revenues and expenditures in strict accordance with the provisions of the legislation on accountancy and statistics and the Regulation on organization of the State accountancy. The SB shall account all of its revenues and expenditures according to principles applied to cash revenues and expenditures (actual revenues and actual expenditures).

- All revenues and expenditures must be evidenced by invoices or vouchers according to the State�s regulations.

- Revenues and expenditures in foreign currency(ies) or gold must be converted into VN dong. The revenues and expenditures in foreign currency(ies) shall be converted into VN dong at the average transaction exchange rate(s) on the interbank foreign-currency market announced by the SB at the time the economic transactions arise for accounting them into revenue-expenditure accounts.

- The foreign currency exchange rate differences arising during the accounting period from the SB�s foreign currency trading activities shall be accounted into its revenues or expenditures in the year. The foreign currency exchange rate differences due to the revaluation of the balance of foreign-currency accounts at the end of each accounting period shall not be accounted into the expenditures or revenues, but accounted as capital increase or decrease.

- The reduction, exemption or reimbursement of interest amounts of the SB shall be effected under the decisions of the competent agency(ies) and fully recorded in financial settlement reports.

B. Contents of financial revenues and expenditures

1. The SB�s revenues are all amounts earned from its professional operations, including:

- Revenues from credit operations, such as: Collection of capital re-allocation interest, loan interest, deposit interest and guarantee fee;

- Revenues from open-market operations, including: revenues from operation of trading in treasury bills, deposit certificates, the State Bank�s credit bills and other short-term valuable papers on the monetary market;

- Revenues from operation of foreign exchange (foreign currencies and gold) trading and transactions according to the regulations;

- Revenues from payment, information and treasury services;

- Revenues being dividends of capital contributions to international organizations;

- Revenues from the money destruction;

- Revenues from other banking services;

- Revenues being collected fees and charges. Particularly, fees and charges belonging to the State budget shall be collected according to the Government�s Decree No. 04/1999/ND-CP of January 30, 1999 and the Ministry of Finance�s implementation guiding documents.

- Revenues arising in the banking activities: fund abundance; fines for breaches of economic contracts; revenues from the liquidation of working tools and cheap non-durables; recovery of already forgiven debts; revenues from the publication of bulletins, documents, newspapers, etc.

- Other revenues.

2. The SB�s expenditures are all amounts spent to maintain the professional operations of the SB system, which shall be accounted into its expenditure account(s) under the guidance in this Circular, including:

2.1. Expenses for professional operations and banking services:

2.1.1. Payments of deposit and loan interests, expenses for foreign exchange (foreign currencies and gold) trading and transaction operations; expenses for open-market operations;

2.1.2. Expenses for printing, minting, preservation, transportation, forwarding, issuance, withdrawal from circulation, replacement and destruction of money and payment instruments substituting money.

Including:

- Expenses for printing and/or minting of money and payment instruments substituting money.

- Expenses for money preservation, transportation and destruction.

These expenses shall be effected as follows:

a/ Expenses for designing money models, making money specimens and special expenses in service of the State�s strategic tasks, shall be decided by the SB Governor.

b/ Unit costs of money-printing products shall be approved jointly by the SB and the Ministry of Finance for each year. Basing itself on the already approved unit costs and the signed money printing contracts, the SB shall pay for the purchase of products from the printing factory(ies) according to the product-delivery and receipt vouchers for the accounting purpose.

c/ In cases where the SB purchases money-printing paper from domestic and/or overseas production establishments, the payment of money therefor shall be made on the basis of the signed contracts and valid vouchers. The expense for money-printing paper purchase shall be accounted on the account "Reserve materials" and gradually included in the banking expenditures upon each payment by the bank for money-printing products.

d/ Expenses for money safeguarding: including the following:

- Allowances given according to the prescribed regime to the force watching, safeguarding and protecting storehouses, escorting money, gold, silver, gems and payment instruments substituting money; expenses for fire prevention and fighting, anti-intrusion, etc.

- Expenses for anti-counterfeiting task.

The level of money safeguarding expenses of each year shall be set and explained by the SB in the year�s financial plans.

e/ Expenses for transportation, loading and unloading: including the following:

- Expenses for petrol and oil for transport means.

- Expenses for hiring transport means, which shall be paid according to contracts signed with service providers.

