Vietnam Central Bank urges gold transactions be limited to licensed venues

The State Bank of Vietnam’s Region 1 (Hanoi) has issued a directive that individuals may buy or sell gold bars only through banks and enterprises that hold a licence from the central bank. Any transaction of 20 million VND (about $800) or more in a single day must be settled through the buyer’s and seller’s bank accounts to improve transparency and support anti‑money‑laundering efforts.

Recent joint inspections by the bank, Hanoi police, tax authorities and the Department of Industry and Trade uncovered violations by several gold‑trading firms, including failures in AML controls, reporting, branch‑change procedures, invoicing and tax compliance. The cases have been forwarded to the appropriate enforcement agencies. The central bank lists 22 banks – such as Vietcombank, BIDV, Agribank and others – and a set of authorised gold dealers that are permitted to operate in Hanoi through the end of the first quarter of 2026.