Vietnam's VN-Index closed at 1,774.15 points on 23 October, up 13.52 points or 0.77%, VietnamPlus reported. Bank stocks drove an afternoon turnaround, with Sacombank's STB hitting its daily limit and ACB topping turnover, according to VnExpress. Foreign investors went the other way, net selling about 480 billion dong after two sessions of net buying.
On the Hanoi exchange, the HNX-Index rose 1.62 points (0.62%) to 262.70, VietnamPlus said.
A turn after 13:30
Sellers had the upper hand in the morning, VnExpress reported, with half of all HoSE stocks in the red and the index below the reference level, hovering under 1,760 points into the early afternoon. From 13:30 it began to recover, and more money came in from 14:00, lifting it to the close.
Breadth remained weak: 153 HoSE stocks fell and 137 rose, a sign that money was still selective. Total trading value was more than 16,900 billion dong, up almost 11% from the previous session, which VnExpress still described as relatively low and a sign of caution.
Banks in front
The banking sub-index gained 1.59%, and eight of the ten biggest contributors to the VN-Index were banks: STB, ACB, LPB, VCB, BID, CTG, SSB and EIB, VnExpress said. KBVN+ compiled the key moves from VnExpress figures:
| Ticker | Move | Close | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| STB | Limit up | 68,500 dong | Over 554 billion dong traded, third in the market; nearly 83% of matched volume from active buyers |
| ACB | Up 3.9% | 21,300 dong, session high | Nearly 847 billion dong traded, the most in the market; nearly 63% active buying |
| VIC | Up 1.5% | 236,500 dong | With VHM, added more than 6 points |
| VHM | Up 0.5% | 64,300 dong | With VIC, added more than 6 points |
Foreigners sell again
After two sessions of accumulating, foreign investors were net sellers of about 480 billion dong, VnExpress reported. ACB was the most sold at more than 469 billion dong, followed by FPT at 146 billion dong and PNJ at 110 billion dong. Foreigners still bought heavily into TCB and MSN.
ACB stands out: it was the market's most traded stock, closed at its high of the day and was also the stock foreigners sold most. Domestic buyers absorbed that selling on a rising day.
A week of recovery
The VN-Index over the week, based on VietnamPlus figures:
| Session | Change | Close |
|---|---|---|
| 19 October | Down 16.07 points | 1,689.84 points |
| 20 October | Up about 2 points | Nearly 1,692 points |
| 21 October | Up 46.7 points (2.76%) | 1,738.7 points |
| 22 October | Up 21.96 points | 1,760.63 points |
| 23 October | Up 13.52 points (0.77%) | 1,774.15 points |
VnExpress put the weekly gain at more than 68 points, or about 4%, a reversal after four straight weeks of declines, though it noted that large caps and a handful of stocks with their own stories were still doing most of the work. Friday's rise followed the previous session's gain of nearly 22 points on foreign buying.
The regional and global backdrop
Asian markets were mixed on 23 October, VietnamPlus reported. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.7% to 23,093.37 and the Shanghai Composite gained 0.9% to 3,690.48, while Japan's Nikkei 225 slipped 0.3% to 62,693.16. Seoul turned higher late on, helped by a gain of more than 4% in SK hynix. The VN-Index's 0.77% rise sat between Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Tech stocks remain under pressure from worries about stretched valuations and the cost of the AI investment wave, VietnamPlus said. On Wall Street on 22 October the S&P 500 fell 1.2% and the Nasdaq Composite 2.6%, its steepest drop since July. Brent crude touched 114 USD a barrel on 23 October on concern that Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia could disrupt supply.
What comes next
The next trading session is on Monday, 26 October 2026. In its morning note on 23 October, cited by VnExpress, VPBank Securities (VPX) said the recovery had firmed up a short-term bottom but warned that profit-taking could build as the index approaches resistance; it advised holding portfolios and buying only fundamentally sound stocks. Global investors are also watching business activity data from the US, the UK and the eurozone for the impact of energy prices and high borrowing costs, VietnamPlus said.