Foreign direct investment pledged for Ho Chi Minh City in t he first quarter of the year surged by 109 percent year on year, according to the city's Department of Planning and Investment.

This shows foreign investors have regained their confidence in the local economy, which made positive result in stabilising the macroeconomic situation.

Regarding new investment, some 78 FDI projects with a total investment of about 160 million USD were licensed during the first quarter.

Specifically, the municipal People's Committee in late March gave the green light to Sanofi Vietnam Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Sanofi Aventis Group, to set up its third plant worth 75 million USD in the city's Hi-Tech Park in district 9.

In addition, 26 operational FDI projects in the city were approved of adding 175.3 million USD more capital for their expansion.

HCM City ’s EPZs and IZs in the first quarter of 2013 lured a total 144.5 million USD worth of new investment, up by 21.4 percent over the same period last year, according to HCMC Export Processing Zone and Industrial Zone Authority (HEPZA).

The new investment included 122.65 million USD and 21.83 million USD worth of FDI and local investment, a 57.35 percent year-on-year rise but a 57.35 percent year-on-year drop, respectively.

The city’s trade authorities, including the HCM City Trade and Investment Promotion Center, the Department of Planning and Investment, and the IP and EPZ Infrastructure Development Co, will jointly launch fresh investment promotion campaigns in Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, the US and Canada this year to attract more FDI to local IPs.-VNA