Vietnam's actual FDI rises 6 pct in first 9 months

By Dat Nguyen September 27, 2018 | 12:29 am PT

A man works at a mechanical factory in Hanoi. Photo by Reuters/Kham

Disbursed foreign direct investment in Vietnam reached $13.25 billion between January and September, a year-on-year increase of 6 percent.

FDI pledges for new projects, increased capital and stake acquisitions downed 0.4 percent from a year earlier to $25.37 billion, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The manufacturing and processing industry garnered the most interest from foreign investors, accounting for $11.3 billion, or 44.6 percent of the registered capital.

Real estate ranked second with $5.8 billion, or 23 percent, followed by retail with $2.1 billion, or 8.3 percent.

Japanese investors topped the list at $7 billion, or 28 percent of total FDI; South Korea and Singapore were next at 22.4 percent and 14.4 percent, respectively.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City continued to be the most attractive investment destinations at 22.9 percent and 16.6 percent respectively.

Vietnam's registered FDI hit a record high of $35.88 billion in 2017, up 44 percent from the previous year.