The index stayed in the green throughout the day, hitting the 1,190 range in the first hour of trading and closed with a five-point gain. This is its highest level in the last seven sessions.

Trading value on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), on which the index is based, fell nearly 14 percent to VND14.6 trillion ($633 million). The bourse saw 222 tickers gain and 207 lose.

MSN of conglomerate Masan Group was the ticker that contributed most (1.25 points) to the VN-Index gain this session.

It rose 4.5 percent to the highest since Feb. 23. This is its third gaining session in a row.

VHM of real estate giant Vinhomes followed with a 0.88-point VN-Index contribution. The ticker rose 1 percent, its third session in the green.

SAB of beer producer Saigon Beer Corporation contributed 0.86 points, up 2.9 percent. The ticker has risen 4 percent in the past three sessions.

STB of Ho Chi Minh City-based lender Sacombank rose 4.6 percent to a new historic peak, its fifth gaining session in a row.

On the losing side, VJC of budget airline Vietjet led with a 1.4 percent drop, followed by REE of industrial appliance maker Refrigeration Electrical Engineering Corporation (REE), down 1.1 percent.

Foreigners were net sellers for the fourth session in a row to the tune of VND211 billion, with the strongest pressure on CTG of state-owned lender VietinBank and VNM of dairy giant Vinamilk.

The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, rose 1.97 percent, while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market added 0.97 percent.