Vietnam’s Foreign Direct Investment Overview for 2024

In 2024, Vietnam witnessed foreign direct investment (FDI) amounting to $38.23 billion, according to the General Statistics Office.

This figure represents a slight drop of 3% from the previous year; however, the actual FDI realized was remarkable at over $25.35 billion, signaling strong confidence from investors in Vietnam’s economic landscape.

The year recorded a total of 3,375 newly licensed projects with a cumulative registered capital of $19.73 billion, showing a 1.8% rise in the number of projects but a 7.6% decrease in total registered investment.

The manufacturing and processing sector remained the leader in attracting FDI, securing $13.44 billion, which comprised 68.1% of the new registrations. Following this, real estate attracted $3.72 billion, equating to 18.8%, while other sectors brought in $2.57 billion, or 13.1% of the total.

Among the 80 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, Singapore emerged as the top investor with $6.26 billion, representing 31.7% of the total new capital. South Korea and China followed with investments of $2.89 billion (14.6%) and $2.84 billion (14.4%) respectively, while Hong Kong contributed $2.17 billion (11.0%).

Additionally, 1,539 projects received additional investments totaling $13.96 billion, marking a notable 50.4% increase from last year.

When summing new registrations and adjustments from prior years, the manufacturing and processing sector continued to lead, attracting $24.68 billion (73.3%) of the total. In contrast, real estate was able to secure $5.09 billion (15.1%), while other sectors accounted for $3.91 billion (11.6%).

In terms of capital contributions and share acquisitions by foreign investors, there were transactions worth $4.54 billion across 3,502 operations, reflecting a 48.1% decrease compared to 2023.

Of this capital, real estate amounted to $1.22 billion (26.8%), while the manufacturing and processing sector garnered $896.6 million (19.8%), with other sectors summing up to $2.42 billion (53.4%).

Realized FDI, an important measure of investment activity, reached a peak of $25.35 billion, a 9.4% increase from the previous year.

The manufacturing and processing sector accounted for the majority with $20.62 billion (81.4%), while real estate activities contributed $1.84 billion (7.2%), and utility services added another $1.07 billion (4.2%).

Nguyen Thi Huong, General Director of the General Statistics Office, noted that this record level of realized FDI showcases the confidence foreign investors have in Vietnam’s economic potential and its growing role in economic development.

Moreover, Vietnam’s outbound investments also surged in 2024, with 164 new projects receiving approval, totaling $603.7 million, which is more than twice the amount from the prior year.

In addition, 26 projects saw adjustments in their capital, totaling $61.1 million—a decline of 55.8%. Overall, Vietnam’s total outward investment reached $664.8 million, marking an increase of 57.7% compared to 2023.