Viet Nam's upgrade from frontier status would be effective on September 21, 2026 and was subject to an interim review in March 2026 to determine whether enough progress had been made in enabling access to global brokers.

The index provider, which added Viet Nam in 2018 to its list of markets monitored for an upgrade, noted the progress made by Vietnamese market authorities in evolving its market.

Viet Nam adopted key reforms in recent months, including removing last year the full pre-funding requirements on equity transactions for foreign investors, which was a key precondition for the FTSE upgrade.

FTSE Russell said the move was expected to align the country's market practices with international standards, reduce counterparty risk, and strengthen investor confidence.

"The official recognition and upgrade of Viet Nam's securities market is clear evidence of the country's sound development path and its growing capacity to integrate deeply into the global financial system," Viet Nam's Finance Minister Nguyen Van Thang said in a statement.

Viet Nam's benchmark stock index has surged 33 percent this year, making it the best-performing stock market in Southeast Asia. The index has hit record highs multiple times this year./.