. From introduction of the Law on Foreign Investment in 1987 to 21 December 2010, there were 12,213 valid
projects (excluding expired or withdrawn projects) with a total registered capital close to USD 192.9 billion.10
Since 1996, there has been a tendency towards investment in producing goods for export, infrastructure
construction, producing import substitutes and in labour-intensive industries. There are some 7,305 projects
in the manufacturing and processing industries with a total registered capital of about USD 94 billion,
accounting for 49% of registered capital, and roughly 348 projects in the real estate sector with a total
registered capital of about USD 48 billion, accounting for 25% of registered capital.