According to the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, some 2,714 new FDI projects were granted investment licences with total registered capital of USD 15.78 billion in the period, while more than 1,050 existing projects adjusted their investment capital with a total additional sum of USD 7.4 billion, equivalent to 79.7 percent and 92.6 percent of the total in same period last year, respectively.
Notably, foreign capital poured into buying stakes in Vietnam rose by 44.4 percent to USD 7.6 billion in total.
The National Financial Supervisory Committee said the foreign capital inflow through mergers and acquisitions (M&A) was becoming more common in Vietnam because the time taken to complete investment procedures is being cut.
Foreign investors poured most into the manufacturing and processing sector out of 18 industries which saw foreign investment in the period, with a total sum of USD 14.2 billion, or 46.2 percent of the registered capital, followed by real estate with USD 6.5 billion and then the wholesale and retail industry with USD 3.1 billion.
Among 108 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, statistics showed that Japan was the largest foreign investor in the 11-month period, pouring in nearly USD 8 billion, followed by the Republic of Korea with USD 6.8 billion and Singapore with USD 4.1 billion.
Hanoi was the top destination for FDI flow which attracted USD 6.3 billion in registered capital. HCM City ranked second with registered capital of USD 5.6 billion, then Hai Phong with USD 2.49 billion in registered capital.
Despite the fall in registered FDI in the period, the disbursement posted a year-on-year increase of 3.1 percent to USD 16.5 billion.
So far, there were more than 27,000 existing FDI projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of USD 337.8 billion, more than USD 188 billion of which was disbursed.
The Republic of Korea was the largest investor in Vietnam with total registered capital of USD 62.2 billion so far and Japan came second with total registered capital of USD 56.4 billion.
After about three decades of attracting FDI, Vietnam was now more selective, targeting to attract quality capital flow into technology-rich and environmentally-friendly industries and boost the development of local companies through setting up value chains.
Source: VNA