Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam recorded a year-on-yeardecrease of 15.1 percent in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to 15.67billion USD as of June 20, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment(MPI).
The value included 8.44 billion USD registered for1,418 new projects, over 3.7 billion USD added to 526 existing projects, and3.51 billion USD spent on contributing capital to or purchasing shares ofdomestic firms.
Among 18 sectors receiving foreign capital, the processing– manufacturing industry attracted the most – more than 8 billion USD or 51.1percent of the total. It was followed by electricity production anddistribution (3.95 billion USD, or 25.2 percent), wholesale – retail (1.08billion USD), and real estate (nearly 850 million USD).
Meanwhile, 98 countries and territories invested inVietnam during the period. The largest investors were Singapore (5.44 billionUSD, equivalent to 34.7 percent of the total), Thailand (1.58 billion USD, 10.1percent), and China (1.58 billion USD, 10.1 percent), followed by Japan, theRepublic of Korea, and Taiwan (China), statistics show.
Foreign investors channeled capital into 57 provincesand centrally-run cities, with Bac Lieu province the top destination (4 billionUSD, 25.5 percent of the total), followed by Ho Chi Minh City (over 2 billionUSD, 12.9 percent), Ba Ria – Vung Tau province (1.95 billion USD, 12.4 percent),Hanoi, Binh Duong province, and Hai Phong city.
This sector’s imports stood at 65.6 billion USD,representing 94.6 percent of the figure in the same period last year and 56percent of the country’s total imports in the first half of 2020.
FDI firms still posted a trade surplus of 14.2 billionUSD, including crude oil, and 13.4 billion USD, excluding crude oil, during theperiod. That helped make up for the deficit of nearly 10.2 billion USD in thedomestic sector, contributing to Vietnam’s trade surplus of over 4 billion USDduring the six months, the MPI noted./.