In September alone, foreign capital neared US$4.26 billion, the highest monthly figure this year and accounting for 17.2% of the nine-month total.

Notably, significant investments were directed toward large-scale projects in semiconductors, energy, electronic components, and high-value-added products between January and September.

Foreign investors channeled funds into 18 out of 21 economic sectors, with manufacturing and processing leading the way at nearly US$15.64 billion, or 63.1% of the total registered capital, a slight 0.4% annual decrease.

Real estate followed with over US$4.38 billion, or 17.7% of total registered capital, more than doubling the figure in the same period last year. Electricity production and distribution and wholesale and retail saw investments of approximately US$1.12 billion and US$920 million, respectively.

The wholesale and retail sector, meanwhile, led in the number of new projects, making up 35% of the total.

By the end of September, 98 countries and territories had invested in Vietnam. Singapore topped the list with US$7.35 billion, followed by China with over US$3.2 billion. Other major investors included the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan.

In terms of new projects, China topped the list, accounting for 29.3% of the total. Meanwhile, the RoK took the lead in capital adjustments (23.9%) and share purchases (25.6%).

Geographically, foreign investors poured capital into 55 provinces and cities across Vietnam in the first nine months. The northern province of Bac Ninh attracted the most, US$4.5 billion, a 3.47-fold increase from the same period last year.

According to the agency, the nine-month export turnover of the foreign-funded sector, including crude oil, was estimated at over US$217.4 billion, up 14.1% year-on-year, accounting for 72.1% of Vietnam's total export revenue.

The sector recorded a trade surplus of nearly US$38 billion, including crude oil, and over US$36.5 billion without crude oil. This surplus offset the domestic sector's trade deficit of nearly US$18.2 billion, helping the country achieve an overall surplus of about US$19.8 billion.

Source: VOV