The VN-Index managed to post a gain in yesterday's session, picking up 0.64 per cent to end the day at 315.71, with advancers outnumbering decliners by 109 to 35.


Market volume rose slightly, to 21.2 million shares worth VND526.3 billion (US$29.6 million), compared to Monday's volume of 20.7 million. Foreign investors helped drive up volume, as they accounted for 2.8 million transactions and a net buy of 1.2 million shares.


Sacombank returned to its familiar position as the most heavily-traded share, with nearly 3 million shares changing hands, representing 14 per cent of total market volume.


"Investors are trying to buy ahead of the holidays," said Hoang Thuy Quan, a broker at a Ha Noi-based securities firm, who added that buy orders were concentrated mostly in stocks of firms that had reported strong first-quarter earnings.


However, he noted, the domestic market had also begun tracking regional markets, in which the outbreak of swine flu had caused a slump in aviation shares and a rebound in healthcare stocks.


"I think the healthcare sector will gain substantially from this," said Saigon Securities Inc ([url="http://www.vietstock.com.vn/vstfinance/StockDetail.aspx?scode=SSI&q=SSI" target=_blank>SSI) investor Nguyen Toan. But