Vietnam’s Foreign Direct Investment Landscape: A Snapshot as of February 2026

As of February 28, 2026, the landscape of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam has seen notable developments. The National Statistics Office, under the Ministry of Finance, reported a total registered FDI capital of $6.03 billion. This figure represents a 12.6% decrease compared to the same period last year, highlighting a challenging climate for investment inflow.

Surge in New Projects

Amidst the overall dip in total registered capital, there’s a silver lining to report: newly registered FDI has increased. The figures show a total of $3.54 billion across 620 licensed projects, which is an impressive 20.2% uptick in the number of projects compared to the previous year. Furthermore, the registered capital for these new ventures surged by a striking 61.5%, indicating a robust interest from foreign investors in launching new initiatives within Vietnam’s borders.

Realized Foreign Investment: A Positive Trend

While total registered capital may have declined, the realized foreign direct investment, which refers to the capital that has been disbursed, paints a contrasting picture. For the first two months of 2026, realized FDI reached an estimated $3.21 billion, marking an 8.8% increase compared to the same period last year. This represents the highest amount of realized foreign investment recorded for the January-February period over the last five years, suggesting an encouraging trend in investor confidence and operational commitments.

Sectoral Breakdown of Realized FDI

Diving deeper into the realized FDI, the processing and manufacturing industry emerged as the leading sector, attracting $2.65 billion. This impressive figure accounts for 82.7% of the total disbursed capital, underscoring the crucial role of this industry in Vietnam’s economic framework. Following behind, the real estate sector garnered $223.5 million (7.0%), while the production and distribution of electricity, gas, hot water, steam, and air conditioning attracted $119.2 million (3.7%). These figures illustrate the diverse areas in which foreign investors are keen to engage within the Vietnamese economy.

Key Foreign Investors

In the realm of foreign investments, South Korea has taken the lead as the largest investor in Vietnam, injecting $1.34 billion—37.8% of the total newly registered capital. Following South Korea, Singapore contributed $1.1 billion or 31.1%, reaffirming its strategic interests in Vietnam. China also played a significant role, with investments amounting to $522.8 million (14.8%), while Japan’s investments totaled $171.0 million (4.8%). The diverse mix of countries investing in Vietnam reflects its growing importance as an attractive destination for global capital.

Vietnam’s Outward Investment Efforts

In addition to attracting foreign investment, Vietnam is also making strides in its outward investment initiatives. In the first two months of the year, 36 projects were granted new investment certificates, amounting to a total investment of $532.4 million—this figure is an impressive 2.3 times higher than that of the same period last year. Additionally, three projects saw capital adjustments, resulting in an increase of $7.8 million (a 1.5-fold increase), which highlights the growing ambitions of Vietnamese businesses on the global stage.

Focus on Key Recipient Countries

Vietnam’s outward investments have extended to 36 countries and territories during the first two months of the year. Laos emerged as the leading recipient, attracting $176.7 million—32.7% of Vietnam’s total investment capital abroad. This was closely followed by Kyrgyzstan, which received $149.9 million (27.8%), and Angola, with $30 million (5.6%). Such statistics illustrate Vietnam’s strategic focus on neighboring countries and emerging markets, further expanding its economic footprint.

As we look at these figures, they reflect a dynamic and evolving FDI landscape in Vietnam. While challenges exist, the inherent potential and attractiveness of the Vietnamese market continue to drive both inward and outward investment trends.