Increasing FDI shows trust of investors

Foreign direct investment (FDI) decreased in the first few months of 2015, because the investment certificates of large projects were not approved. However, according to statistics from the Ministry of Planning and Investment, FDI in the first 9 months of this year increased by over 50% compared to the same period last year. This proves the trust that foreign investors have in Vietnam’s business environment.

FDI in the first 9 months of this year increased by over 50% compared to the same period last year.

Recently, Samsung Display Vietnam has invested in a 3-billion-USD project in Bắc Ninh province. Duyên Hải Hydro power plant 2 in Trà Vinh province, with total investment capital of 2.4 billion USD by a Malaysian investor, was also recently licensed. Other investors are pouring millions of USD into Vietnam.

In the first 9 months of this year, total registered FDI into Vietnam was over 17 billion USD, an increase of 53% compared to the same period last year, with a disbursement amount of 10 billion USD. This figure proves the attractiveness of the Vietnamese market in the eyes of foreign investors.

"In the last 9 months, it’s good news that FDI has increased. Both the amount of capital and the number of registered enterprises has increased. It shows that FDI companies are stable and can develop well, and the business environment in Vietnam has improved." - Phan Huu Thang, Former Director, Foreign Investment Agency, Ministry of Planning and Investment.

"Manufacturing has still been at the top, attracting FDI among 17 sectors, followed by real estate, retail, and wholesale. This year, potential investors such as Hong Kong and Turkey decided to invest in Vietnam." - Kevin Snowball, CEO, PXP Vietnam Asset Management.

"According to economists, besides an improved business environment and a stable macro economy, economic agreements that Vietnam will sign with economic organisations in the region and the world also make Vietnam more attractive to investors." - Sebastian Eckardt, Senior economist, World Bank.

"FDI enterprises have become an important part of Vietnam’s economy with their contributions. However, according to experts, increasing FDI also poses challenges to Vietnam in terms of mechanism reform, technology innovation, competitiveness and human resource improvement." - Adam Sitkoff, CEO, American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi.