I recently received quite a few questions about how to make a profit when the market is falling, especially in the context of interest rates possibly rising in 2026. Today, I’d like to share a tool that many professional investors use, but beginners are still unfamiliar with—options.

What are options, really? In essence, options are contracts that give you the right (not the obligation) to buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price in the future. The good part is that you only pay a small fee called Premium, but you can potentially earn many times more profit if your prediction is correct. A simple example: Bitcoin is currently at $78K, and you believe the price will rise to $85K within the next 3 months. Instead of buying directly (which costs tens of thousands of USD), you only need to buy a Call Option with a strike price of $80K, costing just a few hundred USD in premium. If BTC actually rises to $85K, you can profit from this price difference.

There are two basic types of options you need to know: a Call Option is the right to buy (used when you expect the price to increase), and a Put Option is the right to sell (used when you think the price will fall). If you hold a portfolio of bank stocks worth 2 billion VND but worry that the State Bank of Vietnam (NHNN) will raise interest rates at the end of Q1/2026, causing the market to adjust, you can buy a VN30 index Put Option with a cost of only 40 million VND (2% of your capital). If the market really drops by 15%, your portfolio would lose 300 million VND, but the Put Option could gain 400–500 million VND thanks to leverage. You not only avoid losses, but also gain additional capital to “buy at the bottom.”

In addition, there’s an interesting strategy called Covered Call—this is how big investors optimize profits when the market moves sideways. For example: you hold 10,000 HPG shares, and you sell a Call Option at a price that is 10% higher than the current market price. Immediately, you receive the Premium fee from the buyer. If HPG doesn’t rise by more than 10%, you keep the entire Premium fee as an extra dividend, with nothing lost.

But I need to be blunt: options are not a game for beginners. They are more complex than regular trading, with many technical terms and potential risks. Option sellers can face losses that are unlimited (while buyers only lose the premium, capped at the amount they paid). Also, if you don’t manage margin properly, a margin call could liquidate your entire account.

Currently in Vietnam, the stock market only allows trading of futures contracts on VN30; options have not been expanded yet. If you want to trade options, you need to turn to international Forex platforms such as Mitrade (regulated by ASIC, CySEC, CIMA, FSC). When choosing a platform, pay attention to this: it is regulated by an international financial authority, provides good risk-management tools, offers friendly customer service, and has an easy-to-use platform.

My advice: if you want to start with options, learn thoroughly first, start with a small size, and focus only on one asset that you understand best (like Bitcoin or Ethereum). Set a clear strategy and stick to it consistently. Options are powerful tools to multiply capital or protect your portfolio, but they can also destroy your assets if you’re not careful. Treat it as a skill that needs to be learned, not a quick way to get rich.