HANOI - Vietnam's benchmark index fell as much as 3.6% in early trading on Tuesday to 1,263, the lowest since July, before recovering slightly.

The index closed down nearly 5% on Monday. It has plunged 13.8% so far this month, a slump investors and brokers attribute to recent arrests of businesspeople for alleged market manipulation, plus concerns about high inflation.

(Reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by Martin Petty)