The loan will be provided through local financial institutions within this year, the State Bank of Vietnam said in a statement, adding that it is seeking opinions from related authorities over the plan.

Vietnam Airlines, 86% owned by the government, reported net losses of 11.1 trillion dong ($481.52 million) last year, compared with net profit of 2.54 trillion dong in 2019.

(Reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by Martin Petty)