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The Vietnam national football team ( vi, Đội tuyển bóng đá quốc gia Việt Nam) represents the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...
in international
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ca ...
and is controlled by the
Vietnam Football Federation The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF, vi, Liên đoàn Bóng đá Việt Nam) is the governing body of football in Vietnam. It is responsible for the all Vietnam teams of football, futsal and beach soccer as well as national competitions. VFF ...
, the governing body of
football in Vietnam Association football in Vietnam is run by the Vietnam Football Federation. The federation administers the Vietnamese national football teams including the Men's and Women's teams. It is also responsible for the national football leagues including ...
. Vietnam was introduced to football by the French in the 19th century. However, due to various conflicts that occurred in the country throughout the 20th century, the development of Vietnamese football was significantly hampered. When Vietnam was split into
Democratic Republic of Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
(
north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...
) and
Republic of Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
(
south South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
) in 1954, two national teams existed simultaneously and were controlled by separate governing bodies. After the country was unified in 1976, the separate governing bodies were combined and renamed to the Vietnam Football Federation. Since the 1990s, Vietnam has re-integrated into global football, and the sport soon became an integral part of Vietnamese society and a soft-power mechanism against the country's negative reputation due to the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and ...
and subsequent international conflicts. This has made the national football team a part of
Vietnamese nationalism Vietnamese nationalism ( vi, chủ nghĩa dân tộc Việt Nam / chủ nghĩa quốc gia Việt Nam, Chữ Hán: 主義民族越南 / 主義國家越南) is a form of nationalism that asserts the Vietnamese people are an independent nation and ...
, enjoying nationwide support and overseas. Vietnamese supporters are dubbed to be passionate and renowned for large celebrations over the team's achievements on both senior and youth levels.


History


Early history (1896–1954)

The introduction of football into Vietnam traced its roots in 1896, during the era of colonial
French Cochinchina French Cochinchina (sometimes spelled ''Cochin-China''; french: Cochinchine française; vi, Xứ thuộc địa Nam Kỳ, Hán tự: ) was a colony of French Indochina, encompassing the whole region of Lower Cochinchina or Southern Vietnam fr ...
. At the early stage, the sport were only played among French civil servants, merchants, and soldiers. The French then encouraged local Vietnamese to play football and other sports that were introduced to them in order to divert their interest from politics, resulting in football being spread to the northern and central region. On 20 July 1908, the newspaper ''Southern Luc Tan Van'' reported the match between two local Vietnamese teams for the first time. A football guidebook published in 1925 by Vietnamese doctor Pham Van Tiec attracted the interest among Vietnamese youngsters. By 1928, the Vietnamese had established the Annamite Sports Bureau and in the same year they sent a football team to compete in
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borderin ...
. More local football clubs then established in both northern and southern Vietnam. However, it was not until after the World War II that football clubs in the region started to become more organized. Vietnam played their first ever international match in a 2-4 loss against
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic of ...
in Saigon.


Two Vietnam national teams (1954–1976)

