The index started to surge in the last hour of trading and closed with a 10-point gain, the highest of the past five sessions.

Trading value on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) rose 3.5 percent to VND19.13 trillion ($831.7 million). The bourse saw 223 tickers gain and 147 lose.

Foreign investors were net buyers for the fourth session in a row to the tune of VND81 billion, with strongest pressure on VHM of real estate giant Vinhomes and VCB of state-owned lender Vietcombank.

The VN30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 20 tickers in the green, led by SSI of leading brokerage SSI Securities Corporation with a ceiling increase of 7 percent to a new peak.

SSI has risen 65 percent this year.

PDR of Phat Dat Real Estate Development rose 6.7 percent this session to a new peak, while NVL of real estate developer Novaland Group gained 3.6 percent, also a new peak.

Other gainers include HDB of HDBank, up 3.1 percent, KDH of real estate firm Khang Dien House, up 2.5 percent and GAS of state-owned Petrovietnam Gas, up 2.3 percent.

On the losing side, SBT of sugar producer Thanh Thanh Cong – Bien Hoa JSC led with a 2.3 percent drop, followed by VRE of retail real estate arm Vincom Retail, down 1.2 percent.

The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, rose 1 percent while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market fell 0.22 percent.