Vietnam’s FDI disbursement hits 5-year high in Q1

Vietnam received $5.41 billion in implemented FDI capital for Q1/2026, up 9.1% year-on-year and marking the highest level for the quarter in five years.

The manufacturing and processing sector recorded $4.48 billion, accounting for 82.8% of the total, followed by real estate with $389.5 million (7.2%), according to the General Statistics Office (GSO), under the Ministry of Finance.

Vietnam reported $27.62 billion in implemented FDI capital for 2025, up 9% year-on-year and marking the highest level in five years.

Registered FDI capital reached $15.2 billion in the three-month period, up 42.9% from a year earlier. The figure had plunged by 40.6% year-on-year in January and dropped 12.6% in February, before a surge in March.

At the GSO's calculations, registered capital comprises capital for newly-registered projects, additional capital for existing projects, and capital for stake acquisitions.

Of the $15.2 billion in registered FDI capital in Q1, $10.23 billion was newly-registered for 904 new projects, a 2.4-fold increase in capital and a 6.4% rise in number of projects, respectively.

The manufacturing and processing sector remained the top recipient of newly-registered capital, recording $7.07 billion, or 69% of the total.

Among 52 countries and territories with newly licensed projects in Vietnam in the three months, Singapore recorded $4.22 billion in newly registered capital in March alone, bringing its total to $5.32 billion for Q1, accounting for 52% of the total and thus becoming the largest investor.

Despite of registering to invest up to $2.34 billion in March alone, South Korea ranked second in Q1 with $3.68 billion, accounting for 35.9%, followed by mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, and the United States.

Of the $15.2 billion in registered FDI capital in Q1, about $2.3 billion (down 55.1% year-on-year) was additional capital for 251 operating projects.

Foreign investors also made 703 capital contributions/share purchases worth $2.66 billion during Jan-March, a 2.3-fold rise in value from a year earlier.

For this investment type, capital invested in wholesale and retail activities, and repair of automobiles, motorcycles, and scooters reached $1.85 billion, making for 69.6% of the total, while the processing and manufacturing sector recorded $389.2 million, or 14.6%.