Two national football teams existed when Vietnam was divided into
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
and
North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
. The southern team participated in the first two AFC Asian Cup finals (
1956 AFC Asian Cup The 1956 AFC Asian Cup was the first AFC Asian Cup, held every four years and organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The final tournament was held in Hong Kong from 1 September to 15 September 1956. It was won by South Korea. Venue ...
and
1960 AFC Asian Cup The 1960 AFC Asian Cup was the 2nd edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were hosted by South Korea from 14 October to 23 October 1960. ...
) and earned two fourth-place finishes. They won the first
Southeast Asian Games The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supe ...
gold in 1959 in
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
. The team also participated in the qualification for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, beating
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
1–0 to qualify the classification matches. They ultimately lost their group opening matches by 0–4 to
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and 0–1 to
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta ...
. The team played their last game in a 0-3 loss against
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malays ...
in 1975. Meanwhile, the northern team was less active. They were not a member of either AFC or FIFA, but they often played against other
communist states A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Comint ...
between 1956 and 1966. Their first game was a 3-5 lost against
China PR China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
under head coach Truong Tan Buu. They participated in the first GANEFO (Games of the New Emerging Forces) competitions at
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guinea. In ...
in 1962 and
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...
in 1966. Both teams ceased to exist when the North and South regions reunited into the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...
following the end of the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and ...
. However, North Vietnam did not become a member of AFC and FIFA until 1976. Because both of them were members of FIFA (South from 1954 and North from 1964), the later unified Vietnam team is classified as the successor of them both by FIFA. The development of football during this era for both Vietnams was marked with stagnation as the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and ...
occurred at the same time. Because of the war, Vietnam, by then, a major football force in Asia, started losing its reputation. Thus, the conflict had greatly reduced Vietnamese footballing ability and weakened the country seriously. However, the following
Cambodian–Vietnamese War The Cambodian–Vietnamese War ( km, សង្គ្រាមកម្ពុជា-វៀតណាម, vi, Chiến tranh Campuchia–Việt Nam), known in Vietnam as the Counter-offensive on the Southwestern border ( vi, Chiến dịch Phản ...
and
Sino-Vietnamese War The Sino-Vietnamese War (also known by other names) was a border war fought between China and Vietnam in early 1979. China launched an offensive in response to Vietnam's actions against the Khmer Rouge in 1978, which ended the rule of the C ...
, and global sanctions against the country, had depleted the nation's football team and turned Vietnam into one of the weakest teams in the world and Asia overall. For this reason, Vietnamese football can be still considered new and unknown for the rest of the world, in spite of its long standing history as Vietnam only rejoined global football in 1991. Vietnam's professional football league, known as the All Vietnam Football Championship, was launched in 1980 to redevelop Vietnamese football after a long period of civil war. In 1989, following the
Đổi Mới (, ; ) is the name given to the economic reforms initiated in Vietnam in 1986 with the goal of creating a " socialist-oriented market economy". The term itself is a general term with wide use in the Vietnamese language meaning "innovate" or ...
reforms, a new football federation was formed. Vietnamese sports began to return to international events. After three months of preparation, in August 1989, the First Congress of the new football federation took place in
Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
, declaring the formation of the
Vietnam Football Federation The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF, vi, Liên đoàn Bóng đá Việt Nam) is the governing body of football in Vietnam. It is responsible for the all Vietnam teams of football, futsal and beach soccer as well as national competitions. VFF ...
. Trịnh Ngọc Chữ, deputy minister of General Department of Sports, was elected as the first president of VFF.


Post Vietnam War and redevelopment era (1991–2006)

The reunified Vietnam national football team rejoined international football by participating in the 1991 edition of the
Southeast Asian Games The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supe ...
in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. They have participated in every edition of the tournament since then. Unified Vietnam has also regularly entered qualification for the FIFA World Cup since the 1994 edition and for the AFC Asian Cup since the 1996 edition. Vietnam participated in
FIFA World Cup qualification The FIFA World Cup qualification is a competitive match that a national association football team takes in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the (men's) FIFA World Cup. Qualifying tournaments are hel ...
in 1994 World Cup campaign for the first time as an unified nation, having participated in the 1974 qualification as South Vietnam. The national side at the time was not successful in World Cup campaigns, failing in both the 1994 and
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
qualifications with only one win. In 1996, Vietnam participated in the first (1996) ASEAN Football Federation championship (then known as Tiger Cup) and finished third. Vietnam hosted the second Tiger Cup in 1998, where they heartbreakingly lost 0–1 to
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borderin ...
in the final. From 2000 to 2007, Vietnam continued their quest to win the Southeast Asian trophy, but they often ended short. In 1996, Vietnam gained international headline for inviting Italian giant
Juventus F.C. Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football league system. Founded in 1 ...
, the reigning 1995–96 UEFA Champions League champion, to play in a friendly match in Hanoi. Despite a 1-2 loss, the match was a watershed moment that boosted the development of football in the country. Vietnam has participated in all editions of the ASEAN championship ever since. Vietnam was the host of the 1999 Dunhill Cup, a friendly tournament for both senior and U-23 players. Since it was categorized as a mingled senior and U-23 competition, some national teams had decided to participate using its senior reserve side. In this competition, Vietnam created a promising performance, including a shock win over then-
1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States w ...
and
UEFA Euro 1996 The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 ...
participant
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...
1–0 and drawing with
1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the ...
participant
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkme ...
2–2 and topping the group. Vietnam was then eliminated in the semi-finals after a 1–4 defeat to China.
2002 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification competition was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South Ameri ...
had some of Vietnam's few bright moments during these World Cup campaigns, with the team winning three matches and drawing one, both played in
Dammam Dammam ( ar, الدمّام ') is the fifth-most populous city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina. It is the capital of the Eastern Province. With a total population of 1,252,523 as of 2020. The judicial and administrative ...
. However, with the team having lost against
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...
, Vietnam did not qualify for the World Cup. The 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification was also unsuccessful, with Vietnam falling to South Korea and
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
, but managing to create a shock 1–0 win to 2002 FIFA World Cup's fourth-place winner South Korea in
Muscat Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate was ...
, which remains as one of Vietnam's greatest football feats since unification. The
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification competition was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation – the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America ...
had been extremely depressing for Vietnam, with the team once again failing, falling behind South Korea and
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
, and only staying above
Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipela ...
by goal difference.


