Vietnam Attracts 24.81 Billion Dollars in Foreign Direct Investment

The Government of Vietnam attracted 24.81 billion dollars in foreign direct investment during the first five months of 2026, a 34.9 percent increase year on year. According to the National Statistics Office, the country licensed 1,576 new projects with total registered capital of 14.84 billion dollars. Disbursed FDI capital reached 9.75 billion dollars, the highest level for this period in five years.

The manufacturing and processing sector dominated the inflows, capturing 8.06 billion dollars, or 82.7 percent of all disbursed FDI. This capital is increasingly shifting toward high-tech sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and advanced materials. Major investments include a 1.2 billion dollar Samsung Electro-Mechanics facility in Thai Nguyen and a 2.2 billion dollar LNG-fired power plant in Nghe An, both funded by the Republic of Korea, along with expansions by BYD Vietnam Electronics and Posco Future M.

Singapore served as the primary investor with 6.8 billion dollars, followed by South Korea with 4.22 billion dollars and China with 1.79 billion dollars. While the surge indicates a transition toward long-term innovation, economists recommend shifting from tax-based incentives to performance-linked support and increasing investment in research and development to enhance domestic capabilities and climb global value chains.