According to detailed figures released by the General Statistics Office, newly registered foreign direct investment (FDI) nationwide reached 12.4 billion USD in the first four months of the year. Thai Nguyen emerged as the "star" in national FDI attraction with 5.7 billion USD in new registrations. Meanwhile, Nghe An rose to second place with 2.2 billion USD.

Including adjusted capital, Thai Nguyen attracted an additional 300 million USD, bringing its total FDI to over 6 billion USD. This marks a record figure for the province, which last year received under one billion USD in investment.

Thai Nguyen's shift in foreign capital attraction is primarily due to major projects: Samsung's semiconductor projects, totaling 4.08 billion USD, and Posco Future's artificial graphite anode production project, valued at nearly 300 million USD.

Many investors highly value the province for its strategic location as a northern gateway to Hanoi, benefiting from significant investment in connecting transport infrastructure. By early 2026, 6 industrial parks will be operational out of 12 planned across the province. Additionally, 16 industrial clusters are currently operating with an occupancy rate of approximately 80%, with many areas reaching 100% capacity.

The province has also implemented various programs to foster an open investment environment, such as "Tea with Entrepreneurs". The locality also offers "24-hour green lane" and "60% green lane" mechanisms, which shorten document processing times, enabling businesses to launch projects sooner. According to official announcements, 100% of administrative dossiers were resolved on or before schedule in Quarter I/2026.

A corner of an industrial park in Thai Nguyen. *Photo: Provincial Information Portal*

For Nghe An, the province's primary source of FDI stems from the Quynh Lap liquefied natural gas (LNG) thermal power plant project, valued at over two billion USD. This project involves a Korean investor and aims to generate electricity from LNG while developing an LNG storage and regasification system in line with the national energy plan.

This year, the province aims to attract 3.6 billion USD. To achieve this goal, Nghe An is preparing cleared land in key industrial parks, such as VSIP, and accelerating the deployment of critical infrastructure.

A section of Nghe An's coastal road, 12/2025. *Photo: Quang Ha*

Following these two provinces, familiar localities like TP HCM, Dong Nai, and Bac Ninh also attracted significant investment. Regarding the countries investing most heavily in Vietnam, Singapore leads with over 6 billion USD in newly registered capital and an additional 700 million USD in adjusted capital. South Korea ranks second with over 4.6 billion USD. China and Japan are the next two largest investors.

Concurrently, Vietnam's outward investment, encompassing both newly granted and adjusted capital, reached 713.9 million USD, a 2.3-fold increase compared to the same period last year.

Hoai Phuong