Hanoi (VNA) – Total registered foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam reached 15.2 billion USD in the first quarter of 2026, up 42.9% year-on-year, according to the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance.
Of the total, 904 newly licensed projects registered combined capital of 10.23 billion USD, marking a 6.4% increase in the project number and a 2.4-fold rise in capital compared to the same period last year.
The manufacturing and processing sector continued to attract the lion’s share of new FDI, drawing 7.07 billion USD, equivalent to 69% of the newly registered capital. It was followed by electricity, gas, water and air conditioner production and distribution, which secured 2.28 billion USD, accounting for 22.3%. The remaining sectors posted 884.6 million USD, or 8.7%.
Notably, the disbursed FDI in the January–March period was estimated at 5.41 billion USD, up 9.1% year-on-year and the highest first-quarter figure recorded over the past five years.
Manufacturing and processing also dominated the disbursed capital, with 4.48 billion USD, representing 82.8% of the total. Real estate saw 389.5 million USD disbursed (7.2%) while electricity, gas, hot water, steam, and air conditioner production and distribution 196.1 million USD (3.6%).
Among the 52 countries and territories with newly licensed projects, Singapore remained the largest investor with 5.32 billion USD, making up 52% of total new capital. It was followed by the Republic of Korea with 3.68 billion USD (35.9%), China with 417.5 million USD (4.1%), Hong Kong (China) with 256.8 million USD (2.5%), Japan with 191.3 million USD (1.9%), and the US with 91.3 million USD (0.9%).
Meanwhile, 251 existing projects registered additional capital of 2.3 billion USD, down 55.1% year-on-year.
Combining both newly registered and additional capital, the manufacturing and processing sector attracted 8.85 billion USD, accounting for 70.6% of the total. Electricity, gas, water, and air conditioner production and distribution followed with 2.28 billion USD (18.2%), while other sectors drew 1.4 billion USD (11.2%).
Foreign investors also contributed capital to and purchased shares of local companies through 703 transactions worth 2.66 billion USD, up 2.3 times year-on-year. Of these, 158 transactions increased charter capital while 545 involved share acquisitions without capital expansion.
Via foreign investors' capital contributions and share purchases, investment in wholesale and retail trade, and repair of automobiles, motorcycles, and scooters reached 1.85 billion USD, accounting for 69.6% of the total capital contribution. That in manufacturing and processing stood at 389.2 million USD, accounting for 14.6%; and other sectors 421.1 million USD, or 15.8%, according to the NSO./.