Renaissance of Vietnam football (2007–2009)

Vietnam hosted the
2007 AFC Asian Cup The 2007 AFC Asian Cup was the 14th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held from 7 to 29 July 2007. For the first time in its hi ...
along with
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guinea. In ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malays ...
and
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
, despite failing to qualify for the Asian Cup since the 1990s. The team was ranked second lowest only after Malaysia, but Vietnam created shock by defeating the
UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
2–0, drawing 1–1 with another Gulf team,
Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it s ...
, before losing 1–4 to defending champions
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. Vietnam were the only Southeast Asian and host team to reach the quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual champions
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
0–2. This marked the beginning of the first Vietnamese football renaissance. Vietnam won their first
AFF Championship The ASEAN Football Federation Championship (less formally the AFF Championship or AFF Cup), currently known as the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup for sponsorship reason, is the primary association football tournament organized by the ASEAN Footba ...
title in 2008, in which they were held in
Group B Group B was a set of regulations for grand touring (GT) vehicles used in sports car racing and rallying introduced in 1982 by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Although permitted to enter a GT class of the World Sportscar C ...
with Thailand, Malaysia and Laos. After losing to Thailand 0–2 in the opener, Vietnam defeated Malaysia 3–2 and
Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
4–0. In the semi-finals, Vietnam held the defending champion
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borderin ...
to 0–0 at home before winning 1–0 away, making the final for the first time in 10 years. Vietnam met Thailand again in the finals. They defeated Thailand 2-1 in the first leg in Thailand. Returning home, Vietnam drew 1-1 behind Le Cong Vinh's last-minute header, resulting in an aggregate 3-2 victory. This would be the team's first international title since rejoining global football. Vietnam almost managed a successful
2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification The 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification saw various countries take part to determine 10 spots to the final tournament in Qatar under the new qualification system set by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Six other teams also qualified for th ...
when Vietnam performed well against
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
and Lebanon, as well as against the neighbor China; but the shortcoming on scoring goals once again proved to be instrumental on denying Vietnam's qualification to
2011 AFC Asian Cup The 2011 AFC Asian Cup was the 15th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Qatar from 7 to 29 January ...
, as the team finished third with only a single 3–1 home win over Lebanon and two draws away to both Levant opponents Syria and Lebanon. Despite losing all two matches against China, including the huge loss 1–6 in
Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whic ...
, Vietnam still scored at least one single goal in both games.


Decline (2009–2014)

The period between 2009 and 2014 witnessed the decline of Vietnamese football. The team participated in
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A ...
, 2014 World Cup qualifiers and 2015 Asian Cup qualifiers, but were unsuccessful and accepted the early eliminations. The team loss 0–6 on aggregate against the United Arab Emirates in the first round of 2010 World Cup qualification. In the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Vietnam could only defeated
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
in the first round, before being eliminated by
Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it s ...
in the second round. The worst of this decline was in 2015 Asian Cup qualifiers where Vietnam lost five out of six games and finished at the bottom of the group including the United Arab Emirates,
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
and
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta ...
. Along with the poor performance in the continental qualification, Vietnam suffered a setback in the regional tournament. The team had lost to Malaysia, the eventual champion, in the
2010 AFF Championship The 2010 AFF Championship, sponsored by Suzuki and P&G and officially known as the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, was the 8th edition of the AFF Championship, took place on 1–29 December 2010. Indonesia and Vietnam hosted the group stage from 1 to 8 ...
semi-final. The 2012 AFF Championship even brought a worse disaster for Vietnam when the team was eliminated in the group stage and only obtained a 1–1 draw against Myanmar, while losing 1–3 to Thailand and 0–1 to
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
.


Rebuilding (2014–2017)