- Expenses for loading and unloading at ports, stations, airports... according to the contracts signed with the service providers. The expense level for the overfulfillment of the prescribed norm of loading and unloading money into/out of storehouses shall be set by the SB and approved by the Ministry of Finance.

f/ Expenses for equipment and materials for checking, counting, sorting and packing money shall be paid and settled according to the value of materials actually used in the year (packing and tying materials, glue...) according to the norms set by the SB.

g/ Expenses for money destruction: The norms of money destruction expenses such as allowances for officials engaged in the destruction activities, expenses for materials used for the destruction.... shall be decided by the SB Governor. Particularly, the level of allowances for officials engaged in the money destruction must be approved by the Ministry of Finance.

2.1.3. Expenses for payment and information services:

2.2. Amounts paid to officials, public employees and staff of the SB and contractual employees, and expenses for rewards and welfare:

Including:

- Wages and wage allowances paid to the SB�s officials, public employees and staff according to the prescribed regime.

- Lunch allowance paid to officials, public employees and staff present at working places in the year, which shall be decided by the SB Governor, provided that the monthly payment level per person shall not exceed the minimum wage level set by the State for State employees (particularly for 1999, the level of the lunch allowance for officials, public employees and staff present at working places in the year shall be 150,000 VN dong/person/month).

- Expenses for transaction attire of the SB�s officials, public employees and staff according to the expense norm set for each of the SB�s official, public employee or staff member in the annual financial plan. The annual attire expense level shall be set by the Ministry of Finance.

- Expenses for labor protection applicable to the subjects equipped and provided with labor protection equipment according to the State�s current regime.

- Expenses for regular and irregular rewards and welfare to the SB�s collectives and officials, public employees and staff members. The total annual spending level on these two shall be equal to the total wage fund actually paid in the year. Reward expenses include:

+ Expenses for rewards according to the regime prescribed by the State.

+ Expenses for regular and irregular rewards according to the SB Governor�s regulations.

- Expenses for rewards given to collectives and/or individuals of various branches that have made outstanding contributions to the Bank: Such expenses� annual level must not exceed a half of the monthly wage actually paid in the year by the SB. The eligible subjects, reward forms and specific levels shall be decided by the SB Governor.

2.3. Expenses for wage-based contributions: social and medical insurance premiums, trade union operating fund and other contributions according to the prescribed regimes.

2.4. Expenses in support of activities of the Party and mass organizations in the office according to the State�s regulations (excluding amounts spent in support of the branch trade union, localities, social organizations and other agencies).

2.5. Expenses for difficulty and severance allowances: the eligible subjects and levels thereof shall comply with the State�s regulations.

2.6. Expenses for management activities and public missions:

These expenses shall be effected on the following principles:

- The level of each expense shall comply with the regime prescribed by the State.

- The SB�s average annual level of expenses for management activities and public missions calculated on the number of the SB�s officials, public employees and staff members must not exceed 16 million VN dong/person/year.

The expenses for public missions include:

a/ Expenses for office equipment

b/ Expenses for postage and information communication charges:

These expenses are amounts spent on postage, information communication, telegraph, hiring of communication channels, telex, facsimile, ... paid according to the invoices of post offices.

The expenses for installation of telephones at private houses of eligible subjects shall be paid according to the State�s current regulations applicable to administrative and non-business units. In cases where, due to peculiarities of the SB�s operations, it is necessary to install telephones for a number of subjects other than those eligible therefor as defined by the State to meet the requirements of such tasks as storehouse safeguarding, money transportation, ...the SB shall have to send written requests therefor to the Ministry of Finance, and carry out the installation after obtaining the latter�s approval.

c/ Expenses for electric power and water supply, healthcare and office sanitation.

d/ Expenses for petrol and oil:

- Expenses for purchase of petrol and oil for means transporting officials, public employees and staff members on working missions, and leading officials on working trips according to the regimes prescribed by the State.

e/ Working mission allowances:

Working mission allowances for officials, public employees and staff members who are sent on working missions within the country or overseas shall be paid according to the Ministry of Finance�s current regulations.

f/ Expenses for guest reception, festive occasions and conferences:

These expenses include amounts spent on organizing conferences, reception of international and domestic guests; and meetings on the occasion of major anniversaries.

