During the first four months of this year, Vietnam has attracted newly registered and additional FDI capital totalling 8.2 billion USD, a 17 percent increase over the same period last year.

Of the investment, the country licensed 341 FDI projects with total newly-registered capital of 4.9 billion USD and 121 others with total capital expansion of 3.34 billion USD, up 14.6 percent and 20.7 percent from the same period last year, respectively.

An estimated 3.75 billion USD from the FDI projects were disbursed during the reviewed period, a 3.9 percent increase, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The processing and manufacturing industry topped the list of 18 sectors that received foreign investment, followed by the property, wholesale and retail sectors.

Among the licences granted in the January-April period, authorities approved a plant to be built by the Samsung Electronics Vietnam Thai Nguyen to produce and assemble hi-tech electronic products with a total investment of 2 billion USD.

Authorities also granted a licence for capital expansion of 2.8 billion USD to Japan’s Nghi Son Oil Refinery Ltd. Co. project in Thanh Hoa province.

According to the ministry, among the 37 foreign investors that have committed capital to projects in Vietnam since the beginning of the year, Japan ranks first with newly-registered and additional capital of 3.6 billion USD, followed by Singapore with 2.3 billion USD and Russia with 1.1 billion USD.-VNA