HANOI, Oct 31 (Vietnam Insider) — Vietnam’s stock market ended October on a downbeat note, as selling pressure in property and financial stocks wiped nearly 2% off the benchmark VN-Index, pushing it below the key 1,640-point threshold.
The VN-Index plunged 29.92 points, or 1.79%, to close at 1,639.65, while the HNX-Index slipped 0.42% to 265.85. Market breadth turned sharply negative, with 414 decliners versus 330 gainers. Blue-chip stocks were no refuge: 21 of the 30 largest firms in the VN30 basket closed lower.
Trading activity picked up, signaling stronger selling momentum. More than 777 million shares changed hands on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange, worth about USD 970 million, while the Hanoi exchange saw USD 71 million in turnover.
The late-session rebound attempt failed to hold, as heavyweight property and banking names—Vingroup (VIC), Vinhomes (VHM), Vietcombank (VCB), and VietJet (VJC)—collectively erased over 18 points from the VN-Index. Only a handful of gainers such as PetroVietnam Gas (GAS), GVR, Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) and FPT Corporation managed to add a modest 2.7 points.
The real estate sector was the hardest hit, tumbling 4.2%, with Vingroup down 6.4%, Vinhomes down 4.6%, and VRE falling 3.8%. Financials and industrials followed, shedding 1.4% and 1.1%, respectively. In stark contrast, media and telecommunications stocks stood out as the only bright spot—rising 4.4%—thanks to gains in Viettel Global (VGI), VNZ, and FOC.
Foreign investors continued their month-long sell-off, offloading another USD 18 million on the Ho Chi Minh exchange, led by heavy net sales in VIC, VHM, VietinBank (CTG), and MBBank (MBB). On the Hanoi bourse, they sold a further USD 2.3 million, mainly in energy and construction plays like PVS and CEO Group.
In total, foreign investors have pulled out more than USD 910 million from Vietnamese equities in October, primarily from large-cap names such as MBB, SSI, Masan Group (MSN), and CTG.
Earlier in the day, the index briefly hovered around 1,650 points as energy shares staged a rare rally. Oil and gas producers including PV Drilling (PVD), BSR, Petrolimex (PLX), and PetroVietnam Technical Services (PVS) climbed 1–3%, bucking the broader market decline. However, the rebound was short-lived as selling pressure resumed across real estate and financial stocks by late morning.
The sharp pullback underscores a fragile sentiment among investors, who remain cautious amid rising volatility, continued foreign outflows, and mounting concerns about the health of Vietnam’s property sector.
Analysts say that unless liquidity improves and foreign investors return to buying, the VN-Index could struggle to reclaim the 1,650–1,670 range in the near term.
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Source: Vietnam Insider