Vietnam’s Overseas Investment Falls 54.5% in Nine Months

HANOI: Vietnam's overseas investment, including new and adjusted capital, witnessed a significant decline, totaling US$189.6 million, a 54.5% decrease compared to the same period last year, the Ministry of Planning and Investment's Foreign Investment Agency reported. According to Emirates News Agency, the period saw the issuance of new investment certificates for 105 projects with a combined worth of US$177.5 million, marking a 27.5% decline from the previous year. Furthermore, 20 projects underwent capital adjustments, which amounted to just US$12 million, a steep 93% fall from prior figures. Vietnamese investments were distributed among 15 different sectors, with the mining sector receiving the largest share of US$58.6 million or 30.9% of the total investments. The processing and manufacturing industry, along with wholesale, retail, and vehicle repair sectors, also received significant investments totaling US$34.7 million and US$30.9 million respectively. The investments in electricity, gas, hot water, and air conditioning production and distribution reached US$23.5 million. Geographically, Vietnam's capital was invested in 27 countries and territories. The Netherlands emerged as the top recipient with US$54.6 million, followed closely by Laos with US$43.5 million. Other notable destinations included the US, Cambodia, and the UK, attracting US$41.8 million, US$21.8 million, and US$20.4 million respectively. As of September this year, Vietnam had 1,772 valid overseas projects with a cumulative capital of nearly US$22.11 billion. The mining sector continued to hold the majority of this capital, accounting for 31.8%, followed by the agro-forestry-fishery sector at 15.3%. The ASEAN region remained a primary focus, with Laos and Cambodia being the top destinations, garnering 24.9% and 13.3% of total investments respectively. Conversely, foreign investment into Vietnam showed a positive trend, with over US$24.78 billion committed through new registrations, capital adjustments, and share acquisitions, representing a n 11.6% increase from the previous year. The disbursed foreign capital exceeded US$17.3 billion, marking an 8.9% growth year-on-year.