These expenses shall be effected according to the Ministry of Finance�s current regulations and within the scope of the year�s financial plan already ratified.

g/ Expenses for the inspection and auditing of the SB according to the prescribed regime.

h/ Expenses for professional trainings and scientific and technological research activities, including:

- Expense for organizing short-term professional, informatic and foreign language training and fostering courses for the SB�s officials, public employees and staff members.

- Expense for procurement, printing and translation of documents in service of the professional trainings and fosterings and research activities.

- Expense for organizing scientific workshops.

- Expense for scientific research projects.

- Expense for study and elaboration of legal documents.

- Expense for development and application of banking sciences and technologies.

- Expense for education support (this expense shall be effected after obtaining the Ministry of Finance�s approval).

- Other expenses according the State�s regulations (if any).

Expenses for professional banking training and scientific and technological research shall be effected on the basis of the total expense level set in the year�s financial plan already ratified. The plans for professional training, scientific workshops and researches shall be decided by the SB Governor who also approves the expense estimates thereof. The expenditures shall be effected according to the regimes prescribed by the State and within the plan limits already ratified.

i/ Expenses for technical modifications and innovations.

j/ Expenses for documents, publications, libraries, propaganda and advertisements, including:

- Expenses for publishing magazines, newspapers, bulletins and professional documents:

+ Royalties for article writers according to the general regulations.

+ Printing costs, which shall be paid according to the contracts signed with the printing establishments.

The plans for publishing magazines, newspapers, bulletins and banking professional documents must be ratified by the SB Governor, who also includes cost estimates therefor into the year�s financial plan.

- Expenses for purchase of publications and documents for study,...

- Expenses for propaganda and advertisements. Particularly, advertising expenses shall be based on the advertising contracts signed between the advertiser(s) and the SB.

2.7. Expenses for assets at the SB, including:

- Fixed asset depreciation;

- Expenses for asset repair and maintenance;

- Expenses for minor constructions;

- Expenses for procurement of working tools;

- Expenses for asset hiring.

a/ Fixed asset depreciation:

- The depreciation of the SB�s fixed assets shall be made according to the State�s regulations applicable to the State enterprises.

- Monthly, basing itself on the value of the depreciated fixed assets and the fixed asset depreciation percentage, the SB shall make a correct and adequate fixed asset depreciation amount as required and account it into the banking expenditures. The SB�s annual fixed asset depreciation shall be concentrated and managed at the Central SB.

b/ Expenses for asset repair and maintenance: are amounts actually paid in the year for these purposes and must not exceed 5% of the average fixed asset value in the year. The expenses for repairing and maintaining fixed assets shall not be accounted as increase of such assets� value upon the completion of the repair and maintenance.

c/ Expenses for minor constructions: Expenses for minor constructions, which are accounted into the expenditures, shall be effected only for auxiliary projects built as additions to main projects being in use, such as: boundary walls and fenses, yards, gates, reception and guard houses, toilets, kitchen rooms, garages, water tanks, wells, internal routes, water drainage culverts and ditches, etc. For new projects, such auxiliary constructions must not be detached from the main projects, but must be built with the capital construction investment source. The funds for minor constructions must not be used for construction of projects involved in the capital construction source, such as working houses of grade 4 or higher.

d/ Expenses for procurement of working tools:

The SB�s annual average expense level for procurement of working tools calculated on the number of its officials, public employees and staff members must not exceed 2.2 million VN dong/person/year.

e/ Expenses for hiring assets: are amounts spent on hiring assets under the asset hiring contracts between the lessors and the SB.

2.8. Expenses for investment in development of professional techniques and banking technologies: Annually, the SB may spend and account into its expenditures an amount equal to 12% of the average fixed asset value in the year to supplement the capital source for procurement of fixed assets, technical and informatic equipment as well as storehouse and fund safety facilities. Such expenses shall be managed and used according to the State�s regulations on capital construction investment.

2.9. Expense for setting up the risk reserve:

- Annually, the SB is entitled to set aside an amount for risk reserve from the banking operation expenditures which shall be equal to 10% of its total revenues minus the expenses other than risk reserve expense.

- The risk reserve shall be used under the SB Governor�s decision to make up for losses incurred in credit activities, payment and treasury services due to objective causes and the loss remainder after the loss compensations are made by concerned collectives or individuals according to the provisions of law. For losses incurred due to subjective causes, the extent of loss caused by each concerned party must be determined in order to compel the compensations (for losses caused by individuals) or deduct them into the SB�s welfare or reward expenses (for losses caused by collectives).