The national team of Vietnam started to witness significant changes under the tenure of Toshiya Miura, who took charge of Vietnam from 2014 to 2016. The Japanese coach was accredited for rebuilding the national team of Vietnam after the failed
2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification The 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification was a qualification process organized by the AFC to determine the participating teams for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. The 2015 AFC Asian Cup, hosted by Australia, featured 16 teams. In the initial scheme, ten pl ...
, and had a significant impact on the improvement of the team's performances. One of the most renowned achievement under Miura's era was with the youth team, when the Olympic side managed to cruise pass Olympic Iran, a major Asian force, at the
2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games ( ko, 2014년 아시아 경기대회/2014년 아시안 게임, Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 17th Asian Games ( ko, 제17회 아시아 경기대회/제17회 ...
with an unthinkable 4–1 victory. Many of the young players nurtured by coach Miura would be brought to senior side, where the team managed a fine performance in
2014 AFF Championship The 2014 AFF Championship, sponsored by Suzuki and officially known as the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup, was the 10th edition of the AFF Championship, an international association football competition consisting of national teams of member nations of the ...
, but Vietnam failed to progress beyond the semi-finals after a shocking 2–4 defeat to Malaysia right at home, in spite of winning 2–1 away before. Vietnamese police had sought to investigate this match, but found no evidence of rigged bribery or corruption as also stated in the findings of Swiss-based international supplier betting services
Sportradar Sportradar AG is a multinational corporation with headquarters in St. Gallen, Switzerland, that collects and analyzes sports data for bookmakers, national and international sports federations, and media companies. As of 2022, the company has 35 o ...
. Miura led Vietnam in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers when Vietnam was grouped together with Thailand, Indonesia,
Chinese Taipei "Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the Republic of China (ROC), a country commonly known as Taiwan. Due to the One-China principle stipulated by th ...
and Iraq; Indonesia later was banned to participate by FIFA. Vietnam managed a fine performance, drawing Iraq 1–1 at home. However, two disappointing defeats to Thailand away 0–1 and humiliating 0–3 home loss to the same opponent had put the team under heavy criticism. Toshiya Miura, despite improvement, was sacked by the VFF after the Olympic side's failure to qualify for 2016 Rio Olympics. Hope was put into new coach, Nguyễn Hữu Thắng, some of the first fine Vietnamese managers during the era. Under Nguyễn Hữu Thắng, Vietnam once again progressed to the semi-finals of
2016 AFF Championship The 2016 AFF Championship, sponsored by Suzuki and officially known as the AFF Suzuki Cup 2016, was the 11th edition of the AFF Championship, the football championship of nations affiliated to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). The whole tourn ...
, but lost to
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guinea. In ...
in another thrilling semi-finals, being held 2–2 at home and previously lost 1–2 away to the same rival. The team's disappointment was somehow relieved a little, as the ''Golden Star Warriors'' participated in
2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification The 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification was the qualification process organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to determine the participating teams for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, the 17th edition of the international men's football champions ...
for finishing third in their World Cup qualification group. The Vietnamese side managed two draws in their opening run against
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
in Tajikistan and a goalless draw to
Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
in
Ho Chi Minh City , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...
. However, the Olympic side was shockingly eliminated in the group stage of 2017 SEA Games, coach Nguyễn Hữu Thắng was relieved from duty, and the team faced a tremendous crisis of confidence as fans have lost their will to support the team. Interim coach Mai Đức Chung was appointed to help Vietnam in two crucial Asian Cup qualification match against neighbour
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...
, in which coach Mai Đức Chung was able to revive some of the team's lost spirit, beating Cambodia 2–1 away and a thrashing 5–0 win at home. These wins allowed Vietnam to join top two for final tickets.


The Golden Generation with Park Hang-seo (2018–present)

Park Hang-seo Park Hang-seo (Hangul: 박항서; born 1 October 1957) is a South Korean football manager and former player who currently serves as the head coach of the Vietnam national team. He is credited for the rise of Vietnam national team's performan ...
, former assistant of
Guus Hiddink Guus Hiddink (; born 8 November 1946) is a Dutch former football manager and professional player. He enjoyed a long career playing as a midfielder in his native Netherlands. Retired as player in 1982, Hiddink went into management, leading both c ...
during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, was appointed as the new coach of the Vietnam national team on 29 September 2017, after an attempt to negotiate with
Takashi Sekizuka is a former Japanese Association football, football player and manager. Playing career Sekizuka was born in Funabashi, Chiba, Funabashi on October 26, 1960. After graduating from Waseda University, he joined Honda FC, Honda in 1984. In 1984 Japa ...
was unsuccessful; previously the VFF also tried to contact American manager Steve Sampson, but received no response. Upon his arrival in Vietnam, Park was greeted with skepticism and jeers from the Vietnamese. Park's first match as coach of Vietnam was in the same 2019 Asian Cup qualification, where Vietnam beats Cambodia at home in a 5–0 win on 10 October 2017, followed by a 0–0 draw at home against Afghanistan on 14 November 2017, thus allowed Vietnam to qualify for the
2019 AFC Asian Cup The 2019 AFC Asian Cup was the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 F ...
, their first ever Asian Cup since 2007. Park himself, though, was criticized due to the team's unconvincing performance. However, the mood rapidly changed after Vietnam youth team's unbelievable achievements in the
2018 AFC U-23 Championship The 2018 AFC U-23 Championship (also known as the 2018 AFC U-23 Asian Cup) was the third edition of the AFC U-23 Championship, the biennial international age-restricted football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) f ...
and 2018 Asian Games where Park Hang-seo was also the coach of the U-23 and Olympic team. With the same U-23 players, he formed the squad of Vietnamese senior team in a meaningless 1–1 draw to Jordan in 2019 Asian Cup qualification, which both teams qualified together.


