Vietnam's capital Hanoi stock market has continued the upward trend to the third consecutive week though trading remained sluggish.

On Friday, HNX-Index gained 1.02 points or 1.19 percent against the previous trading week.

During the week, the index witnessed two ups and three downs, posting the lowest level of 85.48 points on Monday and the highest level of 86.85 points on Wednesday.

During the previous trading week, the HNX-Index fluctuated between 85.66 points and 86.39 points.

On Friday, the Hanoi bourse closed at 86.79 points, down 0.02 points or 0.02 percent against the previous trading session.

A total of over 43.720 million shares worth some 524.651 billion Vietnamese dong (24.57 million U.S. dollars) were traded at the Hanoi Stock Exchange on Friday, a decrease of 20.17 percent in volume and 31.66 percent in value against the previous trading session.

Prices of 104 stocks went up, 88 stocks down, while 69 stocks remained unchanged.

Compared to the last trading session in 2014, the HNX-Index on Friday posted an increase of 3.81 points, or 4.59 percent.

Foreign investors continue to be net buyers, buying some 10.5 million shares, while selling out over 3.421 million shares from Monday to Thursday.

Pressure over profit taking activities is still available on the market, however, it does not affect the upward trend of the index, analysts said. Analysts suggested that investors can continue to maintain the current investment portfolio if they own shares with positive trading results in the recent sessions.

The index continued to fluctuate around the range of 85-87 points. Sluggish trading will be continued as the market still lacks significant supportive information, said the analysts.

It is forecasted to decline slightly in the next sessions if there is a selling trend in the market. Endi