1/ Attracts Over $26 Billion in FDI

According to a report from the Statistics Department of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, total registered foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam reached $26.14 billion as of August 31, an increase of 27.3% compared to the same period last year. There were 2,534 new licensed projects with a total registered capital of $11.03 billion, up 12.6% in the number of projects but down 8.1% in capital value year-on-year.

The processing and manufacturing industry received the largest share of new capital with $6.53 billion (59.2%), followed by the real estate business with $2.37 billion (21.5%). Other sectors achieved $2.13 billion (19.3%).

Adjusted capital recorded 996 existing projects registered to increase their investment capital by an additional $10.65 billion, an 85.9% surge compared to the same period last year.

Capital contribution and share purchases of foreign investors recorded 2,245 transactions to contribute capital or purchase shares, with a total value of $4.46 billion, up 58.8% year-on-year. Among them, there are 882 cases of capital contribution and share purchases to increase the charter capital with value of $1.61 billion and 1,363 cases that foreign investors bought shares from domestic ones (without charter capita increasing) with value of $2.85 billion.

Regarding capital contribution and share purchase by foreign investors, investment capital in the processing and manufacturing industry reached 1.65 billion USD, accounting for 37% of the capital contribution value; professional activities, science and technology reached 981.7 million USD, accounting for 22%; the remaining industries reached 1.83 billion USD, accounting for 41%. FDI capital realized in Vietnam in the first 8 months of the year is estimated at 15.40 billion USD, up 8.8% over the same period last year. This is the highest FDI amount realized in 8 months in the past 5 years. Of which, the processing and manufacturing industry reached 12.57 billion USD, accounting for 81.6% of the total realized FDI capital; real estate business activities reached 1.24 billion USD, accounting for 8.0%; production and distribution of electricity, gas, hot water, steam and air conditioning reached 563.6 million USD, accounting for 3.7%.

In terms of investment partners, among 78 countries and territories with newly licensed investment projects in Vietnam in the first 8 months of 2025, Singapore is the largest investor with 3.06 billion USD, accounting for 27.8% of the total newly registered capital. Next is China with 2.65 billion USD, accounting for 24.0%; Sweden with 1.0 billion USD, accounting for 9.1%; Japan with 877.9 million USD, accounting for 8.0%; Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China) with 786.4 million USD, accounting for 7.1%; Taiwan (China) with 745.6 million USD, accounting for 6.8%; the US with 433.7 million USD, accounting for 3.9%.

2/ VCCI supports the abolition of overseas investment procedures

The Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) has just sent a document to the Ministry of Finance to comment on the policy proposal of the Investment Law (replacement). Accordingly, VCCI proposed to remove the mechanism requiring the implementation of procedures for approving overseas investment policies and issuing overseas investment registration certificates. Because controlling overseas investment activities of private capital sources, in the form of licensing, based on capital scale or by industry group, seems to have not found any clear and reasonable goals.

Meanwhile, this is a form of significant restriction on the investment activities of investors and goes against the policy of “The State encourages overseas investment to exploit, develop, and expand markets; increase the ability to export goods and services, earn foreign currency; access modern technology, improve management capacity and supplement resources for the country’s socio-economic development.” is recorded in Clause 1, Article 51 of the Investment Law.

Regarding the List of conditional business lines, the Draft proposes to transfer the List of conditional business lines from the Law to the Decree level, the Law only stipulates the principles for determining conditional business lines. However, VCCI believes that this proposal needs to be reviewed and reconsidered because the regulation of the List of conditional business lines in the Investment Law aims to ensure the collection of all current conditional business lines.

The publicity in this Law is in accordance with the spirit of the State clearly announcing prohibited business lines and conditional business lines, while the rest of the people and businesses are allowed to do what is not prohibited by law. “The following laws promulgate additional conditional business lines and professions and must also amend the List in the Investment Law. The List stipulated in the Law will control the regulations on conditional business lines and business conditions in documents under the law. This is considered a success of the Investment Law from 2014 to present,” VCCI stated. Therefore, VCCI proposed to choose option 2 of this policy, which is “Maintaining the current regulations on the principles of determining conditional business lines and professions and regulating the List of conditional business lines and professions in the Investment Law”; “Reviewing, amending and supplementing the List of conditional business lines and professions in the direction of proposing to abolish unnecessary business lines and professions that do not meet the principles of determining business investment conditions as prescribed in Article 7 of the Investment Law”.

