HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam lured US$1.69 billion worth of foreign investment in the first month of 2023, down 19.8 per cent year-on-year, according to the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.
One bright spot in January was that 153 new foreign-invested projects, valued at $1.2 billion, were granted licenses, up 48.5 per cent in number and 3.1 times in value, which was a signal to confirm the confidence of foreign investors in the investment environment of Việt Nam, the FIA said.
During the month, capital added in operating projects by foreign investors saw a yearly decline of 76 per cent to $306.3 million while their capital contributions and share purchases also declined 61 per cent year-on-year to over $174 million.
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At the same time, disbursed capital also witnessed a decline of 16.3 per cent to an estimated $1.35 billion in the first month, the FIA said, adding that the processing and manufacturing industry saw $1.05 billion worth of foreign investment disbursed, making up 77.6 per cent of the total.
Since January saw two long holidays – New Year and Lunar New Year, the decrease recorded in registered foreign investment capital, or even disbursement, had not yet reflected the general trend of foreign investment capital flows to Việt Nam in 2023, according to the agency.
Projects related to wholesale, retail, and repair of automobiles and motorised vehicles accounted for the lion’s share of the total registered sum, at 54.1 per cent or $651.9 million. They were followed by those in the processing and manufacturing industry, which together registered $351.2 million in capital or equivalent to 29.1 per cent and those in other sectors at $202 million or 16.8 per cent.
Also in January, 28 foreign countries and territories invested in Việt Nam. Singapore was the largest with $767.6 million, followed by China with $198.2 million.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese investors poured $126.7 million into their projects overseas, increasing by 3.4 times against the same month in 2022.
Among three countries and territories receiving investment from Việt Nam, South Korea was the leading country with $125.1 million, accounting for 98.7 per cent of total investment capital; followed by Thailand ($1.5 million or 1.2 per cent); and Laos ($140,000 or 0.1 per cent).
Source: Vietnam News
