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Vietnam draws foreign cash before FTSE upgrade

NEWS

September 18, 2026 at 05:20 UTC

2 min read
Electronic stock market board on an Asian trading floor as foreign investors buy Vietnam equities before FTSE upgrade

Key Points

  • 01FTSE Russell will lift Vietnam to secondary emerging status on Sep 21, 2026
  • 02Index‑tracking funds are projected to buy about US$240m of Vietnam stocks on Sep 18, 2026
  • 03Foreign investors turned net buyers in mid‑September after heavy 2026 outflows
  • 04Advisers see US$6–7bn of potential inflows from late 2026 through 2027

Foreign buying picks up ahead of FTSE Russell reclassification

Vietnam’s stock market is experiencing renewed foreign inflows as a major index upgrade approaches. FTSE Russell plans to reclassify Vietnam from a frontier market to secondary emerging status effective September 21, 2026, with index inclusion phased through 2027. The upcoming change is drawing interest from both passive and active investors who track or benchmark against FTSE indices.

Research on the expected impact of the upgrade projects that funds tracking FTSE’s Global Equity Index Series will begin an initial round of buying on September 18, 2026. These index‑tracking funds are estimated to add about US$240 million in net ETF inflows into Vietnamese equities, spread across 27 stocks that are set to be included in the benchmarks.

Recent trading shows shift to net foreign buying

Trading data from mid‑September 2026 indicate that foreign investors have already started to increase exposure. Over three consecutive sessions in the week of September 14–18, foreign investors were net buyers of more than 1.8 trillion dong of Vietnamese shares. On September 15 alone, net purchases exceeded 30 million shares, marking the highest daily buying volume by foreign investors in five months.

These recent inflows contrast with the broader pattern of the year to date. Overseas investors have sold more than 95 trillion dong of Vietnamese stocks so far in 2026. This follows an estimated US$5 billion of outflows from the market in 2025, underscoring how the latest buying comes after a prolonged period of foreign selling.

Projected capital inflows through 2027

Looking beyond the initial index‑driven trades, medium‑term projections point to substantial potential capital inflows tied to the new market status. One Hanoi‑based advisory firm estimates Vietnam could attract about US$6 billion to US$7 billion in foreign capital from September 2026 through the end of 2027 as a result of the FTSE Russell upgrade.

Within this total, around US$2.3 billion is expected to come from passive funds that replicate or track FTSE indices. A further US$3.7 billion to US$4.7 billion is seen as potentially coming from active institutional investors who may increase allocations to Vietnam once it is classified as a secondary emerging market. These projections highlight the scale of capital that could enter the market as the reclassification takes effect and the index inclusion is phased in.

Key Takeaways

  • 01Vietnam’s planned shift to secondary emerging status is already influencing trading patterns, with foreign investors returning as net buyers after large prior outflows.
  • 02Index‑linked ETF flows are likely to be a key transmission channel for the FTSE Russell upgrade, with a defined initial purchase window and a targeted group of 27 stocks.
  • 03Medium‑term estimates suggest that both passive and active institutional investors could play significant roles in channeling US$6–7 billion into Vietnam from late 2026 through 2027.

References

  1. https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/asean/vietnams-ftse-upgrade-looms-foreign-investors-need-more-convincing
  2. https://businesstimes.com.sg/international/asean/vietnams-ftse-upgrade-looms-foreign-investors-need-more-convincing
  3. https://en.vietnamplus.vn/ftse-russell-pledges-comprehensive-support-for-vietnams-capital-market-development-post352108.vnp
  4. https://www.pressreader.com/singapore/the-business-times/20260918/281603837368402