KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Dr Teh Hong Piow, founder and chairman of Public Bank Bhd, has been awarded the 'Medal for the Development of Vietnam Banking Industry'.
In a statement today, the bank said, Teh was the first foreign banker in Vietnam to be awarded this medal.
Teh said he was truly honoured to be bestowed with this medal.
"Since its inception in 1992, Public Bank Vietnam (PBVN), then known as VID Public Bank and being one of the first joint-venture banks in Vietnam, has journeyed a long way parallel with the development of the country," he said.
He said Public Bank was granted the 100 per cent foreign-owned bank licence a year ago.
"For this, I wish to record our gratitude to the State Bank of Vietnam and the Vietnamese for their trust in us to be a partner in the nation’s development and progress especially in the banking industry," he said.
Public Bank said the award was another feather in Teh's long list of lifetime accolades and recognition.
It said with this award Teh has received a total of 47 personal-to-holder awards in recognition of his exemplary commitment to excellence and lifetime dedication to the banking industry in Asia.
"The prestigious award comes with a medal and certificate personally signed by the Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam, Le Minh Hung, and was presented at the ceremony here on March 11, 2017," it said.
PBVN is an equal stake joint-venture between the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam and Public Bank.
It began operations in May 1992 in its first branch in Hanoi, a platform for the Malaysian business community to do business operations in Vietnam. -- BERNAMA