Football in Vietnam
Encyclopedia
Association football in Vietnam is run by the Vietnam Football Federation
. The federation administers the Vietnam national football team
, as well as the V-League
, Vietnam First Division
, and Vietnam Second Division
.
Football is unarguably the main and most popular sport in Vietnam. Its annual V-League competition has taken place since 1980 till now (except in 1988 and 1999).
When Vietnam was split into North Vietnam
and South Vietnam
, two national teams existed. The North Vietnamese team was not very active, playing almost exclusively other Communist countries between 1956 and 1966 whilst the South Vietnamese team took part in the first two AFC Asian Cup
finals, finishing fourth both times.
(Nam Kỳ), and then spread to other parts of the colony - the central and northern parts.
In 1905, a British warship named after King Alfred visited Saigon and its football team had a friendly match against a local team composed of Vietnamese and French players. This was considered as the first international football match in Vietnam.
E. Breton, a member of France's L'Union des Sociétés Français des Sports Athlétiques brought football rules into Vietnam in 1906, and as a chairman of Cercle Sportif Saigonnais, he reorganized the club similar to football clubs in France. Some other clubs started to appear, such as Infanterie, Saigon Sport, Athletic Club, Stade Militaire, Tabert Club. Local cups were soon held afterwards. As a well-trained team, Cercle Sportif Saigonnais won for many times, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1916.
Some Vietnamese learned the game's regulations and established their own teams. The first two Vietnamese teams founded in 1907 were Gia Định Sport run by Ba Vẻ and Phú Khai and Ngôi Sao Xanh (Blue Star) run by Nguyễn Đình Trị. These two teams then came together to form "Ngôi sao Gia Định" (Gia Định Star). Prior to 1920, it had defeated all other teams, including Cercle Sportif Saigonnais (in 1917), and became the champion.
Other teams include: Victoria Sportive, Commerce Sport, Jean Compte, Sport Cholonaise, Khánh Hội Sport, Tân Định Sport, Gò Vấp, Hiệp Hòa, Chợ Quán, Phú Nhuận, Đồng Nai, Enfants de Troupe; in other provinces: Thủ Dầu Một, Cần Thơ, Sóc Trăng, Sa Đéc, Gò Công, Châu Đốc, Mỹ Tho. New grounds were developed, namely Citadelle, Renault (in front of current Thống Nhất Stadium), Fourière, Mayer, and Marine.
Football fans and some leaders then managed to form the (Vietnamese) Department of Football. Nguyễn Đình Trị was elected as head of board of directors and the Department itself developed its own field by buying more land. At that time, there was already a French Department of Football, therefore the two departments had no cooperation but some matches as in Cochin China Championship. In a match between Cercle Sportif Saigonnais and Ngôi sao Gia Định in 1925, Paul Thi, Ngôi sao's player was dismissed by a French referee, that led to his everlasting suspension and further conflicts between the two departments. The Championship was then delayed for many years until 1932, in which 6 Vietnamese and 3 French teams took part.
Between 1925 and 1935, Ngôi sao Gia Định were known for many famous players, e.g. Sách, Thơm, Nhiều, Quý, Tịnh, Xường, Trung, Thi, Vi, Mùi. About 29 cups were held, in which Ngôi sao got the champion for 8 times.
The first woman football team appeared in Cần Thơ in 1932, called Cái Vồn. Several years later, another team called "Rạch Giá" was founded. In 1933, Cái Vồn had a match with men's Paul Bert team at Mayer Stadium, and the two-all draw became historic in Vietnamese football history.
and the Indochina Wars
and soon restored after 1954, when the Geneva Accord
was signed, causing division between North and South Vietnam
Clubs AJS, Cảnh sát (Police), Tổng Tham Mưu (ARVN General Staff) and Quan Thuế (Customs) dominated the South's football until 1975.
while the Vietnamese Cup winner goes to the AFC Cup
.
Vietnam Football Federation
The Vietnam Football Federation is the governing body of football in Vietnam. It is responsible for the Vietnam men's, women's, olympic, and other youth teams as well as national competitions....
