The upgrade is likely to widen Vietnam’s access to large funds allocated according to the FTSE Emerging Index, including Vanguard FTSE Emerging Market ETF.

Being allowed to short sell and trade at T+0 will help Vietnam improve evaluation criteria under global providers of financial services such as FTSE Russell and MSCI.

A possible delay in the Vietnamese stock market’s status upgrade until next year will result in the country losing a significant catalyst to reverse the trend of foreign selling.

It takes time for foreign investors to study the new regulations and change their perception to the Vietnam’s stock market, stated a senior official at the stock market watchdog.

Vietnam’s stock market authorities are actively working with global providers of financial services in MSCI and FTSE Russell to speed up the market upgrading process.