Vietnam’s FDI surges 55% to $40.63b in first eight months

Vietnam attracted $40.63 billion in registered foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first eight months of 2026, up 55.4% year-on-year, according to data from the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance.

The figure includes $21.72 billion in capital from 2,771 newly licensed projects, reports VietnamPlus.

While the number of new projects increased by just 9.4%, their registered capital surged 96.8%, indicating a sharp increase in average project size and stronger investment commitments from the outset.

The processing and manufacturing sector remained the largest recipient of newly registered FDI, attracting $12.15 billion, or 55.9% of the total. Electricity, gas, water and air-conditioning production and distribution ranked second with $3.13 billion, accounting for 14.4%.

Among investors from 73 countries and territories with newly licensed projects, Singapore led with $7.62 billion, or 35.1% of new registered capital, followed by South Korea with $5.67 billion, or 26.1%.

Hong Kong, mainland China and Japan ranked next, with $2.96 billion, $1.93 billion and $1.42 billion, respectively.

Meanwhile, 819 existing projects increased their investment capital by a combined $12.21 billion, up 14.7% year-on-year.

Including both new and additional capital, the processing and manufacturing sector attracted $20.18 billion, accounting for 59.5% of total registered FDI. Real estate ranked second with $5.32 billion, or 15.7%.

M&A shifts towards technology, consumer sectors

During the January-August period, foreign investors completed 2,062 capital contribution and share purchase transactions worth $6.7 billion, up 50.1% year-on-year.

Of this amount, $4.15 billion was spent acquiring existing shares without increasing companies' charter capital, while $2.55 billion went towards increasing charter capital.

FDI through mergers and acquisitions is also shifting away from real estate towards knowledge-intensive sectors and Vietnam's domestic consumer market, according to VietnamPlus.

Professional, scientific and technological activities attracted $2.74 billion, or 40.9% of M&A-related investment, while wholesale and retail, along with motor vehicle repair, received $2.01 billion, or 30%.

FDI disbursement reaches five-year high

FDI disbursement was estimated at $17.25 billion in the first eight months, up 12% from a year earlier and the highest figure recorded for the January-August period in the past five years.

The processing and manufacturing sector accounted for $14.24 billion, or 82.6%, of total disbursed FDI.

Real estate ranked second with $1.29 billion, or 7.5%, followed by energy with $622.9 million, or 3.6%.

Vietnamese investment abroad rises sharply

Vietnamese investment abroad, including newly registered and additional capital, reached $2.62 billion during the period, 4.7 times higher than a year earlier.

The amount comprised $1.21 billion invested in 113 new projects and $1.41 billion in 29 existing projects, representing increases of 2.8 times and 10.9 times, respectively.

Transport and warehousing attracted the largest share of Vietnamese overseas investment at $601.7 million, or 23%, followed by the energy sector with $585.8 million.

Laos was the largest recipient of Vietnamese investment, attracting $667.5 million, followed by Cambodia with $486.5 million.

India and Indonesia also emerged as major destinations, receiving $323.9 million and $313.6 million, respectively, reflecting the expanding overseas footprint of Vietnamese businesses, according to the statistics office.