Shares fell on Friday morning as investors were still hesitant on risky investments.

On the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the VN-Index dropped by 6.45 points, or 0.49 per cent, to 1,301.35 points.

The market breadth was negative with 308 stocks declining, while 116 stocks increased.

Meanwhile, liquidity improved, with more than 294.6 million shares traded on HoSE, worth nearly VND8.4 trillion (US$360.5 million).

The index climbed over the reference price in the earlier session on strong gains in bank stocks. However, a rising selling force at the end of the morning trade pushed the benchmark to inch lower.

The VN30-Index, tracking the 30 biggest stocks on the southern market, decreased by 4.09 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 1,338.83 points.

Seventeen stocks in the VN30 basket slipped, while nine were higher and four were unchanged.

On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HNX), the HNX-Index also edged down 2.84 points, or 0.91 per cent, to 309.9 points.

In the top five stocks influencing the market's down rend, PV Gas (GAS) lost the most, with a 1.72 per cent decline. Other stocks in the group were Vinhomes (VHM), BIDV (BID), Vietinbank (CTG) and Masan Group (MSN), all down in a range of 0.88-1.62 per cent.

Cushioning the losses, some big stocks still post positive performance, including Techcombank (TCB) up 2.54 per cent, Duc Giang Chemicals (DGC) up 4.44 per cent and Vietcombank (VCB) up 0.39 per cent. VNS