Vietnam's FDI disbursement hits five-year high in H1

Vietnam's implemented foreign direct investment (FDI) rose 11.2% from a year earlier to $13.03 billion in the first half of 2026, the highest level for the period in five years.

The manufacturing and processing sector attracted $10.76 billion in implemented FDI, accounting for 82.6% of the total, followed by real estate with $965.2 million, or 7.4%, according to the National Statistics Office.

Registered FDI reached $34.65 billion in the six-month period, up 61% year-on-year. The NSO defines registered FDI as newly registered capital, additional capital injected into existing projects and capital contributed through stake acquisitions.

Newly registered capital hit $17.39 billion, up 87.2% from a year earlier, across 2,013 projects. The manufacturing and processing sector remained the largest recipient, attracting $10.76 billion, or 61.9% of the total.

Among 63 countries and territories with newly licensed projects in Vietnam in the six months, Singapore ranked first with $7.32 billion, accounting for 42% of the total, followed by South Korea with $5.45 billion (31.4%), Japan with $1.2 billion (6.9%), mainland China with $977 million (5.6%), Hong Kong with $665.6 million (3.8%), and the Netherlands (2.4%).

About $11.04 billion (up 23.5% year-on-year) was additional capital for 541 operating projects. Malaysia stood out with an increase of nearly $2.9 billion, followed by Japan with over $1 billion, Singapore with $747 million, Hong Kong with $226 million, and Taiwan with $175 million.

Foreign investors also made capital contributions/share purchases worth $6.22 billion during Jan-June, up 89.5% from a year earlier.

Among the largest FDI projects approved in the first half of the year was the Can Gio international transshipment port project, with registered investment of more than VND128.87 trillion ($4.98 billion).

In April, Ho Chi Minh City authorities approved a consortium comprising Vietnam Maritime Corporation (VIMC), Saigon Port and Terminal Investment Limited Holding S.A. as the project's investor.

Another was the 1,500-megawatt Quynh Lap LNG-to-power project in the central province of Nghe An, with registered investment of more than VND59.37 trillion ($2.29 billion).

Nghe An authorities in February selected a consortium led by PV Power, alongside Nghe An Sugar Co., Ltd and South Korea’s SK Innovation Co., Ltd., as the investor. The investment registration certificate was officially handed over to the investors at the Vietnam-South Korea Economic Forum in April.

Meanwhile, Lotte Group has nearly tripled the planned investment for its long-delayed Lotte Eco Smart City project in Ho Chi Minh City to around VND60 trillion ($2.28 billion) and signed a cooperation agreement with Phat Dat Real Estate Development Corp. (HoSE: PDR) to jointly develop parts of the project. The additional investment capital was about $1.18 billion.

LG Innotek, the electronic components arm of LG, on June 4 signed an MoU with Hai Phong authorities, under which the company will expand its semiconductor substrate manufacturing facility in the northern port city, reinforcing Vietnam’s role in the company’s strategic “dual-hub” manufacturing model for its package solutions business. The expansion will be carried out through LG Innotek’s Vietnamese manufacturing subsidiary.

Construction is scheduled to begin in July 2026 and be completed by May 2027. The new facility will cover approximately 330,000 square meters, equivalent to around 45 football fields.

Another tech giant, Intel, continues to strengthen the role of its chip assembly and testing plant in Ho Chi Minh City. The corporation recently stated that its total committed investment in Vietnam had reached $4.1 billion, whereas the previously confirmed official investment figure was $1.5 billion.