FDI Floods Into Vietnam, Surpassing $40 Billion in First Eight Months; South Korea Ranks Second After Singapore

【Hanoi, Vietnam—Correspondent Kim Jun-seok】Cumulative registered foreign direct investment (FDI) flowing into Vietnam through August this year surged by more than 55% from the same period last year, exceeding $40 billion. Actual disbursements also reached their highest level for the same period in the past five years, indicating a solid investment-attraction trend.
According to local media on the 4th, the Statistics Department of the Ministry of Finance of Vietnam said in its socioeconomic trends report for August 2026, released the previous day, that cumulative FDI registrations from January through August totaled $40.63 billion, up 55.4% from the same period last year.
Investment registered for newly licensed projects totaled $21.72 billion across 2,771 projects. Although the number of new projects rose only 9.4% year on year, the investment amount jumped 96.8%, indicating a substantial increase in the average investment per project.
By industry, processing and manufacturing accounted for $12.15 billion, or 55.9% of newly registered capital. It was followed by electricity, gas, water and air-conditioning supply, at $3.13 billion, or 14.4%.
By source country, Singapore maintained its top position with $7.62 billion, accounting for 35.1% of newly registered capital. South Korea followed with $5.67 billion, or 26.1%, followed by Hong Kong with $2.96 billion, China with $1.93 billion and Japan with $1.42 billion.
Additional investment in existing projects also remained strong. Through August, additional investments totaling $12.21 billion had been approved for 819 existing projects, up 14.7% from the same period last year. By sector, processing and manufacturing accounted for $20.18 billion, or 59.5% of the total, while real estate accounted for $5.32 billion, or 15.7%.
Foreign investors’ share acquisitions and capital contributions totaled $6.7 billion across 2,062 transactions, up 50.1% from the same period last year. By sector, investment in professional and scientific activities amounted to $2.74 billion, accounting for 40.9% of total share acquisitions and capital contributions.
In particular, actual FDI disbursements at project sites through August were estimated at $17.25 billion, up 12% from the same period last year and the highest figure for the same period in the past five years.
By disbursement amount, processing and manufacturing maintained overwhelming dominance at $14.24 billion, accounting for 82.6% of the total. Real estate, at $1.29 billion, and energy, at $622.9 million, followed.
[email protected] Kim Jun-seok Reporter