The index stayed in the green throughout the day and climbed to 1,424 points in the morning, but gradually fell to close with an over 3-point gain. This is its smallest increase in the last five gaining sessions.

Trading value on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), on which the index is based, remained high at over VND26.04 trillion ($1.13 billion). The bourse saw 169 tickers gain and 212 lose.

Foreign investors were net buyers to the tune of VND1.94 trillion, the highest in three months, with strongest pressure on NVL of real estate developer Novaland Group and STB of Ho Chi Minh City-based lender Sacombank.

The VN30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 13 tickers in the green, led by MWG of electronics retail chain Mobile World with a 3.8 percent gain.

It was followed by FPT of IT giant FPT Corporation with a 3.4 percent rise to a new peak. It has gained 81 percent this year.

GAS of state-owned Petrovietnam Gas rose 2.5 percent, while VPB of private lender VPBank gained 2.4 percent.

Other banking tickers to end in the green include HDB of HDBank, up 2.1 percent, TCB of the largest private lender Techcombank, up 1.9 percent and STB, up 1.6 percent.

But the losing side dominated the VN30 basket with 15 tickers led by REE of industrial appliance maker Refrigeration Electrical Engineering Corporation and SBT of sugar producer Thanh Thanh Cong – Bien Hoa JSC, both down 1.6 percent.

The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, rose 0.7 percent while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market gained 0.22 percent.