HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s stock market ended the mid-May trading week with a mild correction after four consecutive days of gains, which had lifted the VN-Index above the key psychological threshold of 1,300 points and returned it to levels last seen in March 2025.

Profit-taking pressure emerged across the board, particularly in banking and technology stocks, causing the VN-Index to retreat slightly to 1,301.39 points — a nearly 12-point drop in Friday's session.

Despite the pullback, the short-term outlook remains positive. The VN-Index rose 2.69 per cent for the week, maintaining support above the 1,300-point level, while the VN30-Index climbed 2.38 per cent to 1,384.44 points, approaching its March peak. Liquidity remained strong, with trading volume up more than 31 per cent compared to the previous week, indicating renewed interest from short-term capital.

The correction was led by selling pressure in banking stocks, with key names such as Vietcombank (VCB), BIDV (BID), Sacombank (STB), VPBank (VPB), Eximbank (EIB), MSB and VIB all dropping more than 2 per cent. In the technology sector, FPT Corporation (FPT) fell 3.2 per cent, becoming the biggest drag on the VN-Index and was net sold by foreign investors with a value of more than VNĐ228 billion (US$8.8 million).

However, the group of stocks linked to billionaire Phạm Nhật Vượng continued to shine. Notably, newcomer Vinpearl JSC (VPL) rose another 3.38 per cent, extending its cumulative gain to 43 per cent after just four trading sessions since its listing on May 13. Vingroup (VIC) and Vincom Retail (VRE) also gained 0.25 per cent and 1.45 per cent, respectively.

Foreign investors returned to net selling after three days of net buying, offloading nearly VNĐ957 billion on the Hochiminh Stock Exchange. VCB, FPT, VHM and Masan Group (MSN) were among the most sold, though some stocks such as Mobile World (MWG), MBBank (MBB), Hoa Sen Group (HSG), and TCH still attracted foreign buying.

According to analysts from SHS Securities, with the VN-Index having rebounded from the 1,080–1,130 range to the 1,300–1,340 zone, the current level is not ideal for fresh investments. Instead, investors are advised to maintain a balanced portfolio, focusing on fundamentally strong and sector-leading stocks, while closely monitoring developments in tariff negotiations — a factor that could affect macroeconomic balances and corporate earnings prospects in the second half of the year.

On the northern bourse, the HNX-Index declined 0.59 per cent to 218.69 points. Total trading value on the Hanoi Stock Exchange reached VNĐ1.1 trillion, with more than 81 million shares changing hands. — VNS