A total 38.02 billion USD of foreign direct investment (FDI) was poured into Vietnam this year to December 20, a 10-year high, according to the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The amount, representing a 7.2 percent increase on a yearly basis, included newly registered capital, additional capital to existing projects, and share purchase by foreign investors.

Hong Kong (China) came close behind the RoK with 7.87 billion USD, ranking second among 125 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. The amount included 3.85 billion USD spent on shares of the Vietnam Beverage Ltd Co in Hanoi.

Third was Singapore with 4.5 billion USD, followed by Japan and China. It is noteworthy that investment from China showed a rising trend, with a 1.65-times increase.

Hanoi absorbed the largest share of the FDI flow with 8.45 billion USD or 22.2 percent of the total figure. It was followed by Ho Chi Minh City with 8.3 billion USD.

The disbursement of FDI capital also reached a record of 20.38 billion USD.VNA

FDI firms face difficulties in listing

There are currently only 10 FDI enterprises listed on local exchanges compared to the tens of thousands of FDI firms operating in Viet Nam.

Bright prospects for FDI in Vietnamese property market

Vietnam has been extremely successful at attracting high-quality FDI, with this investment primarily going into manufacturing and real estate projects, according to Neil MacGregor, managing director of Savills Vietnam.