FDI projects: high quantity, small scale   A Singapore-invested apparel factory in Vietnam (Photo: VNA) There was a greater number of foreign-invested projects in the first six months of 2015 as compared to last year, but with smaller scale operation. According to the Foreign Investment Department, the number of foreign direct investment (FDI) projects during the period increased 15.4 percent and 28.3 percent annually in terms of new businesses and ones registering additional capital, respectively. Accordingly, 757 new FDI projects were licensed with a combined registered capital of 3.83 billion USD while 281 existing projects increased their registered capital, adding 1.65 billion USD. The total capital of 5.49 billion USD reflected an annual funding drop of 19.6 percent, attributable to the small scale of 2015 projects. The processing and manufacturing sector reeled in the most overseas capital worth 4.18 billion USD distributed among 338 new and 190 existing projects, followed by realty and commerce. The Republic of Korea has been the top foreign investor in Vietnam with 1.52 billion USD poured into the country within the period. The British Virgin Islands, Turkey and Hong Kong (China) were close behind; each channelled more than 600 million USD into their local projects. Among 42 FDI destinations nationwide, southern Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai province and northern Hai Phong city dominated, receiving 1.12 billion USD, 1.03 billion USD and 433.7 million USD respectively. The mid-year disbursement of foreign funds reached 6.3 billion USD, up 9.6 percent year on year. Six-month FDI export value reached 54.88 billion USD, a 15.3-percent annual rise and occupying 71 percent of Vietnam’s overall export turnover.-VNA