- The SB�s risk reserve which is not used up in the year shall be carried forward into the following year for further use. In cases where the risk reserve is not enough to make up for losses, the SB and the Ministry of Finance shall propose to the Prime Minister measures to settle the decifit.

2.10. Other expenses are those arising in the course of operation but not yet specified above, including the following principal ones:

- Expenses for the recovery of debt amounts already written off.

- Loss amount remainder after compensations are made with sources specified in Point 5, Section II of this Circular.

- Expenses for preservation of dossiers, vouchers, accounting books and documents.

- Expenses for payment of taxes and fees (except for taxes and fees paid upon procuring fixed assets which must be accounted into such fixed assets� value according to the State�s regulations).

- Expenses for vehicle insurance.

- Other expenses actually arising with valid vouchers therefor.

1. A fiscal year of the SB shall commence on January 1st and end on December 31st of the calendar year.

2. Financial plans:

a/ The State Bank shall elaborate annual financial plans under the Ministry of Finance�s guidance. The SB�s financial plans include the following planning parts:

- The revenue-expenditure plan (together with detailed explanation on the revenue and expense items and specific expenditure norms estimated for the plan year).

- The plan for capital construction and fixed asset procurement (together with detailed explanation on planned capital construction, fixed asset procurement and balance of capital sources).

- The payrolls - wage - income plan.

b/ The SB shall send to the Ministry of Finance its annual financial plans for the latter to evaluate, synthesize and submit them to the Government. The approval and publicization of the SB�s financial plans shall comply with the Government�s general regulations. The approved financial plans shall serve as basis for the SB to make and ratify its annual financial settlement.

Any unexpected objective fluctuations in the fiscal year that lead to readjustment of the annual financial plan shall be jointly reported by the SB and the Ministry of Finance to the Prime Minister for decision.

3. Accounting and book-keeping:

- The SB shall conduct the accounting and auditing activities according to the State Bank Law, the legislation on accounting and statistics, and other current regulations of the State on accounting and auditing.

- The SB shall have to strictly and fully comply with regulations in the accounting regime applicable to the SB, including: general legal regulations, the regime of accounting vouchers, the system of accounting accounts, the regime of accounting books, the regime of financial statements,...

4. Financial reports:

- The SB shall make financial settlements and fully comply with the provisions on the making and sending of financial reports to the Ministry of Finance in the legislation on accountancy and statistics and the specific provisions in this Circular.

- Financial reports to be sent to the Ministry of Finance include:

a/ Quarterly reports, which shall be sent to the Ministry of Finance within 20 days after the end of each quarter, including:

- The report on implementation of the revenue-expenditure plan.

- The explanation of the report on implementation of the revenue-expenditure plan.

- The report on fluctuations in the State�s gold, silver and foreign currency funds, the fund for materialization of the national monetary policy and the risk reserve.

b/ Annual financial reports, which shall be sent to the Ministry of Finance within 45 days after the end of each fiscal year, including:

- The annual accounting account balance sheet and the asset balance sheet.

- The implementation of the revenue-expenditure plan in the year.

- The explanation of the report on implementation of the revenue-expenditure plan in the year and the proposals on financial solutions.

- The report on fluctuations in the State�s gold, silver and foreign currency funds, the fund for materialization of the national monetary policy and the risk reserve.

The SB�s annual financial settlement reports must be audited and certified by the State audit agency. The auditing results shall be reported to the Prime Minister and notified to the Ministry of Finance.

5. Financial inspection:

The Ministry of Finance shall conduct inspections of the SB�s finance, including:

- Periodical or extraordinary financial inspections;

- Inspection according specialized issues as required by the financial management work.

- In cases where it deems that breaches of the SB�s financial discipline occur in many concerned branches and attached units or that data provided in settlement reports are not totally truthful, the Ministry of Finance shall report such to the Prime Minister and request the State audit agency to check and re-determine the annual settlement data.

VI. ORGANIZATION OF IMPLEMENTATION

2. This Circular takes effect as from January 1st, 1999. Any problems arising in the course of implementation shall be reported by the SB to the Ministry of Finance for study, consideration and solution.

For the Minister of Finance

Vice Minister