The Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) at the Ministry of Planning and Investment said last week that the fresh FDI approvals are for newly registered and operational projects and stake acquisitions.

In the year to March 20, 493 new FDI projects had got investment certificates with total registered capital of $2.92 billion, up 6.5 percent year-on-year, while 223 existing projects had added an extra $3.94 billion, up 206.4 percent versus the year-ago period. Meanwhile, capital contributions and share purchases by foreign investors had amounted to nearly $853 million, up 171.5 percent.

The new FDI projects are active in 18 sectors, with the manufacturing sector taking the lead with total capital pledges of $6.54 billion, accounting for 84.9 percent of the total. Real estate comes second with total capital of $343.7 million, making up 4.4 percent and the third place getter is the wholesale and retail sector with total capital of $296.8 million, representing 3.85 percent.

FDI disbursements in Q1 are estimated to reach $3.62 billion, up 3.4 percent over the same period last year.

According to the FIA, exports and imports of foreign-invested companies have grown significantly this quarter. Their exports, including of crude oil, have reached $31.4 billion in the first quarter, up 13 percent year-on-year, and accounted for 71.81 percent of the nation’s total.

Their imports have risen 21.1 percent to $27.2 billion, representing 59.68 percent of the country’s total. This means the FDI sector has brought a trade surplus of $4.2 billion.

Vietnam now has 23,070 FDI projects remaining valid with total registered capital amounting to $300.7 billion.

To date, 116 countries and territories have invested in Vietnam, with South Korea taking the lead with total investment commitments of $54 billion, 17.9 percent of the total, and Japan coming next with $42.5 billion, 14.1 percent of the total.

Foreign investors are present in all of the country’s 63 provinces and cities. HCM City has attracted the most foreign investment capital totalling $45.66 billion, 15.1 percent of the nation’s total, followed by Binh Duong Province with $28.2 billion (9.4 percent), Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with $27.2 billion (9 percent) and Hanoi City with $26 billion (8.6 percent).