State divestments fueled market sentiment. Despite a correction in early December, news that ThaiBev invested USD4.8 billion in Sabeco, signs from SCIC that it plans to divest more of its stake next year and a strong recovery in the energy sector buoyed market sentiment in December. Moreover, investor confidence was reinforced in the last days of the year by Vietnam’s FY2017 GDP growth reaching 6.81%, the highest rate in a decade.