2018 AFF Championship

Also with these young players, the
2018 AFF Championship The 2018 AFF Championship was the 12th edition of the AFF Championship, the football championship of nations affiliated to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), and the 6th under the name AFF Suzuki Cup. This was the first time a new format has b ...
became Vietnam's second AFF Championship title. In
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles we ...
, Vietnam managed three victories against Laos, Malaysia, Cambodia and a draw with
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
. In the semi-finals, they defeated the Philippines twice, and in the finals defeated Malaysia 3–2 aggregated, drawing 2–2 away and winning 1–0 home.


2019 AFC Asian Cup

It wasn't until the
2019 AFC Asian Cup The 2019 AFC Asian Cup was the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 F ...
that Vietnam truly began to gain international recognition. With the entire squad made up with the successful U-23 players, Vietnam had the youngest squad in the tournament. Being drawn into group D along with
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkme ...
, Iraq and Yemen, Vietnam lost to Iraq 2-3 and Iran 0-2 before beating
Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and sha ...
in their final group matches to become the last best third-place team qualifying for the round of sixteen. Then, they surprised everyone by defeating favoured Jordan which had previously defeated the defending champions Australia and earlier played a friendly match against
2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...
runners-up Croatia, winning 4–2 in
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
. The win sent million of Vietnamese into the street for celebrations. In the quarter-finals, Vietnam played against Japan but failed to continue the success after their opponent was awarded a penalty kick which was decided through the
video assistant referee The video assistant referee (VAR) is a match official in association football who reviews decisions made by the referee. The assistant video assistant referee (AVAR) is a current or former referee appointed to assist the VAR in the video ope ...
(VAR), resulting in a 0–1 score by
Ritsu Doan Ritsu may refer to: * Vinaya, the Japanese term for the Buddhist regulatory framework * Risshū (Buddhism), a name of a Japanese school of Buddhism strictly following this framework * the historical Japanese term for a criminal code as part of the ...
until the final whistle was blown.


2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Vietnam was grouped in the Qualifying Second Round Group G with three other Southeast Asian rivals:
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malays ...
and
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guinea. In ...
, along with
the United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...
. The Vietnamese started with a 0–0 away draw over Thailand before defeating Malaysia 1–0 at home and then achieved a 3–1 away win against Indonesia. In November 2019, Vietnam faced the United Arab Emirates on home soil with attempts to break a 12-year winless streak to the opponent. In spite of facing struggle in the early minutes, a red card to the UAE gave the Vietnamese an advantage. They eventually managed to beat the Emirates 1–0. Then, Vietnam moved to a thrilling encounter against neighbour and fellow powerhouse Thailand at home, where both teams played in another goalless draw, in a match with a crucial Akinfeev-penalty like save by Đặng Văn Lâm and two disallowed Vietnamese goals, to foster Vietnam's top position in the Joint World Cup/Asian Cup qualifying Group G. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam was forced to play all their remaining qualifying second-round games in the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...
. In this campaign, Vietnam suffered a great loss of key players, as the midfield soul Đỗ Hùng Dũng suffered from a severe injury in 2021 V.League 1 that caused him 6-months of recession, while best goalie Đặng Văn Lâm, due to an unexpected incident related to COVID-19 in his Japanese club
Cerezo Osaka is a Japanese professional football club based in Osaka. The club currently plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name ''Cerezo'' (Spanish for cherry blossom) is also the flower of the city of Osaka. ...
, could not come to the national team in
Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics o ...
, the key midfielder Nguyễn Tuấn Anh, after suffering an aggressive tackle from an Indonesian player in the 20th minute of the first match, had to miss the rest of the qualifying second round. Nevertheless, even with such great loss, Vietnam's campaign in UAE was an astonishing success. Vietnam pounded Indonesia 4–0 and held on to a 2–1 win against Malaysia. On the last match day, Vietnam battled it out in a thrilling encounter against hosts, UAE. After trailing 3–0, a late surge in the final 10 minutes brought 2 goals on the scoresheet for Vietnam, but it wasn't enough as the match ended 3–2 in favour of UAE. Despite losing however, with Australia defeated Jordan 1–0 in the decisive game of group B and later Saudi Arabia beating Uzbekistan 3–0 in the decisive game of group D, Vietnam officially claimed its ticket into the third and final round of the World Cup qualifiers for the first time ever, and automatic qualification to the
2023 AFC Asian Cup The 2023 AFC Asian Cup will be the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It will involve 24 national teams after expansion in 2 ...
in China, after entering as one of the five best runner-ups, the second Southeast Asian nation after Thailand to achieve the feat. In the third round, Vietnam was drawn into group B along with
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, Australia,
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...
, China and
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
; to whom Vietnam entirely lost in the head-to-head record. The team played its best in every match, but due to suffering even greater loss of key players, Vietnam was unable to achieve a single point after the first seven games. After the heavy 0–4 away loss against Australia in
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, known as AAMI Park for sponsorship reasons, is an outdoor sports stadium on the site of Edwin Flack Field in the Sports and Entertainment Precinct in the Melbourne central business district. When complete ...
on 27 January 2022, Vietnam was officially eliminated from World Cup, which marked seven matches of defeat. However, just five days later, it became the first ever team from Southeast Asia to win a match in the final round of the World Cup qualifiers by beating China 3–1 at home on 1 February 2022, which coincided with the Lunar New Year's Day in Vietnam and China. The win was also the first-ever win from a Southeast Asian team against China in an official competitive match in 65 years, when Indonesia beat China 2–0 in the
1958 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 55 teams entered the 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. Sweden as the hosts and West Germany, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open ...
. The team achieved another historical result in the last qualifying match with a 1–1 draw against host Japan in
Saitama Stadium 2002 , often called or simply , is a football stadium located in Midori-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Currently, J1 League club Urawa Red Diamonds use this stadium for home games. It is the largest football-specific stadium in Japan an ...
on 29 March marking the first time ever that Vietnam did not lose against Japan since its reintegration to international football. Nonetheless, Vietnam only earned 4 points in total after 10 matches of the third round (1 win, 1 draw, 8 losses) and finished bottom, failing against all teams in this draw but ending up with a historic 3–1 win over China and a draw against Japan in the final match.


