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Insurance: Vietnam insurer fined for delays and underpayment amid rebranding push

VNI Insurance, now rebranded as DBV Insurance, has been fined VND 260 million (US$10,000) by the Ministry of Finance for multiple violations—including delayed compensation payments, inadequate reserve setting, and inaccurate reporting, Tuoi Tre has reported.

The article notes that:

  • In several cases, customers waited over 600 days for payouts, far beyond the legal 15–30 day deadline.
  • One case involved a death benefit of only VND 30 million (US$1,150), despite regulatory guidance suggesting a payout of VND 150 million (US$5,770), or VND 110 million (US$4,230) as agreed between parties.
  • Authorities found serious discrepancies between the company’s reports and actual practices in 2023, including non-compliance in hotline response, reporting formats, and insurance certificate issuance.
  • The firm recently changed its name to DBV Insurance Group JSC, backed by Korea’s DBI Insurance Group, which now holds a 75 percent stake.
  • Despite the regulatory issues, DBV Insurance reported VND 2,895 billion (US$111.35 million) in original premium revenue for 2024, up 14 percent year-on-year. It aims to reach VND 3,760 billion (US$144.62 million) in 2025, a 30 percent increase.
  • Motor vehicle insurance remains the company’s main business line, contributing over VND 1,800 billion (US$69.23 million), or 62 percent of total revenue.

This speaks to Vietnam’s insurance market being structurally fragile, with persistent compliance failures, limited regulatory teeth, and a pressing need for consumer rights enforcement. That is to say, that without reform, reputational risk could undermine both local trust and foreign investor confidence.

See also: Insurance in Vietnam 2025: Growth, Key Players & Regulations

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