3/ 54% of new FDI projects choose to lease factories instead of land

According to Savills data, of the 759 new manufacturing FDI projects, 410 (54%) chose to lease factories instead of land. This reflects the market trend of prioritizing speed, flexibility and scalability, and shows the increasing demand for ready-built factories – especially in the electronics, assembly and packaging industries, where businesses prioritize entering the market quickly and reducing initial investment costs.

This development opens up opportunities for investors to focus on developing a supply of standardized factories that comply with ESG criteria and are ready for automation. However, in terms of investment capital value, land transactions still dominate with 76% (equivalent to 3.84 billion USD), compared to 24% for factories – a significant increase compared to 14% in the same period in 2024. This narrowing gap shows the growing appeal of the factory model thanks to lower capital costs and greater flexibility.

4/ Vietnam Manufacturing PMI Continues to Improve in August 2025

According to the S&P Global Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) Report, Vietnam’s manufacturing sector continued to improve for the second consecutive month in August 2025, despite a decline in new orders. The Vietnam Manufacturing PMI in August 2025 remained above the 50-point threshold, reflecting an improvement in the health of the manufacturing sector for the second consecutive month. However, the index result decreased from 52.4 points in July to 50.4 points in August, indicating only a slight improvement in business conditions.

The bright spot in this survey was that manufacturing output continued to increase and recorded the fourth consecutive month of growth. Growth in August remained strong, albeit at a slower pace than in July. Firms said they were increasing production to meet new order demand, while the slowdown reflected weaker demand.

New orders fell again in August, after rising for the first time in four months in July. The slowdown was partly due to US tariffs. These barriers continued to drag down new export orders for the 10th consecutive month. Notably, the fall in August was larger than the overall decline in new orders.

In the face of falling new orders, firms continued to cut jobs at the end of the third quarter. Employment fell for the 11th month in a row, albeit at a modest pace. However, the sharp decline in new orders left production capacity underutilized. Backlogs of work fell significantly, with the largest decline since April.

Finished goods inventories also fell as Vietnamese businesses were cautious about storing as new orders declined; they also increased deliveries to customers. While employment and finished goods inventories declined, purchasing activity increased for the second consecutive month. Businesses attributed the decline to increased production demand and efforts to stock up on raw materials in anticipation of a recovery in demand.

However, according to the S&P Global Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) report, repurchase inventories fell due to a decline in imports. Raw material shortages continued to hamper efforts to procure inputs, leading to longer delivery times. In addition, raw material shortages, transport costs and tariffs pushed up input costs sharply in August. The rate of increase accelerated to its highest level since early 2025, although it remained below the index’s historical average.

The report showed that business confidence improved in August, reaching a six-month high, although it remained below the index’s historical average. Some businesses expect new orders to increase next year, which will help boost optimism about output. However, concerns about the global economic outlook continue to limit confidence.

Commenting on Vietnam’s manufacturing sector in August 2025, Andrew Harker, Chief Economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said “While the continued increase in output in August is a positive sign, the continued decline in new orders raises the question of how long businesses can maintain the momentum of increasing output. The decline in new sales was mainly due to the continued sharp decline in exports due to tariff issues, which in turn impacted the manufacturing sector.” On the other hand, Mr. Harker said that businesses were at least more confident about the outlook for the year ahead, partly due to expectations of increased demand, which would boost purchasing activities. However, he also pointed out that manufacturers were affected to some extent by the scarcity of raw materials. “With the upcoming tariff roadmap looking more stable, we hope that improvements in demand will materialize in the coming months, helping to sustain manufacturing output growth,” Harker said.

