Vietnam welcomes $900 million in FDI capital in January  In first month of 2018, Vietnam lured in $899.4 million in foreign direct investment (FDI) capital, down 36.8 per cent compared to the same period last year.   There were 166 newly-registered projects and 61 projects received capital extension According to the statistics published by the General Statistics Office, this January foreign investors poured $442.6 million in 166 newly-registered projects, signifying a decrease of 5.1 per cent in the number of projects and 64.4 per cent in newly-registered capital. Besides, existing 61 projects were added a total additional capital of $456.8 million, up 155 per cent on-year. Besides, there were 415 M&A deals with a total capital of $356 million, up 54.7 per cent on-year. Almost all FDI capital ($330.6 million) was poured into the manufacturing and processing sector, making up 74.7 per cent of the total. The runner up is manufacturing and distributing power, gas, and air conditioning systems with the total capital of $60 million, making up 13.5 per cent. In the first month of this year, Vietnam’s cities and provinces saw decreasing FDI capital inflows as well changes in the ranking of provinces and cities receiving the largest FDI volume. Notably, foreign investors poured capital into 24 cities and provinces across the country. Ho Chi Minh City ranks first with $52 million, making up 11.8 per cent of the total FDI inflow, while the runners-up are Nam Dinh with $80.2 million, Ninh Thuan with $60 million, and Binh Duong with $36.7 million. Among 23 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, Singapore overcame Japan to become the largest foreign investor in Vietnam with total investment capital of $147.7 million, making up 33.4 per cent of the total newly-registered capital. The runners-up are South Korea with $79.4 million and Norway with $70.1 million. By Kim Oanh/VIR