- On April 01, 1963: Officially established under Decision No. 115/CP issued by the Government Council on October 30, 1962.
- On April 01, 1963: Launched operations as the sole foreign trade bank.
- In 1978: Established Vinafico Hong Kong Finance Company.
- On November 14, 1990: Converted from a specialized foreign trade bank to a multifunctional state commercial bank under Decision No. 403‑CT.
- In 1993: Formed First Vina Bank, a joint venture with a Korean partner (now ShinhanVina Bank).
- On September 21, 1996: Re-established as Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank) under Decision No. 286/QĐ‑NH5; opened representative offices in Paris and Moscow and launched the Vietcombank Tower 198 joint venture.
- On December 26, 2007: Conducted initial public offering (IPO).
- On June 02, 2008: Officially became Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam.
- On June 30, 2009: Vietcombank shares (VCB) officially listed on HOSE.
- On September 30, 2011: Signed strategic cooperation agreement with Mizuho Bank by selling 15% equity.
- On July 15, 2015: Launched Basel II capital accord implementation.
- In 2016: Became the first bank in Vietnam to fully resolve non‑performing loans at VAMC.
- In 2017–2018: Divested from Saigonbank, Vietcombank Tower 198 Co., and OCB.
- On January 16, 2019: Increased charter capital to VND 37,088,774,480,000.
- In April 2022: Increased charter capital to VND 47,325,166,000,000.
- In September 2023: Increased charter capital to VND 55,890,913,000,000.
- In January 2025: Increased charter capital to VND 83,556,914,350,000.
