FDI inflows reach $38.42 billion in 2025

FDI inflows reach $38.42 billion in 2025

Along with high registered foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2025, disbursement also reported a peak of $27.62 billion, up 9 per cent on-year.

According to the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Finance, as of December 31, total registered FDI had reached $38.42 billion, up 0.5 per cent on-year.

While registered capital saw only a modest increase, disbursed capital hit a record high at $27.62 billion, up 9 per cent from the previous year. This was the highest level of realised FDI in the past five years. Disbursed FDI stood at $25.35 billion last year, $23.18 billion in 2023, $22.4 billion in 2022, and $19.74 billion in 2021.

Of the $27.62 billion, the manufacturing and processing sector accounted for $22.88 billion, or 82.8 per cent of total realised FDI; real estate activities reached $1.93 billion, or 7 per cent; and electricity, gas, hot water, steam, and air conditioning supply totaled $914.9 million, or 3.3 per cent.

Manufacturing and processing also attracted the largest amount of newly registered FDI.

Of the total registered foreign investment of $38.42 billion in 2025, newly registered capital amounted to $17.32 billion from 4,054 projects, down 12.2 per cent in value but up 20.1 per cent in the number of projects compared with the previous year.

Among these, manufacturing and processing received the largest volume of newly licensed FDI, with registered capital of $9.8 billion, accounting for 56.5 per cent; real estate activities attracted $3.67 billion, or 21.2 per cent; while other sectors received $3.85 billion, or 22.2 per cent.

In addition, in 2025 there were 1,404 instances of projects registering capital adjustments, with total additional capital of $14.07 billion, up 0.8 per cent on-year.

Taking into account both newly registered capital and additional capital for previously licensed projects, registered FDI in manufacturing and processing reached $18.59 billion, accounting for 59.2 per cent of total newly registered and additional capital; real estate activities amounted to $6.26 billion, or 19.9 per cent; and other sectors reached $6.54 billion, or 20.9 per cent.

Meanwhile, FDI through capital contributions and share purchases totalled $7.03 billion, up 54.8 per cent from the previous year. This included 1,305 transactions involving capital contributions or share purchases that increased enterprises' charter capital, with a total value of $2.55 billion, and 2,282 transactions in which foreign investors acquired domestic shares without charter capital, valued at $4.48 billion.

In terms of capital contributions and share purchases by foreign investors, investment in manufacturing and processing reached $2.43 billion, accounting for 34.6 per cent of the total value; professional, scientific, and technological activities reached $1.29 billion, or 18.3 per cent; while other sectors accounted for $3.31 billion, or 47.1 per cent.

In 2025, among the 90 countries and territories with newly licensed projects in Vietnam, Singapore was the largest investor, with $4.84 billion, accounting for 27.9 per cent of total newly registered capital. It was followed by China with $3.64 billion (21 per cent); Hong Kong with $1.73 billion (10 per cent); Japan with $1.62 billion (9.4 per cent); Sweden with $1 billion (5.8 per cent); Taiwan with $965.8 million (5.6 per cent); and South Korea with $895.9 million (5.2 per cent).

VIR