HÀ NỘI — Benchmark indices continued to face a strong sell-off across all sectors on Monday, pushing the VN-Index below the psychological threshold of 1,600 points. 

On the Hochiminh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the VN-Index dropped 56.64 points, or 3.44 per cent, to 1,591.17 points. 

The breadth of the southern bourse remained in negative territory, with the number of decliners surpassing that of gainers by 317 to 33. Liquidity was also lower than the previous session, declining to VNĐ29.3 trillion (US$1.1 billion). 

The VN30-Index, tracking the 30 biggest stocks on HoSE, also dipped 56.94 points, or 3.17 per cent, to 1,741.05 points. Up to 27 ticker symbols in the VN30 basket ticked down, with four hitting the floor prices, while only three edged higher.

Many pillar sectors posted heavy losses, with energy falling 5.09 per cent, real estate tumbling 4.80 per cent, telecommunications declining 4.70 per cent, and basic materials dropping 4.24 per cent. 

Banks, widely viewed as a defensive anchor for the market, also succumbed to broad outflows. Key banking stocks plunged, including VPBank (VPB) down 4.2 per cent, Sahabank (SHB) which dropped 3.4 per cent, and BIDV (BID), which lost 3.3 per cent, collectively exerting substantial downward pressure on the indices.

Similarly, the HNX-Index on the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) decreased 5.92 points, or 2.43 per cent, to 237.54 points. 

Adding to the session's downward pressure was ongoing foreign selling. Foreign investors intensified net disposal activity, registering net sell orders of nearly VNĐ513 billion on HoSE alone.

Market observers said that the sell‑off occurred alongside sharp declines in major Asian equity markets, reflecting a global risk‑off backdrop. 

Analysts pointed to the Middle East conflict as a significant factor in unsettling global investor sentiment. However, they also said the impact on Việt Nam's market is largely indirect. 

Domestically, the market had entered a corrective phase after an extended advance of roughly 800 points from April 2025 to February 2026. 

External shocks, including geopolitical tensions, acted as catalysts that heightened pessimism and magnified selling pressure.

Việt Nam's market structure, historically characterised by protracted, accumulation‑style rallies followed by rapid, steep declines, remains sensitive to short‑term sentiment swings and the use of leverage by a subset of investors.

That structural profile, combined with concurrent external risk factors, contributed to the outsized scale of the sell‑off relative to some regional peers. — BIZHUB/VNS