Most banks ticked up, led by Hanoi-based Vietcombank , Vietnam's biggest lender by market value, with a 0.83 percent rise, while VietinBank, the country's top partly private bank in terms of assets, gained 1.69 percent.
Trading volume at midday stood at 37 million shares, compared with the five-day average of 75 million, Reuters data showed.
The index may move marginally in the last week before the market closes for Lunar New Year Holiday during February 16-23, while inflows into equities could surge after the break on positive sentiment, said brokerage Vietcombank Securities in a note to clients.