OUTBOUND INVESTMENT JUMPS 2.5-FOLD

Employees at work at a local factory – PHOTO: VNA

HCMC – Vietnam’s outbound investment reached US$794.6 million in the first five months of 2026, up 2.5 times from a year earlier, according to the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance.

The total comprised US$760.8 million in newly registered capital and US$33.8 million in additional capital for existing projects.

During the period, 85 new overseas investment projects received licenses with total registered capital of US$760.8 million, 2.8 times higher than a year earlier. Ten existing projects increased their capital by a combined US$33.8 million, down 18.7% year-on-year.

Construction attracted the largest share of outbound investment at US$178.8 million, accounting for 22.5% of the total. Electricity, gas, hot water, steam and air-conditioning supply followed with US$163.8 million, or 20.6%, while transportation and warehousing drew US$150.5 million, or 18.9%.

Vietnamese investors placed capital in 33 countries and territories in the January-May period.

Laos was the largest destination with US$199.5 million, representing 25.1% of total outbound investment. Kyrgyzstan ranked second with US$149.9 million, or 18.9%, followed by the United Kingdom with US$82.8 million, or 10.4%.

Kazakhstan received US$36 million, Cambodia US$32.9 million, the United States US$31.9 million, and the British Virgin Islands US$30.1 million.

Foreign investment inflows also rose during the period. Total registered foreign investment, including newly registered capital, additional capital and share purchases by foreign investors, reached US$24.81 billion, up 34.9% from a year earlier.

Newly registered foreign investment totaled US$14.84 billion across 1,576 licensed projects. The number of projects increased 1.7% year-on-year, while registered capital more than doubled.

Manufacturing and processing accounted for the largest share of newly registered foreign investment at US$9.64 billion, or 65% of the total. Electricity, gas, water supply and air-conditioning projects attracted US$2.45 billion, equivalent to 16.5%, while other sectors received US$2.75 billion.

Source: The Saigon Times