Vietnam’s financial system has evolved rapidly over the last few decades, which requires more scrutiny on bank risk management to prevent contagion effects and ensure the system safety and soundness. Previous international studies have shown that corporate governance is one of the important factors that influence the level of bank risk-taking. However, there is still a lack of research on this issue in Vietnam. The objective of this study is to provide empirical evidence on how boards of directors, one important internal governance mechanism, can affect the level of bank risk. Using a sample of 21 listed commercial banks in Vietnam over the period 2007-2022, this research finds that board size, the education level of board directors and the representation of women directors have negative impacts on bank risk-taking. These results provide some implications for bank management and policy makers.