Vietnamese Football: V.League 1, the National Team and the Challenge of Sustainable Development

Football is the most popular sport in Vietnam. From amateur pitches in the provinces to the stands of the professional league, the game has become deeply embedded in the cultural life of tens of millions of fans. In recent years, Vietnamese football has recorded clear progress in competitive results, organisational structure and the level of professionalisation. Alongside those positive signals, however, a number of problems still need to be confronted honestly, especially the sustainability of the professional league system and the quality of the youth development pipeline. In structural terms, V.League 1 is the top division in the national competition system, operated by the Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF) under the management of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF). The league brings together clubs representing many localities, from historically rich names such as Ha Noi, Nam Dinh, Binh Duong and Thanh Hoa to younger sides such as Viettel and Hong Linh Ha Tinh. Below V.League 1 sits the First Division, the Second Division and the amateur competitions, forming a multi-tiered competitive pyramid. This arrangement gives smaller clubs a route to promotion while allowing young players to accumulate real match experience. The greatest anchor of Vietnamese football over many years has been the national team. The team has won the Southeast Asian regional championship three times, in 2026, 2026 and 2026. These are particularly significant milestones because they occurred in three different eras of the game and were each tied to a distinct generation of players. In addition, the Vietnam U23 team finished runners-up at the AFC U23 Championship in 2026, a result that generated an unprecedented wave of interest in youth football at home. At continental level, the senior national team has also repeatedly reached the final rounds of major AFC tournaments. Vietnamese women's football has also made notable marks. The national women's team qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup final tournament for the first time in 2026, an event regarded as a turning point for women's sport in general. That achievement brought not only emotional value but also opened access to resources, sponsorship and media coverage for domestic women's football. Even so, the gap in training conditions, income and levels of attention between men's and women's football remains considerable. Returning to the professional league, one of the biggest challenges for V.League 1 is finance. The revenue of most clubs depends heavily on sponsorship from their parent companies or individual investors rather than on broadcasting rights, commercial activity or ticket sales. This unbalanced revenue structure leaves many clubs in difficulty when a main sponsor changes strategy or withdraws. Quite a few clubs have had to dissolve, change ownership or be relegated for financial reasons, with direct consequences for players and local supporters. A related issue is the quality of infrastructure. Some stadiums in the professional system do not fully meet standards for pitch condition, lighting systems, changing rooms or spectator safety. Renovating grounds requires substantial capital and coordination between clubs and local authorities, while many clubs do not own their stadiums and can only use them under rental or loan arrangements. This is a barrier that has slowed the upgrading of league standards relative to expectations. On youth development, Vietnam has established a number of well-regarded centres. The Hoang Anh Gia Lai football academy, the PVF youth football training centre, the Viettel academy and the youth setups of major clubs have all supplied numerous players to the national teams. However, the number of players graduating from domestic academies is still insufficient to meet the needs of the entire league system. Many clubs are forced to look for external resources, including foreign and naturalised players. The question of naturalised players is a much-debated topic. Adding high-quality forwards who hold Vietnamese nationality increases the competitiveness of clubs and the national team, but it also raises the question of balance between short-term results and long-term development. If the system relies too heavily on naturalised resources, opportunities for young domestic players may narrow. Conversely, if used sensibly, it can serve as a complementary solution during a generational transition. Spectators are the single most important resource of Vietnamese football. The intensity surrounding national team matches shows that the market potential is very large. Yet attendance at club matches is usually far lower than at national team fixtures. The reasons cited include geographical distance, uneven competitive quality, inconvenient scheduling and a limited stadium experience. Improving these factors is the key to turning temporary interest into a long-term habit of following the game. On governance, applying the Asian Football Confederation's club licensing standards is an important tool for raising professional standards. Criteria covering finance, facilities, youth development and administrative management force clubs to standardise their processes. However, enforcement of the standards needs to come with a sensible roadmap, avoiding requirements so high that smaller clubs cannot meet them and are pushed out of the professional game. One notable technical change has been the introduction of video assistant referee (VAR) technology into V.League 1. The technology helps limit errors in sensitive situations such as awarding goals, penalties or red cards. However, the effectiveness of VAR depends on the quality of referee training, the camera system and coordination procedures. Extending VAR to all matches requires significant funding, which not every club is willing to pay for. Fixture density directly affects competitive quality. When the domestic calendar is packed while the national team needs time to gather, conflicts of interest between clubs and the national team easily arise. Clubs want to keep their players for their own objectives, while the national team needs its strongest squad. Building a sensible calendar with buffer windows for international breaks is a governance problem that must be solved at system level. At individual level, a number of players have become icons of Vietnamese football in the eyes of supporters. Names such as Nguyen Quang Hai, Do Hung Dung, Nguyen Tien Linh and Nguyen Xuan Son are tied to many memorable moments for the national team. In women's football, captain Huynh Nhu is a leading figure, having played abroad and become a role model for young players. The emergence of such individuals helps raise the profile of Vietnamese football across the region. Another noteworthy development is the growth of community football and amateur competitions. Artificial pitches have appeared in many cities, while school football and amateur women's football are increasingly vibrant. This is an important foundation for expanding the pool of participants and fans, and it also generates demand for football-related products and services. Taken as a whole, Vietnamese football is at a stage where it needs to consolidate its foundations. The achievements of the men's and women's national teams have built a certain standing in the region, but the development of the professional league system has not kept pace. Three pillars need priority: club financial stability, infrastructure upgrading and broader youth development quality. If these pillars are addressed, Vietnamese football can sustain its regional results and go further on the continental stage. Against that backdrop, the role of the media and supporters also deserves proper recognition. Accurate, verified information helps guide public opinion constructively and avoids extreme reactions that place unnecessary pressure on players and coaches. At the same time, fans standing with the game by attending matches, following it and consuming official products are an important revenue source that allows clubs to operate sustainably. Vietnamese football has passed through many ups and downs and has always shown remarkable vitality. The tears in the stands after every victory, the nights when the whole country takes to the streets to celebrate, are proof of the Vietnamese love for the game. Turning that love into a professional, transparent and sustainable system is the task of many generations. The road ahead is long, but the foundation of trust has already been built.