Foreign investors had poured US$1.51 billion into Vietnam as of January 20, a 4.1% increase over the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI).

The VSIP industrial zone in Hai Phong

Forty-seven new projects were granted investment registration certificates, a year-on-year decline of 81.8%, while the registered capital topped US$1.3 billion, down 70.3%.

Forty-six existing projects registered to add capital totalling US$472.2 million, up 41.4% year-on-year.

Meanwhile, capital contributions and shares purchases by foreign investors stood at US$220.8 million, down 58.7%.

Foreign investors pumped capital into 14 sectors in the period, with processing and manufacturing holding the lead at nearly US$1.54 billion, representing 76.4% of the total.

Real estate ranked second with nearly US$179 million, followed by transportation and warehousing and agro-forestry-fisheries with US$111.9 million and US$60.4 million, respectively.

Singapore topped the list of the 33 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with US$680.7 million, accounting for 33.8% of the total.

China was second with US$618 million, followed by Hong Kong (China) with US$221.3 million.