Asia close: Vietnam paces gains in bumper year for region

Asian stocks finished a stellar year on Friday, that saw them eclipse gains in the States and on the Continent, on a mixed note.

Over 2017 the MSCI AC Asia Pacific Index clocked in with a gain of 31.83% at 173.40, even in the face of a slowdown in China and heightened geopolitical tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Nonetheless, it was only during the previous session that the regional benchmark managed to edge past its previous 2007 record high.

Japan's Nikkei 225 drifted 0.08% lower on Friday, ending the year at 22,764.94, alongside a 0.33% advance on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's Composite Index to 3,307.17.

For 2017, the Nikkei 225 notched up a gain of 19.09% in local currency terms - its best performance since 2013 - and the Chinese benchmark an advance of 6.5%.

Meanwhile, Japan's benchmark Topix index rose 20%, hitting its best mark since 1991.

Worth noting, the day before analysts at Nomura bumped up their forecast for the Nikkei-225's high over the coming year from 25,500 points to 27,000.

In parallel, Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up by 0.19% at 29,919.15 and by 36% for the year as a whole, and the South Korean Kospi by 1.26% to 2,467.49.

Further afield, India's BSE tacked on 0.56% to 11,029.78, while Vietnam's AN Index ended the year as the region's top performer, rising by 47%.

Pakistan's KSE 100 did worst, shedding 16%.

Over on foreign exchange markets, dollar/yen was trading 0.23% lower at 112.64, having begun the year from 116.96.