An investor looks at stock prices on a screen at a brokerage in
Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran. 

The VN-Index gained 1.32 percent to 1,126.91 points Friday, its fourth consecutive gaining session. 

The Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), on which the VN-Index is based, was a sea of green with 297 stocks gaining and 134 losing. Total trading volume slumped over 10 percent compared to the previous session, to VND12.42 trillion ($539.76 million).

"If the VN-Index closes higher than 1115-1118 points, it will likely go on to challenge the psychological resistance levels of 1,180-1,200 points in the near future," said brokerage BVSC in their latest report.

Cash flow into the market will likely abate as investors refrain from trading ahead of Lunar New Year, Vietnam’s longest national holiday, which will see the HoSE take a break from February 10 to 16, BVSC added.

Meanwhile, the VN30-Index for the stock market’s 30 largest caps climbed 1.59 percent, with 28 tickers gaining and only one losing.

Topping gains was SBT of agricultural exporter TTC-Sugar, up 6.8 percent, its ceiling price, followed by SSI of brokerage SSI Securities, with 6.1 percent.

Private banks were some of the best performers, with STB of Sacombank, up 4 percent, TCB of Techcombank, 3.7 percent, HDB of HDBank, 2.3 percent, VPB of VPBank, 1.1 percent, and TPB of TPBank, with 0.8 percent.

Of state-owned banks, CTG of VietinBank grew 3.2 percent, VCB of Vietcombank 1.1 percent, BID of BIDV 0.7 percent, and MBB of mid-sized Military Bank, with 2.9 percent.

Other major gainers included BVH of insurance giant Bao Viet Group, with 3.3 percent, PDR of housing developer Phat Dat Real Estate, up 2.4 percent, VIC of private conglomerate Vingroup, 2.4 percent, and PLX of petroleum distributor Petrolimex, with 1.8 percent.

The most modest gainers this session were MSN of food conglomerate Masan Group, up 0.1 percent, and KDH of real estate developer Khang Dien House and GAS of energy giant PetroVietnam Gas which both rose 0.2 percent.

NVL of real estate developer Novaland was the only ticker which fell, by 1.6 percent, while REE of appliances maker was the only one which kept its opening price.

Indices for the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX), home to mid- and smaller-caps, rose 0.07 percent, while that of the Unlisted Public Companies Market (UPCoM) shed 0.23 percent.

Foreign investors were net buyers for the eighth consecutive session, to the tune of VND440 billion on all three bourses, with buying pressure mostly on VNM of dairy giant Vinamilk, up 0.7 percent, VHM of real estate developer Vinhomes, up 0.91 percent, and the FUEVFVND, an exchange traded fund replicating stocks performance on the VN Diamond Index.