Strong last minute purchases helped the VN-Index on the HCM City Stock Exchange rally for the second day, closing the session at 445.21 points after rising 0.04 per cent.

About 27.5 million shares changed hands, worth a total of VND662.9 billion (US$34 million).
Blue chips rebounded during the session's third phase, including Bao Viet Holding (BVH) and Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAG), up 1 per cent each; Hoa Phat Group (HPG) and PetroVietnam Finance (PVF), 0.5 per cent; and VietinBank (CTG), 0.1 per cent.
About nine of the 268 listed stocks on the HCM City market matched their ceiling prices, including Industrial Urban Development Comapny No.2 (D2D), up 2.1 per cent; Ninh Hoa Sugar (NHS), 1.7 per cent; National Seed (NSC), 1.6 per cent; and Hoang Quan Resulting-Trading-Service Real Estate (HQC), 1.5 per cent.
In Ha Noi, the HNX-Index fell by 1.09 per cent to close at 111.32 points, on a total volume of 20.8 million shares.
Value remained low at VND411.9 billion ($21.1 million).
The decliners outnumbered advancers by 213 to 72, while 25 stocks matched their ceiling prices.