. The federation administers the Vietnam national football team
Vietnam national football team
The Vietnam national football team is the national football team representing Vietnam and is managed by the Vietnam Football Federation.In the FIFA World Rankings, Vietnam's highest standing was in the first release of the figures, in September 1998, at 84th...
, as well as the V-League
V-League
The number of foreign players is restricted to five per team. A team could use three foreigners on the field each game.As 2009 statistics, about half of V-League foreign players are Brazilian and the rest come from Argentina, Nigeria, Ghana, Czech Republic, Thailand and others.-Attendance:V-League...
, Vietnam First Division
Vietnam First Division
The Vietnamese First Division is the second tier league in Vietnamese football, after the V-League, with 14 teams competing.- Format :The league comprises 14 teams. Over the course of a season, each team plays twice against the others in the league, once at 'home' and once 'away', resulting in each...
, and Vietnam Second Division
Vietnam Second Division
The Vietnam Second Division which has 18 teams, both professional and semi-professional, is divided into 3 groups with 6 teams by geographical place....
.
Football is unarguably the main and most popular sport in Vietnam. Its annual V-League competition has taken place since 1980 till now (except in 1988 and 1999).
When Vietnam was split into North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
and South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, two national teams existed. The North Vietnamese team was not very active, playing almost exclusively other Communist countries between 1956 and 1966 whilst the South Vietnamese team took part in the first two AFC Asian Cup
AFC Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is an international association football tournament run by the Asian Football Confederation . It is the second oldest continental football championship in the world after Copa América. The winning team becomes the champion of Asia and automatically qualifies for the FIFA...
finals, finishing fourth both times.
History
Football came into Vietnam with the French in 1896. It was first introduced in CochinchinaCochinchina
Cochinchina is a region encompassing the southern third of Vietnam whose principal city is Saigon. It was a French colony from 1862 to 1954. The later state of South Vietnam was created in 1954 by combining Cochinchina with southern Annam. In Vietnamese, the region is called Nam Bộ...
(Nam Kỳ), and then spread to other parts of the colony - the central and northern parts.
Cochinchina
The first people who played football in Saigon were French civil servants, merchants and soldiers; some Vietnamese then picked it up. A club called Cercle Sportif Saigonnais (Saigon Sports Circle) was founded and later the oval-shaped ball was replaced by a round-shaped one and the games were played at the city park, called Jardin de la Ville (today Tao Đàn Park).In 1905, a British warship named after King Alfred visited Saigon and its football team had a friendly match against a local team composed of Vietnamese and French players. This was considered as the first international football match in Vietnam.
E. Breton, a member of France's L'Union des Sociétés Français des Sports Athlétiques brought football rules into Vietnam in 1906, and as a chairman of Cercle Sportif Saigonnais, he reorganized the club similar to football clubs in France. Some other clubs started to appear, such as Infanterie, Saigon Sport, Athletic Club, Stade Militaire, Tabert Club. Local cups were soon held afterwards. As a well-trained team, Cercle Sportif Saigonnais won for many times, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1916.
Some Vietnamese learned the game's regulations and established their own teams. The first two Vietnamese teams founded in 1907 were Gia Định Sport run by Ba Vẻ and Phú Khai and Ngôi Sao Xanh (Blue Star) run by Nguyễn Đình Trị. These two teams then came together to form "Ngôi sao Gia Định" (Gia Định Star). Prior to 1920, it had defeated all other teams, including Cercle Sportif Saigonnais (in 1917), and became the champion.
Other teams include: Victoria Sportive, Commerce Sport, Jean Compte, Sport Cholonaise, Khánh Hội Sport, Tân Định Sport, Gò Vấp, Hiệp Hòa, Chợ Quán, Phú Nhuận, Đồng Nai, Enfants de Troupe; in other provinces: Thủ Dầu Một, Cần Thơ, Sóc Trăng, Sa Đéc, Gò Công, Châu Đốc, Mỹ Tho. New grounds were developed, namely Citadelle, Renault (in front of current Thống Nhất Stadium), Fourière, Mayer, and Marine.
