The index was in the red throughout the day, dipping to 1,365 points in the afternoon, before climbing to close on a 14-point gain.

It has ended in the red during three sessions this week, losing 3.2 percent from its peak on July 2.

Trading value on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), on which the index is based, fell 24 percent to VND20.2 trillion ($878 million). The bourse saw 204 tickers lose and 148 gain.

The VN30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 21 tickers losing, led by NVL of real estate developer Novaland Group, down 6.1 percent.

NVL is now at its lowest since June 21. It has lost over 8 percent since its peak on June 30.

TCH of real estate company Hoang Huy Investment Financial Services fell 3.9 percent, while VRE of retail real estate arm Vincom Retail dropped 3.2 percent.

They were followed by STB of Ho Chi Minh City-based lender Sacombank, down 2.7 percent, and VIC of biggest private conglomerate Vingroup, down 2.6 percent.

Seven blue chip tickers bucked the trend, led by MWG of electronics retail chain Mobile World with a 4 percent gain to a new peak. It has gained over 11 percent in the last two sessions.

Foreign investors were net sellers to the tune of VND239 billion, with strongest pressure on NVL and CTG of state-owned lender VietinBank.

The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, fell 1.2 percent while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market dropped 0.73 percent.