BlackRock, Vanguard to attend Vietnam market-upgrade conference

The event, hosted by the Ministry of Finance and the State Securities Commission of Vietnam, comes ahead of FTSE Russell’s decision to reclassify Vietnam’s stock market from frontier to secondary emerging-market status, effective September 21.

The conference will bring together officials from the Ministry of Finance and the commission, representatives from FTSE Russell and the World Bank, as well as financial institutions, investment funds and global custodian banks.

Notably, international guests will include representatives from BlackRock and Vanguard, the world’s two largest asset managers, with assets under management of more than US$15 trillion and approximately $10-12 trillion, respectively.

Vanguard confirmed its emerging-market index funds will begin adding Vietnamese stocks to their portfolios starting September 21.

The State Securities Commission said that Vietnam’s stock market has developed steadily over the past three decades, improving legal frameworks, technology infrastructure, and investor access.

The upgrade reflects Vietnam’s progress toward international standards and is expected to strengthen investor confidence and attract more foreign capital.

One highlight of the conference will be a ceremonial gong strike marking Vietnam’s entry into the emerging-market group within the FTSE Global Equity Index Series.

Participants will also discuss priorities following the upgrade, including further improvements to the legal framework and trading infrastructure, as well as efforts to enhance market quality, transparency, and accessibility.

Ahead of the event, Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung hosted a reception for Fiona Bassett, CEO of FTSE Russell, in Hanoi on Thursday.

PM Hung praised FTSE Russell’s role in monitoring, evaluating and supporting Vietnam’s stock market, as well as in promoting its development toward greater transparency and efficiency in alignment with international standards.

Bassett described Vietnam as a remarkable growth story in Asia and pledged continued cooperation.

According to information from the meeting, Vietnam’s reclassification and increased weighting in the FTSE Global All Cap Index could help attract additional international capital to its stock market.

However, the upgrade does not mean capital will automatically flow into Vietnam at a fixed amount.

Actual inflows will depend on index structures, the assets managed by funds tracking those indices, the timeline for adding Vietnamese stocks, and individual fund managers’ allocation decisions.

After the September 21 milestone, the focus will shift from the upgrade itself to Vietnam’s ability to maintain emerging-market standards, improve liquidity, transparency, and infrastructure to sustain investor interest.