Football fans and some leaders then managed to form the (Vietnamese) Department of Football. Nguyễn Đình Trị was elected as head of board of directors and the Department itself developed its own field by buying more land. At that time, there was already a French Department of Football, therefore the two departments had no cooperation but some matches as in Cochin China Championship. In a match between Cercle Sportif Saigonnais and Ngôi sao Gia Định in 1925, Paul Thi, Ngôi sao's player was dismissed by a French referee, that led to his everlasting suspension and further conflicts between the two departments. The Championship was then delayed for many years until 1932, in which 6 Vietnamese and 3 French teams took part.
Between 1925 and 1935, Ngôi sao Gia Định were known for many famous players, e.g. Sách, Thơm, Nhiều, Quý, Tịnh, Xường, Trung, Thi, Vi, Mùi. About 29 cups were held, in which Ngôi sao got the champion for 8 times.
The first woman football team appeared in Cần Thơ in 1932, called Cái Vồn. Several years later, another team called "Rạch Giá" was founded. In 1933, Cái Vồn had a match with men's Paul Bert team at Mayer Stadium, and the two-all draw became historic in Vietnamese football history.
Tonkinchina and the Central Zone
Football came to the North of Vietnam (or Tonkinchina) in about 1906–1907. Some local press told about matches played by Legion Đáp Cầu and Olympique Hải Phòng in 1909. On the first match, Olympique won by 2-1, but they failed by 8-1 next time. In February 1912, Hanoi Football club (Stade Hanoien) was founded. The team was composed of Vietnamese and French players.1954-1975 period
Football activities in Vietnam were delayed during the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Indochina Wars
Indochina Wars
The Indochina Wars were a series of wars fought in Southeast Asia from 1947 until 1979, between nationalist Vietnamese against French, American, and Chinese forces. The term "Indochina" originally referred to French Indochina, which included the current states of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. In...
and soon restored after 1954, when the Geneva Accord
Geneva Accord
The Geneva Initiative, also known as the Geneva Accord, is a model permanent status agreement to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on previous official negotiations, international resolutions, the Quartet Roadmap, the Clinton Parameters, and the Arab Peace Initiative...
was signed, causing division between North and South Vietnam
North Vietnam
In North Vietnam, Thể Công team of People's Army was established on 23 September 1954. The national football team gained notable achievements at some regional events, such as Ganefo (Indonesia, 1963) and Asian Ganefo (Cambodia, 1966).South Vietnam
By late 1950s, the Southern football team became one of the four strongest teams in Asia, as they advanced into the final round of 1960 AFC Asian Cup together with South Korea, Israel and Republic of China. The team also won 10th Merdeka Cup in Malaysia, 1966.Clubs AJS, Cảnh sát (Police), Tổng Tham Mưu (ARVN General Staff) and Quan Thuế (Customs) dominated the South's football until 1975.
Asian eligibility
Uniquely, Vietnam has two chances to acquire Asian gold, as the V-League winner is eligible for the AFC Champions LeagueAFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
while the Vietnamese Cup winner goes to the AFC Cup
AFC Cup
The AFC Cup is an annual international association football competition between domestic clubs sides run by the Asian Football Confederation . Qualification to the competition is to clubs from AFC-affiliated countries which fall into the AFC's 'developing nations' category as laid out in their...
.
See also
- Vietnam national football teamVietnam national football teamThe Vietnam national football team is the national football team representing Vietnam and is managed by the Vietnam Football Federation.In the FIFA World Rankings, Vietnam's highest standing was in the first release of the figures, in September 1998, at 84th...
- South Vietnam national football teamSouth Vietnam national football teamThe South Vietnam national football team was the national team of South Vietnam controlled by Vietnam Football Association between 1949 and 1975. It took part in the first two Asian Cups finals , finishing fourth both times...
- Vietnam Football FederationVietnam Football FederationThe Vietnam Football Federation is the governing body of football in Vietnam. It is responsible for the Vietnam men's, women's, olympic, and other youth teams as well as national competitions....
- Foreign-born Vietnamese footballers