Vietnamese Football: Danger from the spiral of instability

The new 2025/26 season has just begun, but the picture of Vietnamese football is once again overshadowed by the dark patches that have been seen many times in the past: erasure.

Vietnamese football is not stable yet

While the expectations for the explosive 2025/26 season have yet to materialize, Vietnamese football has received consecutive sad and not-so-new news: Cancellation and elimination.

From the former V-League champion, Quang Nam Club, to two First Division teams, Hoa Binh and Dong Nai, officially… not participating in the tournaments they are participating in and decided to be eliminated.

Hoa Binh Club withdrawing from the tournament is not a new thing in Vietnamese football.

These incidents are not isolated phenomena. They are the extension of a series of names that have had to disappear from the professional football map in the past such as Navibank Saigon, Saigon Xuan Thanh, Kien Giang , Than Quang Ninh, Saigon FC...

And the "sublimation - crisis - dissolution" cycle seems to have become a chronic "disease" that Vietnamese football constantly faces, with no solution yet found.

Unpredictable risks

At first glance, the above instability is not simply a shortage or surplus of a few football teams, but also spreads systemic and long-term risks that can drag football down.

For example, the disbandment of Hoa Binh Club directly affects the entire V-League, not just the First Division - where the team had performed quite impressively in previous seasons.

The picture of Vietnamese football is not really stable.

Specifically, V-League and First Division are forced to adjust the promotion and relegation rates, instead of 2 now it is only 1.5, so clearly reducing the competitiveness in each division.

This instability not only affects the level of competition in the two above mentioned divisions but also pushes Vietnamese football into economic difficulties - the main resource for development.

Look no further, just look at many recent seasons, the sponsors for V-League, First Division are all familiar faces, loyal to the tournament.

Therefore, despite being known for its potential and strong finances, in terms of sustainability, it is not necessarily a sufficient step forward to be confident. Looking back, the past V-League had a few golden years (2009-2012) that were no less than now, and then Vietnamese football took nearly ten years to find itself again, we can see the consequences of financial instability.

So it is time for Vietnamese football to have a stable, long-term strategy, from club management to tournament operations, to escape the spiral of instability. Otherwise, the dream of reaching the continental level will be far away, and the reality is the risk of falling behind right in the "home field" of Southeast Asia.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/bong-da-viet-nam-nguy-co-tut-hau-tu-vong-xoay-bat-on-2443238.html