Team image


Kits

Vietnam's current kit sponsor is Grand Sport. The contract started in January 2015 which will end by the end of December 2019 but extended until 2023. Vietnam was also previously sponsored by
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
,
Li-Ning Li-Ning Company Limited is a Chinese sportswear and sports equipment company founded by former Olympic gymnast Li Ning. The company endorses a number of athletes and teams worldwide. History The company was founded in 1989 by Li Ning, a former ...
and
Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
. The traditional home colour for the Vietnamese team is all red with yellow trim and the away colour is all white with red trim ever since they started the contract with Nike. With Adidas, it was just red and white. Occasionally, the team wore blue and yellow jerseys.


Kit suppliers


Sponsorship

Primary sponsors include:
Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...
,
Yanmar is a Japanese diesel engine, heavy machinery and agricultural machinery manufacturer founded in Osaka, Japan in 1912. Yanmar manufactures and sells engines used in a wide range of applications, including seagoing vessels, pleasure boats, constru ...
, Grand Sport,
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
, Bia Saigon, Acecook,
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlan ...
, Vinamilk, Kao Vietnam,
Herbalife Nutrition Herbalife Nutrition Ltd., also called Herbalife International, Inc. (with a U.S. subsidiary called Herbalife International of America) or simply Herbalife, is a global multi-level marketing (MLM) corporation that develops and sells dietary sup ...
and TNI Corporation.


Logo

Unlike many national teams in the world, Vietnam is one of the few football teams to not feature their federation (VFF) logo, or logo that is styled from
national emblem A national emblem is an emblem or seal that is reserved for use by a nation state or multi-national state as a symbol of that nation. Many nations have a seal or emblem in addition to a national flag and a national coat of arms. Other national ...
/ coat of arms such as Germany,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
, Australia or
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
at their jersey, but rather the national flag. The few other
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was foun ...
members to feature
national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours a ...
includes
Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East J ...
,
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
, Swizertland,
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
, and currently is the only team to not feature the logo in Southeast Asia. The logo of VFF is used on team's gears (hats, bags, masks, coats, captain's armband in friendly matches,...) and in products of multimedia for team. However, in
1998 AFF Championship The 1998 AFF Championship, officially known as the 1998 Tiger Cup, was the second edition of the AFF Championship. It was held in Vietnam from 26 August to 5 September 1998. Thailand had been the defending champions, but lost to Vietnam in the ...
, team Vietnam used the former VFF logo at their jersey officially.Despite VFF unveiling a logo of
dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
for the national football team in 2017 (similar to the logo of elephant for
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
), it was not incorporated onto the national jersey due to the majority of negative responses from media and supporters about aesthetics. Furthermore, the dragon logo was intended only for the men's national team at first, this would be unreasonable if it was also incorporated onto the national jerseys and the uniforms of other teams ( women's teams, youth teams, futsal teams, beach soccer teams). Finally, VFF removed it.


