Understand the Vietnam Stock Exchange Opening and Closing Times to Avoid Missing Orders

Have you ever placed a buy order for your favorite stocks at 4:00 PM and had the system reject it? That’s because you are outside the trading hours. The Vietnamese stock market operates according to a strict schedule, and understanding market opening and closing hours is the first step to success in trading.

How Many Stock Exchanges Are There in Vietnam?

Currently, Vietnam has 3 main stock exchanges: HOSE, HNX, and Upcom. Additionally, there are dozens of major exchanges worldwide such as NYSE, NASDAQ, JPX, LSE, SSE. The important thing to know is each stock exchange has different opening and closing times, and if you trade outside the designated hours, your order will not be matched and will wait until the next session. This directly impacts the selling price, as many events can occur during trading halts.

Current Structure of the Vietnamese Stock Market

The domestic market in Vietnam has grown from 2 initial stocks to thousands of listed codes, with a total market capitalization of 4 quadrillion VND (approximately 171 billion USD). The derivatives market is only 3 years old but trading volume has increased 3.3 times per year. To optimize profits, you need to master market opening and closing hours for each segment.

Stock Trading Hours: Standard Regulations

Both HOSE, HNX, and Upcom operate from Monday to Friday. Opening at 9:00 AM and closing at 3:00 PM (local time GMT +7). Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays are non-trading days. On average, the Vietnamese stock exchanges trade about 250 days a year.

However, there are differences among the exchanges in details:

HOSE - Detailed Opening and Closing Hours

• 9:00-9:15: Opening auction (ATO) - only applies to ATO and LO orders
• 9:15-11:30: Continuous trading - applies to all order types (LO, MP, MOK, MAK, MTL)
• 11:30-13:00: Lunch break
• 13:00-14:30: Continuous trading
• 14:30-14:45: Closing auction (ATC)
• 14:45-15:00: End of trading

Bond trading occurs from 9:00-11:30, then pauses 11:30-13:00, and resumes 13:00-15:00.

HNX - Slight but Important Differences

HNX does not have an opening auction (ATO) but has after-hours trading from 14:45-15:00 (PLO). This creates an additional opportunity to adjust positions at the end of the day.

• 9:00-11:30: Continuous trading
• 11:30-13:00: Lunch break
• 13:00-14:30: Continuous trading
• 14:30-14:45: Opening auction
• 14:45-15:00: After-hours trading (PLO)

Upcom - The Simplest

Upcom does not have any opening auction (no ATO, no ATC):

• 9:00-11:30: Continuous trading
• 11:30-13:00: Lunch break
• 13:00-15:00: Continuous trading

Derivatives Market: Opens 15 Minutes Earlier

Vietnamese futures markets like VN30 Futures and Government Bond Futures open 15 minutes earlier than the underlying stocks:

• 8:45-11:30: Session I
• 11:30-13:00: Lunch break
• 13:00-14:45: Session II

Settlement Time: Equally Important Factor

Besides market opening and closing hours, you should also pay attention to settlement times to avoid cash flow issues:

• T+0: Transaction date
• T+1: 1 trading day after (bond)
• T+2: 2 trading days after (stocks, fund certificates, ETFs)

Note: T+1 and T+2 do not include Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

Important Tips for Individual Traders

1. Choose the Right Order Type: If you’re a beginner, use LO (Limit Order) - an order type that can be applied continuously during trading hours.

2. Don’t Forget Market Hours: A common mistake is placing orders outside trading hours, causing delays and significant price changes.

3. Plan Your Cash Flow: Due to extended settlement times, especially if it falls on weekends, you need to reserve enough capital to avoid a “cash crunch.”

4. Compare and Refer: Each exchange has small differences in allowed order types and market opening and closing hours, so print out a comparison table and review regularly.

Understanding trading schedules is not complicated, but it is the foundation that helps you avoid unnecessary mistakes and optimize each transaction.