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

Vietnam’s benchmark VN-Index rose 0.8 percent to 1,229.55 points Wednesday, with NVL of real estate developer Novaland Group leading blue-chip gains. 

The index stayed in the green throughout the day and fluctuated in the 1,220-1,230 range. It closed with a near 10-point increase, highest of the past three sessions.

Trading value on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), on which the index is based, steadied at VND15.4 trillion ($668 million). The bourse saw 280 tickers gain and 128 lose.

The VN30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 21 tickers in the green, led by NVL of real estate developer Novaland Group, up 5.3 percent.

This was its third gaining session in a row. It has risen 59 percent this month.

STB of Ho Chi Minh City-based lender Sacombank rose 4.8 percent this session to a new peak this year. The ticker has gained 43 percent in the past four months.

VPB of private lender VPBank rose 3.4 percent to a new all-time high. This was its fourth consecutive gaining session.

PLX of fuel distributor Petrolimex and VRE of retail real estate arm Vincom Retail both rose 2.9 percent.

On the losing side, VNM of dairy giant Vinamilk led with a 2.1 percent drop, followed by MWG of electronics retail chain Mobile World, down 1.3 percent.

Foreign investors were net buyers for the fourth time in a row to the tune of VND393 billion, with strongest pressure on VHM of real estate giant Vinhomes and STB.

The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, rose 0.54 percent, while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market gained 0.89 percent.