SE Asia Stocks-Gain as U.S. stock futures climb; Vietnam hits record

* Asian shares ex-Japan climb 0.9 pct

* Malaysian shares up as much as 0.7 pct

* Singapore falls early in session before reversing course

By Nicole Pinto

April 9 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets inched

higher on Monday as a bounceback in U.S. stock futures whetted

risk appetite, although heightened trade tensions between the

United States and China tempered the gains.

Shares in Vietnam, the only market in Southeast Asia

with double-digit percentage gains year-to-date, marked a fresh

all-time peak and were on track to end higher for the 18th

session in 21.

Asian shares outside Japan rose nearly one

percent, while the U.S. S&P 500 E-Mini futures climbed

0.6 percent, even as President Donald Trump kept up his twitter

war with China.

The two countries have threatened each other with tens of

billions of dollars' worth of tariffs in recent days and Chinese

officials have said this is not the time for negotiations.

Malaysian shares climbed 0.6 percent, helped by

materials stocks.

Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd jumped 10.7

percent, on track to end higher for a second session in 12.

Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd climbed 3 percent to a

record.

Indonesian shares rose as much as 0.5 percent.

United Tractors Tbk PT jumped 4.8 percent to an over

1-1/2-month high, while Astra International Tbk PT,

the country's largest automotive distributor, gained 1.7

percent.

Singapore shares shed as much as 0.8 percent early in

the session, before reversing course and climbing 0.3 percent.

DBS Group Holdings Ltd rose 1.3 percent, while

Singapore Telecommunications Ltd shed 0.9 percent.

Singapore central bank's semiannual monetary policy

statement as well as the city-state's first-quarter economic

growth data are due on Friday.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore is expected to tighten

its exchange-rate based policy at its review, according to 12 of

19 analysts polled in a Reuters survey.

The government's advance estimate of first-quarter gross

domestic product is expected to show that GDP expanded 1.0

percent from the previous three months on an annualised basis,

according to the median forecast in a Reuters survey.

The Philippine stock market was closed for a holiday.

For Asian Companies click;

SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS: Change as at 0457 GMT

Current Previous Close Pct Move

Singapore 3453.43 3442.5 0.32

Bangkok 1747.28 1739.92 0.42

Jakarta 6205.309 6175.052 0.49

Kuala Lumpur 1847.7 1837.01 0.58

Ho Chi Minh 1201.57 1199.96 0.13

Change on year

Market Current End 2017 Pct Move

Singapore 3453.43 3402.92 1.48

Bangkok 1747.28 1753.71 -0.37

Jakarta 6205.309 6355.654 -2.37

Kuala Lumpur 1847.7 1796.81 2.83

Ho Chi Minh 1201.57 984.24 22.08

(Reporting by Nicole Pinto; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri)