The VN-Index began the new month on Sept. 1 by closing up for the fifth consecutive trading day, gaining 0.31 percent to end the session at 547.69.

However, heavy sales early in the session left investors concerned whether the market could continue its upward trend when trading resumes after Sept. 2’s National Day holiday.

Losers outnumbered gainers by 92 to 62 on the HCM Stock Exchange, while trades totalled 2.9 trillion VND (163 million USD) on a volume of 71.9 million shares.

An analyst in HCM City who asked for his name to be withheld said the price-per-earnings ratios of Vietnamese stocks remained lower than those in regional countries, allowing the Vietnam stock market to remain attractive to investors.

On the Hanoi Stock Exchange on Sept. 1, the HNX-Index closed essentially unchanged at 172.2 points. The value of the day’s trades on the northern market reached 1.4 trillion VND (78.2 million USD) on a volume of 39.6 million shares.

Bao Viet Securities (BVS), hitting its ceiling price of 71,700 VND per share, and Vinaconex (VCG), up 2,600 VND per share to 41,000 VND, were particularly strong performers on the day.

A report from Da Nang Securities Co this week said Vietnam ’s economy would remain strong going forward, with business performance continuing to improve and the nation’s stock markets continuing to post gains following National Day./.