Thirteen Vietnamese provinces and cities accounted for 91% of the country's total foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first eight months of this year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

FDI projects in those areas also accounted for 85% of the total number of projects with foreign investment, the ministry said.

Ho Chi Minh City topped the list with investment capital of US$206 million and 115 projects.

Next were the southern provinces of Ba Ria -Vang Tau (US$147 million), Binh Duong (US$146.6 million) and Dong Nai (US$105 million).

The next three areas are in the north: the city of Hai Phong (US$92 million), Hanoi (US$64 million), and the province of Vinh Phuc (US$46 million).

The remainder of the top 13 were the provinces of Long An (US$45 million), Phu Tho (US$44 million), Quang Ninh (US$24 million), Hai Duong (US$19 million) and Quang Nam (US$15 million). The city of Da Nang took the 13th spot, attracting US$14.8 million.
Deputy chief of the ministry's FDI Department, Nguyen Anh Tuan, attributed Da Nang's modest numbers to the city's lack of direct international flights and poor infrastructure.

This is why Da Nang and other central areas fall behind the northern and southern hubs in luring foreign investors, he said.
"However, in comparison with other central provinces, Da Nang for the last two years has striven to create favourable conditions for foreign investors," Tuan said. "It has notched some remarkable results even to be listed among the top."

In the short term, Da Nang needs support from the State to build an international airport in an attempt to save costs and time for investors, he said.

In the first eight months of this year, Vietnam's total of new FDI projects was 382 with a total registered foreign capital of US$1.65 billion.