The First Division, thought to be 'bankrupt,' has become something worth watching.

The First Division, which used to attract as much attention as the V-League, was 22 years ago when Thai football legend Kiatisak accepted an offer to play for HAGL FC. In 2002, HAGL caused a major surprise with their signing of Kiatisak. Besides Kiatisak, Chairman Duc also recruited Thai national team player Chukiat. This duo created a sensation among Vietnamese fans in the First Division that year and propelled HAGL FC to the V-League in the 2003 season.

However, since then, the national first division has seen little change and has received little attention. In recent years, the league has even faced difficulties due to insufficient teams competing because of funding issues. For example, just before the 2024-2025 season, teams from Dong Nai , Khanh Hoa, Long An, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau almost withdrew for various reasons, nearly causing the league to stall. However, these teams eventually found solutions, and the league proceeded as planned, albeit with only 11 teams instead of the initially projected 12.

Van Lam had a successful debut for Ninh Binh, a first-division club.

Despite facing numerous obstacles, the First Division subsequently boomed with "bombastic" signings that even more resounded than those in the V-League. First, Ninh Binh FC signed a series of national team players or former national team players. Among them, the two most promising are goalkeeper Dang Van Lam and midfielder Nguyen Hoang Duc. Considering only domestic players, Ninh Binh FC probably has a stronger squad than some teams currently playing in the V-League. Therefore, their elimination of Ho Chi Minh City FC in the National Cup qualifying round via a penalty shootout on October 20th was not entirely unexpected.

Not only Ninh Binh FC, but Binh Phuoc FC also made a strong showing by successfully recruiting striker Cong Phuong, a player who always receives a lot of attention from fans. Many people believe that Binh Phuoc FC's signing of Cong Phuong is no different from... Inter Miami FC, playing in the American Major League Soccer (MLS), signing Messi. Because immediately after acquiring Cong Phuong, Binh Phuoc FC announced that all 4,200 tickets for the 2024-2025 season were sold out in just 15 minutes on October 7th, earning over 1 billion VND.

Clearly, with the competition between these two "big" teams, along with other ambitious teams like PVF-CAND, Hoa Binh, etc., this season's First Division league has created a special appeal no less than the V-League. This will make Vietnamese football more exciting to watch this season.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giai-hang-nhat-tuong-pha-san-lai-tro-thanh-dang-xem-185241021162506489.htm