5/ V-Green launches electric motorbike battery swapping cabinet franchise model

V-Green Global Charging Station JSC announced the launch of an electric motorbike battery swapping cabinet franchise model, following the electric car charging station franchise project being implemented nationwide. A standard V-Green electric motorbike battery swapping cabinet includes a cabinet and 11 batteries, with an initial investment cost of VND 210 million. Within the first 5 years, V-Green will ensure investors a minimum income of 15% of the investment value each year, equivalent to a minimum of VND 31.5 million/cabinet/year.

Specifically, the investor of the V-Green electric motorbike battery swapping cabinet will receive the entire battery swapping fee of VND 9,000/battery/time. In addition, in the first 3 years, franchise partners will also receive an additional VND 1,250/battery/time from V-Green. In total, for each battery swap, the franchisee will receive VND 10,250, and there will be no additional costs or manpower for the operation process because all processes are managed automatically. According to calculations, if operating at full capacity, a battery swap cabinet can recover its capital after only about 2.5 years.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Duong, General Director of V-Green Company, shared: “The implementation of the electric motorbike battery swap cabinet franchise model is a strategic step, affirming V-Green’s vision and commitment to promoting green transportation in Vietnam. We believe that, with the support of our partners, we will not only expand the network, but also contribute to strongly spreading the message of a green, clean future for everyone”.

The battery swap cabinet franchise model is an important part of the strategy to develop the VinFast electric vehicle support ecosystem, including motorbikes and electric cars. Currently, V-Green is operating 150,000 charging ports across 34 provinces and cities. Through the battery swapping cabinet franchise model, V-Green aims to reach 150,000 electric motorbike battery swapping points in Vietnam within the next 3 years, many times larger than the current number of gas and oil stations.

6/ Vietnam has a trade surplus of nearly 14 billion USD

According to the General Statistics Office, in the first 8 months of 2025, the total export and import turnover of goods reached 597.93 billion USD, an increase of 16.3% over the same period last year, of which exports increased by 14.8%; imports increased by 17.9%. The trade balance of goods had a trade surplus of 13.99 billion USD.

Specifically, in the first 8 months, the export turnover of goods reached 305.96 billion USD, an increase of 14.8% over the same period last year. Regarding the structure of export goods, the group of processed industrial goods reached 271.06 billion USD, accounting for 88.6%; the group of agricultural and forestry products reached 25.92 billion USD, accounting for 8.5%; the group of aquatic products reached 7.15 billion USD, accounting for 2.3%; the group of fuels and minerals reached 1.83 billion USD, accounting for 0.6%.

On the other hand, in the first 8 months, the import turnover of goods reached 291.97 billion USD, up 17.9% over the same period last year. Regarding the structure of imported goods, the group of production materials reached 273.91 billion USD, accounting for 93.8%, of which the group of machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts accounted for 52.2%; the group of raw materials, fuels and materials accounted for 41.6%. The group of consumer goods reached 18.06 billion USD, accounting for 6.2%.

Regarding the import and export market of goods in the first 8 months of the year, the US was Vietnam’s largest export market with a turnover of 99.1 billion USD. China was Vietnam’s largest import market with a turnover of 117.9 billion USD. Specifically, the trade surplus to the US reached 87.0 billion USD, up 26.8% over the same period last year; the trade surplus to the EU was 25.6 billion USD, up 10.0%. Trade surplus with Japan was 1.5 billion USD, down 9.3%; trade deficit with China was 75.9 billion USD, up 39.8%; trade deficit with South Korea was 20.1 billion USD, up 0.7%; trade deficit with ASEAN was 9.4 billion USD, up 69.1%.

7/ Dung Quat Biofuel Plant Restarts Ethanol Production

Dung Quat Biofuel Plant will officially restart Ethanol production for E10 biofuel blending in November, contributing to the early completion of the Government’s green fuel conversion roadmap. This is the commitment of Mr. Pham Van Vuong – Director of BSR-BF, the plant’s management and operation unit, at a recent meeting with BSR leaders.

