Việt Nam attracts over $12b in FDI in four months

As of April 20, Việt Nam attracted US$12.25 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI), equivalent to 99.3 per cent compared to the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Foreign Investment Agency (FIA).

The four-month figure shows the FDI inflow was slowing down, said the FIA.

However, the agency noted the average size of newly-licensed projects and those registering to adjust their capital increased by less than $7 million per project in comparison with the same period last year.

The four-month period saw FDI projects disburse $5.5 billion, up 6.8 per cent over the same period last year, thanks to the recovery of production and business operations.

Currently, Việt Nam has 33,463 valid foreign investment projects with total registered capital of $394.9 billion. These projects disbursed $238.36 billion, or 60.4 per cent of the total valid registered investment capital, FIA reported.

FDI inflows to the country expanded by 18.5 per cent to $10.13 billion in the first three months of this year, the FIA said.

Of the figure, newly-registered capital reached $7.2 billion, up 30.6 per cent year-on-year, while adjusted capital increased by 97.4 per cent to $2.1 billion.

Meanwhile, capital contributions and share purchases by foreign investors stood at more than $1 billion, down 57.8 per cent from the same period last year.

The capital inflows cover 17 sectors, in which processing and manufacturing took the lead with $5.2 billion, accounting for 42.4 per cent of the combined investment, followed by electricity generation and distribution with $5.1 billion. Property and retail sectors accounted for $778 million and $464 million, respectively.

Among 67 countries and regions with newly licensed investment projects in Việt Nam during the period, Singapore was the largest source of registered capital with $4.8 billion, accounting for 39.6 per cent of the total registered capital, followed by Japan with $2.5 billion, accounting for 20.5 per cent of the total registered capital and the Republic of Korea (RoK) with nearly $1.5 billion, accounting for 12.1 per cent of the total registered capital.

Foreign investors have invested in 53 provinces and cities nationwide, in which Long An Province took the lead with total registered investment capital of nearly $3.3 billion. Cần Thơ  and HCM City were second and third with over $1.3 billion and $1.1 billion, respectively.

Export turnover including crude oil is estimated at over $80.6 billion, up 38.7 per cent over the same period last year, accounting for 78 per cent of the country’s export turnover. The import turnover is estimated at over $66.2 billion or an increase of 32.8 per cent compared to the same period last year./.