The GSO also reported that local investors increased investment capital in existing projects by US$31.2 million, down 92.3 percent against the same period last year.

Laos was the leading investment destinations of Vietnamese investors with US$64.3 million, accounting for 30.4 percent of the total outward investment volume.

The U.S. ranked second with US$ 34.5 million (16.3 percent), followed by Canada with US$ 34 million (16.1 percent), Singapore with US$ 29.9 million (14.1 percent), Indonesia with US$ 22.7 million (10.8 percent).

The Foreign Investment Agency said that Vietnamese investors invested in eight fields of which processing and manufacturing sector took the lead with US$ 96.75 million; followed by mining with US$ 33.5 million, finance and banking with US$ 30.5 million./.