According to Mr. Pham Van Vuong, the units are currently focusing all their efforts to speed up the maintenance progress of Dung Quat Biofuel Plant, with the goal of completing it before October 31, 2025. Maintenance activities are currently being carried out in the electricity – steam workshop area, after completing the main power station to supply electricity to the entire Dung Quat Biofuel Plant. With the progress being strictly controlled by day and the human resources mobilized at the highest level as present, the factory is expected to officially restart ethanol production to serve E10 biofuel blending in November 2025.

At this working session, Mr. Nguyen Viet Thang – General Director of BSR affirmed that the completion of maintenance of Dung Quat biofuel factory is a prerequisite to ensure technical safety, ready for stable operation when the factory restarts in November 2025. This is also an important preparation step for BSR to implement the green fuel conversion roadmap according to the orientation of the Vietnam National Industry and Energy Group (Petrovietnam) and the Government.

With a capacity of 100 million liters of Ethanol/year, produced from mainly dried cassava chips, Dung Quat biofuel plant together with Dung Quat oil refinery not only helps BSR optimize the supply chain, increase product value but also contributes to ensuring energy security, reducing emissions and developing clean, environmentally friendly fuels, gradually realizing the goal of sustainable development, towards a circular and carbon-neutral economy (Net Zero) by 2050 in Vietnam.

8/ Amazon wants to provide satellite internet in Vietnam

At a meeting with Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Duc Long, Mr. Gonzalo de Dios, Director of Global Licensing and International Legal Relations of the Kuiper project, made a proposal and affirmed that Vietnam has an important position in Amazon’s development strategy. Kuiper, Amazon’s satellite internet project, is building a system of more than 3,200 low-orbit satellites to provide high-speed connections to remote areas and islands. The service can reach 400 Mbps for individuals, 1 Gbps for businesses, low latency and integrated security solutions from Amazon Web Services (AWS).

According to Mr. Gonzalo de Dios, Amazon has launched 102 satellites and aims to complete at least 50% of the remaining satellites by 2026. In Vietnam, Amazon has established Amazon Kuiper Vietnam Co., Ltd. in HCMC. On August 6, the enterprise submitted its application to participate in the pilot program to provide controlled LEO satellite telecommunications services according to Resolution No.193 of the National Assembly.

At the meeting, Deputy Minister Pham Duc Long highly appreciated the progress of the Kuiper project. He emphasized that low-orbit satellite technology plays an important role in the digital infrastructure development strategy, helping to popularize high-speed Internet, serving socio-economic development, meeting the goal of nationwide coverage by 2030.

According to the Deputy Minister, the Kuiper project is consistent with the national strategy on the 4.0 Industrial Revolution, the Telecommunications Law and the need for digital transformation in Vietnam. This will be a solution to help people, especially in remote areas, access digital services, and facilitate administrative procedures, especially after completing the arrangement of provincial-level administrative units. The Deputy Minister assigned the Department of Telecommunications and the Department of Radio Frequency to coordinate with the project to resolve technical problems and complete the dossier. The goal is that in September, the Ministry can submit a pilot dossier to the Prime Minister. In April, another provider, SpaceX of billionaire Elon Musk, also received a license to pilot the Starlink satellite Internet service from Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc. SpaceX is still in the process of establishing a legal entity in Vietnam. After having a legal entity, the enterprise must apply for a license from the Telecommunications Department before it can provide the service. Both Kuiper and Starlink have the common goal of providing high-speed broadband satellite Internet, mainly to people in remote areas. However, Starlink has the advantage of being the first mover. While Starlink has thousands of satellites operating with millions of users, Kuiper has only launched more than 100 satellites and has not yet provided it to end users. Amazon’s Internet service is expected to be deployed to customers by the end of 2025.

