Manufacturing remains atop FDI list

The sector received $10.72 billion, equivalent to 44 percent of the total registered FDI of $24.35 billion.

Real estate was second with $5.9 billion followed by wholesale and retail with $1.87 billion.

In the year to August 20, $13.48 billion worth of investment was pledged in 1,918 projects, up 0.2 percent year-on-year.

Around $5.5 billion worth of additional investment came into 736 existing projects, down 12.8 percent. Acquisitions by foreign investors were worth $5.3 billion, up 51 percent.

Overall, FDI was up 4.2 percent.

The biggest project so far this year has been Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation’s $4.14 billion smart city project in Dong Anh District, Hanoi.

South Korea’s Hyosung Corporation was licensed to produce polypropylene and build an underground storage for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in a $1.2 billion project in Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

The other notable one was Laguna Vietnam’s $1.12 billion expansion plan to add a casino to its existing resort in Thua Thien-Hue Province.

South Korea’s LG Innitek received a license to increase its investment by an additional $501 million to make camera modules.

Hanoi was the largest recipient with $5.93 billion. HCMC was second with $4.42 billion followed by Ba Ria-Vung Tau with $2.17 billion.

Japan was the largest investor in terms of registered capital with $7 billion, followed by South Korea with $5.16 billion and Singapore with $3.47 billion in the period.

FDI disbursement reached $11.25 billion, up 9.2 percent against 2017.

Foreign-owned companies’ exports (excluding crude oil) topped $108.79 billion , up 14.2 percent and accounting for 70 percent of total exports.

Their imports were worth $90.8 billion, up 11.4 percent and accounting for 59.4 percent of the country's imports.