Earlier in December, the agency announced that the country had attracted $20.23 billion in FDI for the year, down 6.5 per cent. But the newer figure, calculated as of December 15, reflected less of a fall.

According to the report released late last week, about 1,843 new foreign-invested projects received investment licences by the end of 2014, with a total registered capital of $16.5 billion - 14 per cent higher than the previous year’s figure.

Four of these projects had investment capital of more than $1 billion, equivalent to 30.5 per cent of the total FDI pledged in the country. The endeavours include a $3 billion expansion of Samsung Electronics Viet Nam Complex in the northern province of Thai Nguyen, a $1.4-billion Samsung CE Complex project developed by Samsung Asia Pte in HCM City and Dewan International’s $1.25-billion beach resort in Nha Trang.

Meanwhile, 749 operating projects were allowed to raise their capital by $5.41 billion, or 68.8 per cent of the figure seen in 2013.

During the reviewed period FDI disbursement also followed a positive trend, with an 8.7-per-cent rise over the previous year to $12.5 billion.

Foreign investors last year pumped investment into 18 different sectors. Of these, the manufacturing and processing sector attracted the largest share of FDI with $15.5 billion or 70.7 per cent of the nation’s total FDI. It was followed by real estate trading with $2.83 billion and the construction sector with $1.08 billion.

Among the 63 countries and territories investing in Viet Nam, South Korea took the lead with $7.7 billion, accounting for 35.1 per cent of total FDI registered in the country. Hong Kong came second with $3.03 billion or 13.9 per cent, while Singapore ranked third with $2.89 billion or 13.2 per cent.

The report said the northern province of Thai Nguyen was considered the most attractive destination by foreign investors in 2014. It drew $3.35 billion in investments, or 15.3 per cent of the country’s total FDI. HCM City and the southern province of Dong Nai came second and third, with $3.26 billion or 14.9 per cent and $1.83 billion or 8.4 per cent, respectively.

During the January-December period, the foreign-invested sector earned $101.21 billion from exports, a yearly increase of 14.8 per cent or equivalent to 67.4 per cent of the country’s total export value. Its imports topped $84.19 billion, up 13.1 per cent. That meant the sector recorded a trade surplus of $17.02 billion.

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