Vietnamese shares increased slightly on Friday as investors locked in profits after large-cap companies had made recent strong gains.

Vietnamese shares advanced on Friday morning as investors switched attention to mid-cap and small-cap items.

Vietnam’s stock market over the last few days has gradually recovered and rebounded, said Vice Minister of Finance Vu Thi Mai.

Vietnamese shares made strong gains on Thursday as investors scooped up large-cap stocks that had been previously hit hard.

To stabilise investor sentiment after the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, the Ministry of Finance has directed the State Securities Commission to closely monitor the market and crack down on the use of negative information about the coronavirus epidemic to manipulate stock prices.

Vietnamese shares advanced on Thursday morning, driven by banks and financial stocks.

Pharmaceutical stocks are experiencing an upsurge as fears of coronavirus have boosted demand for healthcare products and services, lifting demand for shares.

Foreign investors in January bought a total net value of VND46 billion (nearly US$2 million) worth of shares on the Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM).