Vietnam has topped the list of foreign investors in Laos in the first months of the 2009 fiscal year with a total capital of US$ 87.7 million, followed by Thailand with $48.8 million and China with $9.2 million.
Latest statistics from Laos’s Ministry of Planning and Investment show that the country has attracted 1,173 projects worth $7.1 billion from 36 countries and territories since 2001.
Of them, Thailand ranked first with 207 projects worth $1.58 billion, followed by China with 285 projects worth $1.32 billion and Vietnam with 169 projects worth $811 million.
Investment projects in energy account for the largest share with 42 projects worth $3,335 billion, followed by agriculture with 191 projects worth $960.1 million and mineral exploitation with 162 projects worth $763.3 million.
The statistics also show that Vietnam was the largest foreign investor and with the highest number of projects in Laos in 2008, with 14 projects valued at $180.8 million. Thailand was second with seven projects worth $172.9 million, and China took the third spot with seven projects worth $111.6 million.