The index dipped to around 1,204 points in the first 40 minutes of trading before climbing to fluctuate around 1,216 points. It closed with a 4-point gain after losing 33 points Monday.

Trading value on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), on which the index is based, plunged 20 percent to VND15.5 trillion ($671 million), the lowest of the past 12 sessions.

Foreign investors were net buyers for the third session in a row to the tune of VND407 trillion, the highest since April 9.

They focused on purchasing HPG of steelmaker Hoa Phat Group, NVL of real estate developer Novaland Group and MSN of conglomerate Masan Group.

The VN30 basket, which comprises the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 14 tickers in the green, led by NVL with a 6.2 percent surge.

It was the top contributor to the VN-Index gain this session with 2 points. It was followed by MSN, up 3.2 percent. This is its biggest gain in a day during the past five sessions.

NVL has been one of the strongest blue-chip gainers this month, rising nearly 51 percent.

STB of Ho Chi Minh City-based lender Sacombank rose 2.4 percent, approaching this year’s peak on April 12. HPG of steelmaker Hoa Phat Group rose 2.2 percent.

On the losing side, PDR of Phat Dat Real Estate Development and PLX of fuel distributor Petrolimex both fell 2.7 percent.

The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, fell 0.04 percent, while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market dropped 0.01 percent.