Nicknames

The VFF's media outlets officially use the nickname () for the national team, which is derived from the star of the
national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours a ...
on the team's jersey. The local media in Vietnam also refer the national team as simply "" (The selection).


Supporters

There are two major supporters' clubs for the national team, namely ''Vietnam Football Supporters'' (VFS, vi, Hội Cổ động viên Bóng đá Việt Nam) which was founded in 2014 and ''Vietnam Golden Stars'' (VGS, vi, Hội Cổ động viên Sao vàng Việt Nam) which was founded in 2017. When the national team won big matches, the streets are often overwhelmed by large Vietnamese crowds, demonstrating nationalist chants, singing Vietnamese nationalist songs. Vietnamese passionate supporters have been witnessed during
2007 AFC Asian Cup The 2007 AFC Asian Cup was the 14th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held from 7 to 29 July 2007. For the first time in its hi ...
when the team defeated the UAE 2–0 and later, the lone Southeast Asian side to sneak into the quarter-finals. During the
2019 AFC Asian Cup The 2019 AFC Asian Cup was the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 F ...
, Vietnamese fans were euphoric in celebration after beating Jordan in the round of 16. Even in smaller tournaments, Vietnamese fans are also noted for large celebrations, such as when Vietnam won the
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
,
2018 AFF Championship The 2018 AFF Championship was the 12th edition of the AFF Championship, the football championship of nations affiliated to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), and the 6th under the name AFF Suzuki Cup. This was the first time a new format has b ...
s, and
2018 AFC U-23 Championship The 2018 AFC U-23 Championship (also known as the 2018 AFC U-23 Asian Cup) was the third edition of the AFC U-23 Championship, the biennial international age-restricted football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) f ...
in which their team finished runners-up after losing the final against
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
.


Stadiums

The Vietnamese national team mainly plays at Mỹ Đình National Stadium, although other venues are also used. Other venues used by the team are
Hàng Đẫy Stadium Hang Day Stadium, also known as Hanoi Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam. It is currently used mostly for Association football, football matches. The stadium holds 22,500 spectators. In the period from 2000 to 2003, the stadiu ...
,
Thống Nhất Stadium Thống Nhất Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It is located at 138 Đào Duy Từ Street, Ward 6, District 10. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium for both Sài Gòn and ...
, Cần Thơ Stadium.


Rivalries


Thailand

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
is often considered Vietnam's traditional and biggest rival. The matches between these two teams are always likened to the " El Clasico" of Southeast Asian football and are followed with much interest in both countries. Vietnam as
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
first faced Thailand at the 1959 Southeast Asian Games and won the two matches, in the group stage and the final. Despite currently having the better overall record compared with Thailand with 23 wins, 11 draws, and 19 losses after 53 matches, Vietnam has generally poor results against Thailand since its reintegration into international football in 1991. After the match between two teams in December 2021 in
2020 AFF Championship The 2020 AFF Championship (officially AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 for sponsorship reasons) was the 13th edition of the AFF Championship, the football championship of nations affiliated to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), the 7th and the last edition ...
, Vietnam has faced Thailand in 26 matches at the national team level since 1991, the overall results being 3 wins, 7 draws and 16 losses. Despite this, Vietnam, since reintegration to world's football, is renowned for its performance that ''punching above the weight'', often due to its ability to culminate surprise results despite disadvantages, while Thailand has struggled harder to do the same. Vietnam's most memorable win against Thailand was in the final of the
2008 AFF Championship The 2008 AFF Championship was the seventh edition of the tournament. It was primarily sponsored by Suzuki and therefore officially known as the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup. The group stage was held in Indonesia and Thailand from 5 to 10 December 2008. T ...
, when a 2–1 win in the first leg in Bangkok set them up for their first-ever title, which they secured after a 1–1 draw in Hanoi.


Indonesia

Vietnam and neighbors
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guinea. In ...
have faced each other in 38 matches, with Vietnam having the poorer record with 12 wins, 11 draws, and 16 losses. During the 20-year period from 1999 to 2019, Vietnam only drew and lost against Indonesia in official tournaments. This series of winless matches began after the 1–0 win over Indonesia in 1999 in the semi-finals of the 1999 SEA Games, and lasted 13 matches, with seven draws and five losses, and finally ended on 15 October 2019 when Vietnam won 3–1 against Indonesia by their third match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification's second round in
Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and N ...
.


