Viet Nam is proactively making detailed preparations to welcome the new investment wave. (Photo: NDO)

Alongside the introduction of new mechanisms and policies to encourage investors in key sectors, Viet Nam is simultaneously implementing a range of measures, including the development of land funds and industrial park infrastructure, human resources and the labour market, energy infrastructure, as well as supporting industries.

In recent years, Viet Nam has attracted large volumes of capital through both the capital market and foreign direct investment, making significant contributions to economic growth.

The year 2024 marked a successful year for the economy and capital market, with a total capital mobilisation of nearly 930 trillion VND, 1.3 times higher than in 2023, equivalent to 25% of total social investment. In 2024, the capitalisation of the stock market reached 62.5% of GDP, while bond market outstanding debt reached 31.5% of GDP. Foreign investors opened nearly 48,000 trading accounts, with total transaction value reaching nearly 1.1 quadrillion VND. Foreign institutional investors accounted for 20.7% of all institutional investors in the market.

Alongside the growth of indirect investment capital, total foreign direct investment implemented in 2024 recorded the highest increase ever. These impressive results contributed positively to economic growth, with GDP in 2024 reaching 7.09%, bringing Viet Nam’s economic scale to 476.3 billion USD, ranking 33rd globally.

Despite these positive outcomes, the total asset value of securities investment funds remains modest compared to potential, accounting for only 6.5% of GDP, while the figure is 21% in Thailand and 52% in Malaysia.

Direct investment activities still face obstacles relating to administrative procedures, taxation, customs, and foreign exchange.

According to the General Statistics Office and the Ministry of Finance, foreign direct investment (FDI) is considered a bright spot in Viet Nam’s economic performance during the first quarter of 2025.

Specifically, total registered FDI in Viet Nam in the first quarter of 2025 reached 10.98 billion USD, an increase of 34.7% compared to the same period in 2024. Of this, 850 new FDI projects were licensed, with registered capital totalling 4.33 billion USD, up 11.5% in project number but down 31.5% in registered capital compared to the same period in 2024.

Of these, the processing and manufacturing industry attracted the most new FDI projects, with registered capital reaching 2.62 billion USD, accounting for 60.5% of total newly registered capital; the real estate business ranked second with 1.13 billion USD, accounting for 26.1%; the remaining sectors reached 581.5 million USD, or 13.4%.

Among the 53 countries and territories with newly licensed investment projects in Viet Nam in the first three months of 2025, Singapore was the largest investor with 1.32 billion USD, followed by China with 1.23 billion USD, Japan with 341.8 million USD, and Hong Kong (China) with 310.2 million USD.

In the first quarter of 2025, Viet Nam also recorded 401 instances of previously licensed projects registering capital adjustments, with additional registered FDI reaching 5.16 billion USD, five times higher than the same period in 2024.

Taking into account both newly registered and adjusted capital of previously licensed projects, registered FDI in the processing and manufacturing industry totalled 6.3 billion USD, accounting for 66.5% of newly registered and additional capital.

In the first quarter of 2025, the real estate business attracted a total of 2.24 billion USD in newly registered and additional FDI, accounting for 23.6% of total FDI investment in Viet Nam. Other sectors accounted for 943 million USD, or 9.9%.

Also in the first quarter of 2025, there were 810 instances of foreign investors registering to contribute capital or purchase shares in Vietnamese enterprises, with total capital contribution value reaching 1.49 billion USD, an increase of 83.7% compared to the same period in 2024.

Notably, in terms of capital contribution and share purchase by foreign investors, the processing and manufacturing industry remained dominant with 487.6 million USD, accounting for 32.7% of total capital contributions; professional, scientific and technological activities reached 337.2 million USD, or 22.7%; the remaining sectors accounted for 664.8 million USD, or 44.6%.

In addition to the positive developments in registered FDI inflows, according to the General Statistics Office, realised FDI in the first quarter of 2025 also saw a strong breakthrough. Specifically, FDI implemented in Viet Nam in the first quarter of 2025 was estimated at 4.96 billion USD, an increase of 7.2% over the same period in 2024. This is the highest realised FDI in the first three months of a year in the past five years. Of this, the processing and manufacturing industry accounted for 4.05 billion USD, or 81.7% of total realised FDI.

According to the Ministry of Finance, to remove bottlenecks and unleash all development resources, alongside efforts from the Party and Government to streamline and enhance the administrative system’s efficiency, Viet Nam is placing strong focus on mobilising all resources both domestically and internationally, particularly capital from investment funds and foreign direct investment.