9/ Green power projects attract many private enterprises

Specifically, the Dong Hai 13 Wind Power Plant project attracted the participation of 4 investors: Trung Nam Construction Investment JSC; Song Lam Hydropower Investment JSC; Dien Hai Bac Lieu Energy Investment JSC; Greenwind Tech Pte., Ltd. The project has a total investment of VND 3,619 billion, a capacity of 100 MW of wind power with 20 turbines… The Dong Hai 3 Wind Power Plant project – phase 1 attracted 3 investors to submit registration documents, including: ADANI Phuoc Minh Wind Power JSC, Thuan Dien Dong Hai Renewable Energy JSC and Song Lam Hydropower Investment JSC. The project has a total investment of nearly VND 3,620 billion, a capacity of 50 MW of wind power with 10 turbines….

Many other renewable power projects also attracted the attention of investors. In Quang Tri, the SCI Tan Thanh Wind Power Plant Project (total investment capital of over VND 1,262 billion) has the participation of 4 investors (Joint venture of Information Technology Application and Development JSC – ADANI Phuoc Minh Wind Power JSC, Joint venture of Sao Mai Group JSC – Europlast Long An Solar Power JSC, SCI JSC, Nam Binh Wind Power JSC; Quang Tri Win 1 Wind Power Plant Project (VND 1,262 billion) has 3 registered investors (Thuan Binh Wind Power JSC, Joint venture of Information Technology Application and Development JSC – ADANI Phuoc Minh Wind Power JSC, Joint venture of Win Quang Tri Renewable Energy Investment JSC – Win International Energy Pte., Ltd, Sao Mai Group JSC)… Waste-to-energy projects are also attractive to private enterprises. The Gia Lai Provincial People’s Committee has just selected the Consortium of Compressed Natural Gas Import-Export Investment JSC – An Duong Petroleum Trading JSC – Hanoi Liquefied Petroleum Gas Import-Export Investment JSC (abbreviated as Greenity Binh Dinh Energy Consortium) to implement the Long My Domestic Solid Waste Treatment Plant Project. The project has a total investment of VND 1,500 billion, using waste-to-energy incineration technology. During the bidding period, 4 investors submitted applications to implement the Project, of which 3 investors were eliminated: Consortium of Zhejiang Wangneng Environmental Protection Co., Ltd – Deo Ca Construction JSC; Consortium of China Everbright Environment Group Limited – China Harbour Engineering Company Limited; Thuan Thanh Environmental JSC. Previously, the authorities of Ba Ria – Vung Tau province selected the consortium of Muong Te Power Development JSC – Seraphin Green Environment Technology JSC – Thuan Thanh Environment JSC to implement the project of a domestic waste treatment plant using incineration technology and generating electricity in the centralized waste treatment area in Toc Tien commune, Phu My town. The project has a total investment of VND 2,500 billion…

Regarding the gas-fired electricity sector, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Thap, Chairman of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Association, said that a number of gas-fired electricity projects in the adjusted Power Plan VIII are attracting the attention of many investors, such as: Quynh Lap LNG Gas Power Plant Project; Ca Na LNG Thermal Power Plant Project…

According to the People’s Committee of Hung Yen province, this locality is coordinating with the consortium of Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. – Kyuden International Group – Truong Thanh Vietnam Industrial JSC to strive to start the Thai Binh LNG Power Plant Project with a capacity of 1,500 MW in the third quarter of 2025.

10/ Over VND36,000 billion to upgrade and expand Dung Quat Oil Refinery

Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical JSC is implementing the selection of contractors to implement the Dung Quat Oil Refinery Upgrading and Expansion Project (total investment of over VND36,397 billion). According to the plan, in the third and fourth quarters of 2025, the Investor will organize the selection of contractors to implement many large-scale packages. Of which, the Site Leveling Construction Package is worth VND437,507 billion; the EPC Package is worth over VND27,897 billion; the EPC Package Construction and Installation Insurance Package is worth over VND141,506 billion…

The project is invested to increase the processing capacity from 148,000 barrels/day to 171,000 barrels/day; increase flexibility in selecting crude oil, ensuring a long-term and effective supply of crude oil for the Plant; contributing to promoting the socio-economic development of the whole country and especially the Central region.