HCMC – Two more state-run banks in Vietnam, BIDV and Agribank, started today, June 17, selling gold bars online to customers.

This move means that three out of the four state-run Vietnamese commercial banks, including Vietcombank, now sell the metal to those customers who place prior orders online. VietinBank is the only bank to maintain its over-the-counter gold sales at its branches. At BIDV, customers can register to buy gold on the bank’s website from Monday to Friday, excluding holidays and weekends. Payments and collection of gold bars are available from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the day of registration. Agribank announced last week that it would start selling gold online from today. The registration process and gold receipt issuing procedures at Agribank are similar to those of other banks. Banks will cancel the buy orders placed by those clients who are more than 30 minutes late for their scheduled appointments. Last week, Vietcombank became the first state-run commercial bank to launch an online gold selling service. Since they were authorized by the central bank to retail gold bars to the public, the four banks and the state-run Saigon Jewelry Company (SJC) have frequently experienced long lines of clients queuing for registration numbers.