This paper studies the credit institution-related factors determining the credit demand and decision to apply for a loan from formal credit institutions of agricultural households in Hoa Binh Province, Vietnam. We focus on the six main internal characteristics that credit institutions could control, including interest rates, eligible requirements, lending procedure, service quality, grace period, and distance from household to credit institutions. Using the PLS-SEM method to analyze the data collected from 389 agricultural households in Hoa Binh, the results show that interest rates do not change the demand for credit but can reduce the intention to make a loan to an agricultural household. Besides, eligible requirements usually do not affect both credit demand and the household's decision, while service quality and grace period consistently positively impact credit demand and loan decision. The results of these studies help formal credit institutions have a useful strategy to attract more agricultural households.