Singapore

While
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borderin ...
was still a force in the AFF until 2012, this team was also a big rival of Vietnam. They have faced each other in 39 matches, with Vietnam dominating with 21 wins, 13 draws, and five losses. Since just reintegrating with international football in 1991, Vietnam experienced, in the period from 1993 to 1998, poorer head-to-head record against Singapore; especially the failure in the
1998 AFF Championship The 1998 AFF Championship, officially known as the 1998 Tiger Cup, was the second edition of the AFF Championship. It was held in Vietnam from 26 August to 5 September 1998. Thailand had been the defending champions, but lost to Vietnam in the ...
final. However, since 1998, Vietnam has been maintaining a series of unbeaten matches against Singapore until now. It is worth noting that Vietnam's winning matches in this period against Singapore have never exceeded 1 goal and there were 6 out of the 12 matches that had drawn results, although Vietnam still won in the remaining 6 matches.


Malaysia

As South Vietnam, the Vietnamese side had a poorer performance, with only three wins, three draws and seven losses, during that time the Malaysians posed as a formidable side in Asia. Since reintegration, however, Vietnam has overwhelmed in the head-to-head record against
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malays ...
with 14 wins, three draws and only six losses since 1991. Vietnam has also been maintaining the series of unbeaten match against Malaysia since 2014.


Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.


2021


2022


2023


Coaching staff


Players


Current squad

The following 23 players were called up for the 2022 AFF Championship. ''Caps and goals as of 21 December 2022 after the match against
Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
.''


Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still available for selection. PRE PRE PRE INJ PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE * PRE Preliminary squad * INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. * WD Player withdrew from the squad due to other reason. * RET Retired from the national team. * SUS Serving suspension.


Player records

:''Players in bold are still active with Vietnam.''


Player age record


Youngest player to play for the national team


Centuriate goals


Competitive record


FIFA World Cup


AFC Asian Cup


AFC Asian Games

Since 2002, the Asian Games Football tournament uses the Olympic team. See: Vietnam national Olympic football team


AFF Championship


AFF Southeast Asian Games

Since 2001, the SEA Games football competition has only allowed the olympic side to participate. See: Vietnam national Olympic football team


VFF Vietnam International Friendly Cup


All-time head-to-head record

*1 includes the results of *2 includes the results of *3 includes the results of and


FIFA world rankings

FIFA-ranking


Honours

The titles listed below are for the Vietnam national football team alone, with no age limit, excluding the achievements of the Republic of Vietnam Team and the youth teams of Vietnam (U- 22, U-23, Olympic) Continental *
AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest con ...
**Quarter-finals (2):
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...
,
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
Regional *
AFF Championship The ASEAN Football Federation Championship (less formally the AFF Championship or AFF Cup), currently known as the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup for sponsorship reason, is the primary association football tournament organized by the ASEAN Footba ...
**Champions (2):
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
,
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
** Runners-up (1):
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
** Third place (2):
1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
,
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
*
Southeast Asian Games The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supe ...
** Silver medal (2):
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake stri ...
,
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
** Bronze medal (1):
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic (1997 film), Titanic'', the List of highest-grossing films, highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; ...
Friendly tournaments * VFF Vietnam International Friendly Cup ** Champions (1):
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
** Runners-up (3): 2004, 2006, 2009 ** Third place (1): 2012 * King's Cup ** Runners-up (2):
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 FIFA ...
,
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
* AYA Bank Cup ** Champions (1):
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh c ...
* LG Cup ** Runners-up (1): 2002


See also

*
Vietnam women's national football team The Vietnam women's national football team ( vi, Đội tuyển bóng đá nữ quốc gia Việt Nam) is a women's football team representing Vietnam and controlled by Vietnam Football Federation (VFF). The team is currently ranked 34th in th ...
*
Vietnam Football Federation The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF, vi, Liên đoàn Bóng đá Việt Nam) is the governing body of football in Vietnam. It is responsible for the all Vietnam teams of football, futsal and beach soccer as well as national competitions. VFF ...
*
Vietnam national under-23 football team The Vietnam national under-23 and Olympic football team ( vi, Đội tuyển Bóng đá U-23 và Olympic Quốc gia Việt Nam) represents Vietnam in international football tournaments at the under-22 and under-23 age level. History Early years ...
* Vietnam national under-22 football team * Vietnam national under-21 football team * Vietnam national under-20 football team * Vietnam national under-17 football team


Notes


References


External links


Vietnam Football Federation
official website
Vietnam's FIFA profile
from FIFA website {{DEFAULTSORT:Vietnam National Football Team Asian national association football teams