A report of the Foreign Investment Agency (Ministry of Planning and Investment) shows that in the first nine months of this year, Vietnam received $25.37 billion of foreign direct investment (FDI) in new projects, increased capital and stake acquisitions. This is equal to 99,6 per cent of total amount of the same period last year.
There are 2,182 fresh FDI projects with a total registered capital of $14.1 billion licensed which equal to 97 per cent year over year. Vietnam saw 841 operational FDI projects increasing their capital by $5.5 billion, equal to 82,1 per cent against the same period last year.
In first nine months of 2018, foreign investors spent nearly $5.7 billion contributing capital or buying shares of Vietnamese firms, increasing 36.8 per cent year over year.
Export value of FDI companies including crude oil reached $127 billion, up 14.6 per cent and accounted for 71.4 per cent of Vietnam exports. If crude oil is not taken into account, FDI reaped $126 billion from exporting, posting a year-on-year increase of 15.4 per cent and it accounted for 70.5 per cent.
Imports of FDI reached $104 billion, up 11.9 per cent and accounted for 60 per cent of import turnover. After three quarters of 2018, FDI produced a trade surplus of $23.6 billion including crude oil and $21.9 billion excluding crude oil.
Among 18 investment sectors, foreign investors spent most money in processing and manufacturing followed by real estate trading, wholesales and retails.
There were 104 countries and territories having investment projects in Vietnam after nine months. Japan ranked first with the total investment capital of $7 billion, making up 27.6 per cent of the total, tailed by South Korea (22.4 per cent) and Singapore (14.4 per cent).
Hanoi got the biggest amount of FDI, followed by Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria – Vung Tau province.
