The U.S. dollar edged lower during Monday’s Asian trading session, ending a three-day winning streak. Meanwhile, Brent crude climbed above $90 per barrel as tensions between the United States and Iran continued to escalate.
Oil prices climbed for a third consecutive session after President Donald Trump said the interim agreement with Iran to end the war was “over.” The U.S. military also continued launching fresh strikes against Iran for a second day, with the aim of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for shipping traffic.
As of 01:22 GMT, spot gold rose around 2% to USD 4,304.11 per ounce, its highest level since June 9. U.S. gold futures for August delivery also gained 2% to USD 4,325.20 per ounce.
After more than 13 years under a state monopoly regime, as of October 10, 2025, Decree 232/2025/ND-CP officially takes effect, eliminating the state’s exclusive role in gold bar production. From this date forward, commercial banks and qualified enterprises may be granted licenses to produce, import, and export gold input materials for crafting gold bars. This decision has attracted keen attention from the business community, investors, and media as a structural shift in Vietnam’s domestic gold market.
On October 8, 2025, global index provider FTSE Russell officially announced that Vietnam has been upgraded from a Frontier Market to a Secondary Emerging Market — a landmark achievement that investors worldwide have awaited for over seven years.
According to the schedule, FTSE Russell is set to announce its semi-annual market classification review after the U.S. market closes on October 7, 2025 (morning of October 8, Vietnam time). All eyes are on whether Vietnam will be upgraded from “Frontier Market” to “Secondary Emerging Market”, after several years on the Watch List.
The Vietnamese stock market kicked off the week with remarkable momentum. On October 6 2025, the VN-Index jumped 49.68 points (+3.02%), closing at 1,695.50 points its strongest one-day gain in weeks.
In the third quarter of 2025, Vietnam’s economy expanded by 8.23% year-on-year, the second-highest growth in over a decade (trailing only the post-Covid rebound in 2022). Cumulatively, GDP for the first nine months rose 7.85%, setting a solid foundation for the government’s ambitious 8–8.5% full-year target.
Global gold soared over 12%, while Vietnam’s domestic gold price rose only about half. Why the gap, and what should investors watch out for?
On September 17, 2025, the Vietnamese stock market closed a volatile trading day. The VN-Index ended at 1,670.97 points, down 9.93 points or -0.59%.