Real estate accounts for more than 80% of secured assets at some Vietnamese lenders, highlighting the banking sector's heavy reliance on property as loan security, according to Vietnam Net. 

Banks can accept various forms of collateral, including movable assets, inventories, shares, securities, future assets and receivables. However, property remains the most widely preferred option.

At Asia Commercial Bank (ACB), real estate makes up 86% of collateral value, while the figure is 83% at BVBank and 71% at Vietcombank.

Financial reports from 20 commercial banks show that the combined value of property pledged as collateral reached about $368bn as of June 30, 2026, an increase of roughly $22.5bn from the end of 2025.

Vietcombank held the largest amount at around $75.3bn, followed by ACB and MB, each at approximately $43.7bn. Other major holders included Sacombank, VPBank, LPBank, HDBank, VIB and Techcombank.

Only five of the 20 banks recorded declines in property collateral during the period, with Sacombank reporting the largest reduction.

Among Vietnam's four major state-owned banks, Vietcombank was the only one to publish first-half 2026 figures, reporting nearly $76bn in property collateral. At the end of 2025, the combined property collateral held by Vietcombank, VietinBank, BIDV and Agribank was estimated at about $403bn

Banking professionals say property is favoured because ownership documents are generally straightforward to verify, while market data makes valuation easier. Properties in active markets also tend to be easier to sell than specialised assets such as industrial machinery.

Property-backed loans can therefore carry lower interest rates because banks generally face less difficulty disposing of such collateral if borrowers default.

However, real estate is not risk-free. Values and liquidity can be affected by market movements, planning changes, legal disputes and conditions specific to individual properties. A high concentration of property collateral therefore still exposes banks to potential market-related risks.