In the districts of Tủa Chùa, Tuần Giáo, Mường Ảng, Điện Biên Đông, and Điện Biên Phủ City, from June 9-13, 2025, the Forest Protection and Development Fund, in coordination with the Social Policy Bank, Forest Protection Divisions, and local People’s Committees, established 8 task forces to guide forest owners in completing the bank account opening procedures to receive PFES payments.

Each task force includes representatives from the Forest Protection and Development Fund, local People’s Committees, district Forest Protection Departments, local forestry staff, and the Social Policy Bank’s district offices - those who are familiar with the local area and closely connected with the residents. These task forces directly visit the grassroots level to guide forest owners, including individuals, households, and community groups that either do not have a bank account or have incorrect account information, to complete the bank account opening procedures.

The support locations are flexible, ranging from local government offices, community centers, and village centers to the homes of forest owners, to maximize convenience, especially for people in remote areas who have limited access to transportation and information.

Nguyễn Phú Khiêm, Director of the Social Policy Bank’s Tuần Giáo district office, stated: “The unit directly handles the bank account opening procedures, providing advice and addressing any concerns for the forest owners. To support the owners in completing the procedures efficiently, we assign staff to join the task force and guide them at the local government office; we prepare all the necessary documents, materials, and equipment for the account opening for individual households, and community groups. Additionally, we work to update the bank account information or notify the PFES Fund of the forest owners’ completed account information (account number, account holder’s name, address) to serve as the basis for PFES payments.”

To facilitate the implementation of the plan, the forest owners were informed of the working schedule and required documents for opening accounts. Forest owners, whether individual households or community groups, were asked to bring their ID cards, with community groups sending three representatives with additional required documents, such as a meeting record to elect the community forest management board and the establishment decision issued by the local People’s Committee.

With the goal of ensuring that all eligible forest owners have bank accounts, during the 5 days of implementation, the task forces assisted 886 forest owners who already had accounts with commercial banks (Agribank, Vietinbank, BIDV, etc.) to provide their account numbers for PFES payment. They also helped 577 forest owners open accounts with the Social Policy Bank. As a result, the total number of forest owners with bank accounts in the province increased to 7,203, representing over 91% of the total number of forest owners in the province.

The payment of PFES through bank accounts not only ensures the accuracy and transparency of funds but also facilitates forest owners in managing their finances. Each transaction is clearly recorded, allowing the owners to easily track the money received and use it effectively. This is also an important step toward a modern, transparent public administration system that applies digital technology.

According to the Forest Protection and Development Fund, as of now, there are still 4 forest owners who have not completed their account opening procedures and 656 who have not opened a bank account. The main reasons are: forest owners have not completed their account opening; the owner has passed away without completing inheritance procedures; the owner works far away and is not present locally; the amount of money received is small, and the forest owner is not interested in opening an account; the owner is serving a prison sentence; or the ID card of the owner has expired and is being renewed.

Trần Xuân Tâm, Deputy Director of the Forest Protection and Development Fund, said: “In the future, the Fund will continue to work with local authorities and banks to promote the benefits of receiving PFES payments via bank accounts, guiding and assisting forest owners in completing their account opening procedures. For those who cannot open bank accounts, we will research alternatives like payments through postal services or cash payments.”