Vietnam’s inbound and outbound foreign investment picture

Foreign direct investment capital in the first eleven months decreased by 6.8 per cent on-year

According to statistics published by the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Foreign Investment Agency (FIA), as of November 20, 2018, the country granted investment certificates to 2,714 new projects with the total registered capital of $15.78 billion, equalling 79.7 per cent on-year.

Additionally, 954 projects adjusted capital with a total of $7.4 billion, 92.6 per cent of the same period in 2017. Also in the first eleven months of 2018, there were 5,882 instances of capital contribution and share purchase by foreign investors with the total value reaching $7.6 billion, up 44.4 per cent on-year.

In the first eleven months of 2018, total newly and additionally registered capital and capital contributed and shares purchased by foreign investors was $30.8 billion, equalling 93.2 per cent of the figure in 2017.

18 fields were invested by foreign investors, in which the processing and manufacturing sector attracted a great deal of attention from foreign investors with the total capital of $14.2 billion, accounting for 46.2 per cent of the total registered investment capital.

Real estate business ranked second with the total investment capital of $6.5 billion, accounting for 21.3 per cent of the total registered investment capital. The wholesale and retail field ranked third with the total registered investment capital of $3.1 billion, capturing 10 per cent of the total.

During the period, 108 countries and territories had investment projects in Vietnam. Japan ranked first with the total investment capital of nearly $8 billion, making up 25.9 per cent of the total. The runners-up are South Korea ($6.8 billion) and Singapore ($4.1 billion).

Besides, 59 provinces and cities received investment from foreign investors, with Hanoi attracting the most ($6.3 billion), capturing 20.4 per cent of the total investment. Ho Chi Minh City ranked second with a total registered capital of $5.6 billion, accounting for 18.1 per cent. Haiphong ranked third with $2.49 billion, accounting for 8 per cent.

Regarding Vietnam’s investments abroad, in the first eleven months of 2018, the country reported 125 projects that were newly granted investment registration certifications abroad with a total investment capital of $303.5 million.

30 projects adjusted capital by injecting a total $54 million. Generally, in the first eleven months of 2018, the total newly and additionally registered investment capital by Vietnamese firms abroad was $357.5 million.

The banking and finance sector ranked first in Vietnam’s foreign investment palette, with the total newly and additionally registered capital of $105.7 million, accounting for 29.5 per cent of the total, while agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ranked second with $68.4 million (19.1 per cent). The processing and manufacturing industries ranked third with $50.9 million (14.2 per cent).

In the first eleven months of 2018, 35 countries and territories received investment from Vietnam, led by Laos with $97.6 million, accounting for 27.3 per cent of the total outbound investment capital. Australia ranked second with $52.7 million (14.7 per cent). With a $35.9 million project from Vietnam, Slovakia ranked third, capturing 10 per cent of the total investment capital, followed by Cambodia, Cuba, and Myanmar.