Vietnam attracted US$24.81 billion in registered foreign investment during the first five months of 2026, up 34.9 percent year-on-year, according to the latest data from the National Statistics Office.
The figure includes newly registered capital, additional capital injected into existing projects, and foreign investors’ capital contributions and share purchases.
Newly registered foreign investment more than doubled from a year earlier to US$14.84 billion across 1,576 projects. While the number of projects rose only 1.7 percent, registered capital increased 2.1 times, suggesting investors are committing larger amounts to individual projects.
Manufacturing remained the dominant destination for new investment, attracting US$9.64 billion, or 65 percent of newly registered capital. The electricity, gas and utilities sector followed with US$2.45 billion, accounting for 16.5 percent.
Singapore was the largest source of newly registered investment, contributing US$6.8 billion, equivalent to 45.9 percent of the total. South Korea ranked second with US$4.22 billion, followed by China with US$1.79 billion. Japan, Hong Kong and the Netherlands rounded out the top six investors.
Additional capital committed to existing projects totalled US$5.78 billion across 415 projects, down 32.1 percent from the same period last year. However, when combined with newly registered capital, manufacturing still accounted for more than 70 percent of total new and expanded foreign investment commitments, receiving US$14.52 billion.
Foreign investors also remained active in mergers and acquisitions. Capital contributions and share purchases reached US$4.19 billion through 1,164 transactions, up 46.7 percent year-on-year.
Wholesale and retail trade accounted for the largest share of M&A activity, attracting US$1.9 billion or 45.4 percent of total transaction value. Professional, scientific and technical activities followed with US$1.16 billion.
While registered investment provides an indication of future activity, disbursed capital offers a clearer picture of actual investment flowing into the economy. Foreign investors disbursed an estimated US$9.75 billion during the first five months of the year, up 9.6 percent from a year earlier and the highest level recorded for the January-May period in the past five years.
Manufacturing again dominated, accounting for US$8.06 billion, or 82.7 percent of total disbursed FDI. Real estate attracted US$716.5 million, while electricity and utilities received US$356.6 million.