Foreign direct investment disbursement in Vietnam reached a record $19.1 billion in 2018, a year-on-year increase of 9.1 percent. However, FDI pledges for new projects, capital supplements and stake acquisitions were down 1.2 percent from a year earlier to $35.46 billion, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.
A total of 3,046 new projects have been granted investment certificates since the beginning of the year, with a total registered capital of nearly $18 billion. Nearly 1,170 projects registered to increase their capital by a total of $7.5 billion. The rest of the registered capital was reported in a total of 6,500 instances of capital contribution and share purchases by foreign investors.
This year, foreign investors injected capital into 18 fields and sectors. The processing and manufacturing industry attracted the highest capital at $16.5 billion, followed by real estate with $6.6 billion, and wholesale and retail sectors with $3.6 billion.
Japan ranked first in FDI contributions to Vietnam this year, followed by South Korea and Singapore. Localities that attracted the most FDI were Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the northern city of Hai Phong.
Meanwhile, Vietnam invested nearly $380 million abroad this year, mainly in banking and finance, forestry, and fishing. Vietnamese investors injected capital into 38 different countries and territories, with the highest investment in Laos, followed by Australia, the U.S. and Cambodia.
