FDI pledges in the six-month period rose 5.7 percent to $20.33 billion, the ministry said in a statement.

Disbursement refers to the actual amount of money spent, while FDI pledges indicate the size of future disbursements.

Of the FDI pledges in the January-June period, 38.9 percent is to be invested in manufacturing and 27.3 percent in real estate, the ministry said. Japan was the largest source of FDI pledges during the period, followed by South Korea and Singapore.

Exports by foreign-invested companies in January-June are estimated to have risen 14.8 percent from a year earlier to $80.86 billion, accounting for around 71 percent of Vietnam's total exports, the ministry said.

Vietnam last year received a record $17.5 billion in FDI, a key source of growth for its export-driven economy.