Registered foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam hit $38.23 billion in 2024, down 3% year-on-year, while disbursed FDI capital reached $25.35 billion, an all-time high.

The registered FDI capital is the third-highest level Vietnam has recorded. It was lower than the $39.39 billion in 2023 and the phenomenal $64.01 billion in 2008, the General Statistics Office reported on Monday.

Registered capital comprises capital for newly-registered projects, additional capital for existing projects, and capital for stake acquisitions.

Of the total registered capital, about $19.73 billion was pledged for 3,375 new projects, down 7.6% but up 1.8% year-on-year, respectively.

The manufacturing-processing sector was the biggest recipient in terms of newly-registered capital with $13.44 billion, or 68.1% of the total; followed by real estate with $3.72 billion, or 18.8%.

Over $13.96 billion, up 50.04%, was additional capital for 1,539 existing projects.

Capital from contributions for stake acquisitions reached $4.54 billion with 3,502 deals, down 48.1% year-on-year in value. Notably, real estate activities accounted for $1.22 billion, or 26.8% of the total and the biggest portion.

In 2024, Singapore and South Korea were the biggest sources of registered FDI in Vietnam with $10.21 billion and $7.06 billion, respectively. Other major investors were mainland China, Hong Kong, and Japan.

The biggest recipients in Vietnam were Bac Ninh province with $5.12 billion, Hai Phong city with $4.94 billion, and Ho Chi Minh City with $3.04 billion.

The disbursed FDI reached $25.35 billion, up 9.4% year-on-year. This is the highest figure ever recorded in Vietnam. It included $20.62 billion in the manufacturing-processing sector, or 81.4% of the total, followed by real estate with $1.84 billion, or 7.2%.

As of end-2024, Vietnam’s registered FDI reached $502.8 billion with 42,002 valid projects. The biggest portion belonged to the manufacturing-processing sector with $308.76 billion.