Vietnam to impose up to 250 million VND fines for illegal bank‑account rentals

The Vietnamese government has issued Decree 340/2025 NĐ‑CP, effective 9 February 2026, to clamp down on the buying, selling, renting or lending of bank‑payment accounts and the use of forged identity documents. Penalties range from 100‑150 million VND for transactions involving 1‑9 accounts, to 150‑200 million VND for 10 or more accounts, and can reach 250 million VND for certain aggravated offenses.

Police in Tây Ninh province say organized groups lure students, workers and other vulnerable individuals to open accounts and register primary‑owner SIM cards, then rent or sell the accounts for a few hundred thousand to several million đồng. The rented accounts are subsequently used for online gambling, money‑laundering, high‑interest lending, illegal goods trading and other cyber‑crime activities. Account owners may face account freezes, heavy administrative fines, or criminal prosecution if the accounts are used for illicit transfers.