Foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in Vietnam have disbursed a total of $7.3 billion in the first eight months of 2011, a 1 percent increase from 2010, according to the Foreign Investment Department under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

In August alone, the disbursement hit $1 billion, exceeding the average level of $900 million in previous months.

However, there has been a decline in the amount of newly registered investment. In the first eight months of the year, only 582 projects have been licensed, with a total registered investment of over $7.9 billion. This represents a 34 percent decrease in terms of the quantity of projects and a 30 percent drop in capital from the same period last year.

FDI continues to flow into the manufacturing sector, which has accounted for over 48 percent of this year’s total FDI in Vietnam.

Since early 2011, 42 nations and territories have invested in projects in Vietnam. Hong Kong topped the list of investors, followed by Singapore.

Hai Duong is the locality attracting the most FDI, followed by Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.