## Complete Guide to Stock Market Opening Hours in Vietnam

When participating in investments in the Vietnamese stock market, understanding **what time the stock market opens** is a key factor determining the success or failure of your trades. Many new traders become frustrated when orders are not matched, funds are frozen, or closing prices differ significantly from expectations—often due to a lack of understanding of each exchange's operating hours.

### Vietnam Stock Market Today: Scale and Growth Rate

After nearly 20 years of development, from the early days with only 2 stocks, REE and SAM, the Vietnamese primary stock market now features over 1,600 listed companies with a total capitalization of 4 quadrillion VND (equivalent to 171 billion USD). Notably, the derivatives market, although only three years old, has recorded an impressive trading volume increase of 3.3 times annually, affirming its vital role as an effective risk management tool.

### Trading Hours for the Primary Stock Market: How do the HOSE, HNX, and Upcom operate?

The three largest stock exchanges in Vietnam—HOSE, HNX, and Upcom—all follow a common trading schedule from Monday to Friday. **Stocks open at 9:00 AM and close at 3:00 PM** (Vietnam time GMT +7). On Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, trading is completely halted.

**Differences Between the Exchanges:**

HOSE (Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange) has the following detailed schedule:
- 9:00 - 9:15: Opening auction session (ATO)
- 9:15 - 11:30: Continuous trading with LO, MP, MOK, MAK, MTL orders
- 11:30 - 13:00: Lunch break
- 13:00 - 14:30: Continuous trading
- 14:30 - 14:45: Closing auction session (ATC)
- 14:45 - 15:00: Negotiated orders

HNX (Hanoi Stock Exchange) operates similarly but does not have an opening auction session; instead, it offers after-hours trading from 14:45 to 15:00 with special PLO orders.

Upcom differs most as it has no regular auction sessions (no ATO, ATC), only continuous trading with LO orders from 9:00 - 11:30 and 13:00 - 15:00.

### Derivatives Market Opens 15 Minutes Earlier

An important detail many investors overlook: **the derivatives market begins trading at 8:45 AM**, 15 minutes earlier than the primary stock market. Currently, Vietnam has two derivative products: the VN30 index and 5-year government bond futures.

Detailed operating hours:
- 8:45 - 11:30: Morning session
- 11:30 - 13:00: Lunch break
- 13:00 - 14:45: Afternoon session
- 14:45 - 15:00: Closing

### Settlement Times: Essential Details

Beyond trading hours, you should also pay attention to settlement schedules. Vietnamese stock exchanges apply three key time points:

- **T + 0:** The actual day the transaction is successfully executed
- **T + 1:** One day after the trading day (excluding holidays, Saturdays, Sundays)
- **T + 2:** Two days after the trading day (excluding holidays, Saturdays, Sundays)

Bonds are settled on T + 1, while stocks, closed-end fund certificates, and ETF fund certificates settle on T + 2.

### Essential Tips for Investors

First, understand the operating hours of each exchange. If you place orders outside trading hours, they will be temporarily stored and not matched until the next trading session. Price discrepancies can be significant due to market events occurring during non-trading periods.

Second, if you are an inexperienced individual trader, prioritize using LO (Limit Order)—a type of order that can be applied continuously throughout trading hours to buy and sell securities safely.

Third, always calculate settlement times to avoid cash flow issues, especially when trading near weekends or public holidays.

Mastering the question of **what time the stock market opens** and understanding order matching rules will help you optimize profit opportunities and minimize unnecessary mistakes in your Vietnamese stock investment journey.