VIETNAM'S REGISTERED FDI JUMPS 58 PER CENT IN FIRST SEVEN MONTHS

Vietnam attracted $38.06 billion in registered foreign direct investment during the first seven months of 2026, up 58 per cent on-year, according to the National Statistics Office on August 3.

The figure includes newly registered capital, additional investment for existing projects, as well as capital contributions and share acquisitions.

Of these, newly registered FDI recorded particularly strong growth. Vietnam licensed 2,429 new projects with combined registered capital of $21.05 billion. While the number of newly licensed projects increased by 7.8 per cent from a year earlier, the value of newly registered capital more than doubled, reaching 2.1 times the level recorded in the same period of 2025.

Manufacturing and processing remained the largest recipient of new foreign investment, attracting $11.58 billion, equivalent to 55 per cent of total newly registered capital. The electricity, gas, and water production and distribution sector ranked second, drawing $3.13 billion, or 14.9 per cent of the total.

Among 69 countries and territories investing in new projects in Vietnam, Singapore remained the largest source of newly registered FDI with $7.50 billion, accounting for 35.6 per cent of the total. It was followed by South Korea with $5.61 billion, Hong Kong (China) with $2.91 billion, and mainland China with $1.73 billion.

Additional capital injections into existing projects also remained strong. A total of 666 projects increased their registered investment, adding $10.43 billion, up 4.4 per cent on-year.

Meanwhile, capital contributions and share acquisitions reached $6.58 billion across 1,815 transactions, representing a sharp 61.6 per cent increase from the same period last year. Most of this capital flowed into professional, scientific, and technological activities, which attracted $2.68 billion, followed by the wholesale and retail trade sector with $1.96 billion.

The National Statistics Office also highlighted that realised FDI reached an estimated $15.20 billion during the first seven months of the year, up 11.8 per cent on-year. This marks the highest level of FDI disbursement for the January-July period in the past five years. More than 82.6 per cent of the realised FDI, equivalent to $12.55 billion, was invested directly in manufacturing and processing facilities.

The latest figures underscore the rapid acceleration in Vietnam's investment inflows during 2026. At the end of January, newly registered and additional FDI totalled just over $2.36 billion, while realised FDI stood at around $1.48 billion. Six months later, investment momentum has strengthened significantly. Rather than remaining broadly flat, newly registered investment has risen steadily month after month, pushing total new commitments above $21 billion.

The trend suggests that international investor confidence in Vietnam continues to strengthen, particularly for large-scale projects in high technology, energy production, and advanced manufacturing.

Source: VIR