A PetroVietnam Gas Corporation's facility. The firm shares jumped 4.6 per cent on Friday morning. - Photo tuoitrethudo.com.vn

Vietnamese shares gained on Friday morning, led by mining and energy, retail and securities firms.

The benchmark VN-Index on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange rose 1.73 per cent to close at 692 points.

The benchmark had gained a total of 2.71 per cent on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The HNX-Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange advanced 1.63 per cent to end at 97.17 points.

The northern market index jumped 3.21 per cent on Wednesday.

The Vietnamese stock market was closed on Thursday for a national holiday.

Nearly 154 million shares were traded on the two exchanges, worth VND1.95 trillion (US$82 million).

The stock market was driven by strong gains in energy and mining stocks after oil prices picked up in Thursday's overnight trading.

Brent crude soared 21 per cent to end Thursday at nearly $30 a barrel.

Among local energy stocks, PetroVietnam Gas (GAS) jumped 4.6 per cent while others such as PetroVietnam Drilling and Well Services (PVD) and PetroVietnam Technical Services (PVS) soared 7.0 per cent and 9.6 per cent.

Brokerages and retailers also made good gains, including HCM City Securities Corp (HCM), SSI Securities Corp (SSI), Mobile World Investment Corp (MWG) and FPT Retail (FRT).

The afternoon trading session starts at 1pm. – VNS