This poses challenges on attracting FDI.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, in the first eight months of this year, Vietnam pulled in total registered FDI capital of nearly 23 billion USD, a 7 percent drop against the same time last year.

During the period, FDI projects were mainly small-scale with each worth some 3.7 million USD. The ministry said, nevertheless, these are not big worries as the disbursed capital increased 6.3 percent to nearly 12 billion USD.

Experts said in addition to attracting projects, Vietnam should improve investment climate so it can remain an interesting destination for investors, especially given a fiercer competition in the region.-VNA