Vietnam's Outbound Investment Surges to Over $1.21 Billion in H1

Vietnam’s outbound investment reached 794.6 million USD in January-May 2026, 2.5 times higher than a year earlier, with construction, energy supply, and transportation and warehousing accounting for the largest shares of overseas investment. Vietnamese firms invested nearly 714 million USD abroad in the first four months of 2026, up 2.3-fold year-on-year, according to the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance. In the first quarter of 2026, Vietnam’s total outbound investment, including newly registered and adjusted capital, reached 619.9 million USD, up 2.6 times year-on-year. Vietnam attracted 34.65 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first half of 2026, up 61% year-on-year. FDI disbursement hit an estimated 13.03 billion USD, the highest first-half level in five years, up 11.2% from a year earlier. In the first half of 2026, Vietnam recorded five export items each earning over 10 billion USD, accounting for 62.6% of the country’s total export turnover. In the first six months of 2026, international arrivals to Vietnam reached 12.3 million, up 14.9% year-on-year. Vietnam’s manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) stood at 51.8 in June, indicating that growth momentum was maintained despite a slight decline from May’s reading of 52.8. In the first six months of the year, inspections by competent authorities uncovered economic violations totaling 44.6233 trillion VND (approximately 1.70 billion USD) and involving over 4,824 hectares of land. They recommended recovering 631.5 billion VND (24 million USD) for the State budget and reclaiming 201.2 hectares of land. From July 1, 2026, Hanoi provides financial support for refractive eye treatment for eligible residents aged 18–35 with myopia of three diopters or more. The policy was adopted by the municipal People's Council as part of a social welfare resolution in June 2026. On July 2, 1976, the former Saigon–Gia Dinh was officially renamed Ho Chi Minh City in honour of President Ho Chi Minh. Fifty years later, it has become Vietnam's economic powerhouse, accounting for 23.5% of the country's GDP. In 2025, the city posted a GRDP of nearly 3 quadrillion VND (approximately 115 billion USD), with per capita income reaching 8,755 USD. Hanoi opened registration for free chip-enabled bus cards for eligible passengers using subsidised bus services on July 6, 2026, aiming to improve service quality and make public transport more convenient, especially for older people. Vietnam's socio-economic performance remained strong in the first six months of 2026, with positive results recorded across most sectors. Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 8.18% year-on-year, up from the 7.63% growth recorded in the same period of 2025. The Government has adopted an action programme to implement the Politburo's resolution on building and developing Hanoi in the new era, placing people at the heart of development while driving sustainable growth through innovation, green and digital transformation, and a circular economy. The Government has launched an action programme to develop Hanoi in the new era, putting people at the heart of development and leveraging innovation, green and digital transformation, and the circular economy to drive sustainable growth and strengthen the capital’s competitiveness. The Hanoi People's Committee has approved a master plan with a 100-year vision under Decision No. 2512/QD-UBND, issued on May 13, 2026, outlining a century-long development strategy, with phased targets for 2035, 2045, 2065, and 2085. The elderly in Vietnam will be entitled to at least one free annual health check-up or screening from 2026 under a revised national programme on elderly care through 2030. Vietnam's search, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers' remains recorded encouraging initial results in the first half of this year, with 1,255 sets of remains recovered and 25 fallen soldiers identified through DNA analysis. Renowned travel publication Lonely Planet has named Quy Nhon in Gia Lai province among its 25 Best Destinations for 2026, making it the only Vietnamese destination on the list. The coastal city was recognised as an ideal destination for beach holidays and coastal exploration. A ceremony was recently held at the Ministry of Public Security headquarters to launch a nationwide campaign to collect DNA samples from relatives of unidentified martyrs. The campaign is among a series of activities under the 500-day campaign to accelerate the search, recovery and identification of martyrs’ remains. Young people across the country must become more resolute in their ideals, more self-reliant in their studies and work, more pioneering in innovation, stronger in their aspiration to contribute, and more proactive in mastering their own future and that of the nation. That was the directive issued on June 25 in Hanoi by Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, as he attended and delivered a keynote address at the opening of the 13th National Congress of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union for the 2026-31 term. Party General Secretary and State President To Lam has called on Vietnam’s youth to embrace a new spirit of responsibility and dedication, urging them to think broader, learn faster, work better and contribute more to the nation’s development. Hanoi held a groundbreaking ceremony for five urban railway lines and three rental housing projects across the city on June 22. This is the largest package of infrastructure and social housing projects the capital has ever undertaken, marking an important shift from the stage of preparing mechanisms and policies to the stage of implementation and the realisation of the Government’s major development directions for Hanoi. Non Nuoc Cao Bang Global Geopark is one of the areas with a particularly distinctive geological history spanning more than 500 million years. Recognised by UNESCO as a Global Geopark in 2018 and 2026, Non Nuoc Cao Bang continues to affirm its outstanding universal value, while also reflecting the sustained efforts of Cao Bang province in conserving and promoting geological, cultural, and natural heritage, closely linked with sustainable livelihood development for local communities. Copyright, VietnamPlus, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Editor-in-chief, Mr. Tran Tien Duan.