Vietnam Daily Market Recap March 13

Market remains volatile, VN-Index retreats 0.78%

The March 13 session featured sharp sector divergence: selling pressure concentrated in Oil & Gas and Chemicals while capital rotated into Real Estate and Food & Beverage as defensive havens. The VN-Index closed at 1,696.24, shedding 13.37 points (-0.8%). Market breadth tilted negative with 153 advancers against 167 decliners.

The VN30 closed at 1,853.60, down 6.20 points (-0.3%) — outperforming the broader index and suggesting blue-chip names held their price base relatively well. Within the VN30 basket, nine stocks advanced while 18 declined. The HNX-Index dropped 2.01 points (-0.8%) to 245.84, reflecting selling pressure spreading to small-cap names.

The session’s defining feature was the sharp reversal in Oil & Gas (-6.6%) — the sector that led gains in prior sessions turned into the worst performer, as speculative capital rapidly locked in profits after the recent surge. Chemicals (-3.7%), Utilities (-3.5%), Retail Services (-2.2%), Telecommunications (-2.2%) and Financial Services (-2.1%) also came under heavy selling pressure. Conversely, Construction & Materials (+1.1%), Travel & Entertainment (+0.7%), Food & Beverage (+0.5%) and Real Estate (+0.4%) attracted capital flows, reflecting a rotation strategy toward defensive and attractively valued sectors. Banking edged down -0.3%, maintaining its role as an index anchor.

Matched-order turnover on the HoSE reached VND24.7tn (USD950mn), up 0.1% vs the prior session but remaining below the trailing 20-session average. Subdued turnover during a declining session suggests selling pressure continued to fade gradually, though buying demand was not yet strong enough to generate a breakout. Foreign investors maintained net selling at VND499bn (USD19mn) on the HoSE, with the heaviest net selling in BSR (VND286bn, USD11mn), VIC (VND133bn, USD5mn) and SSI (VND99bn, USD4mn). On the buy side, foreign capital concentrated in KDH (VND141bn, USD5mn), VNM (VND139bn, USD5mn) and MSN (VND133bn, USD5mn) — indicating a preference shift toward consumer and real estate names over commodity plays.

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