The market showed a tug-of-war trend with a decline in the third week of July.

The market ended the week with a sharp decline, dealing a heavy blow to the previous session's recovery efforts. Meanwhile, foreign investors returned to net selling after two consecutive net buying sessions.

The key priority of the State Securities Commission (SSC) in the future is to cultivate the institutional investor ecosystem, encouraging long-term foreign investment, said Vũ Thị Chân Phương, Chairwoman of the SSC.

Shares rallied on Thursday as the recovery of large-cap stocks helped the VN-Index regain 5.78 points after the previous session's sharp decline, while the foreign bloc extended its net buying streak for the second day.

Six major stock exchanges in ASEAN, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Việt Nam, plan to connect trading and develop a standardised environmental, social and governance (ESG) curriculum for listed companies in the region.

The Vietnamese stock market has failed to break the crucial 1,300-point threshold despite various efforts, preventing the establishment of a sustainable upward trend.

The projected P/E ratio for the VN-Index this year is 11.5, below the 5-year average of 13.4, potential for the benchmark to rise in the second half of the year and 2025.

Stocks were mixed on Wednesday as profit-taking after Tuesday's rally weighed on markets, while market liquidity reached a 17-session high.

Shares rallied on Tuesday as the recovery of large-cap stocks helped the VN-Index regain 1.36 points after four sessions of declines, although liquidity remained low.