What will be the fate of V-League teams after the merger of provinces and cities?

TPO - According to Resolution 60 of the 11th Central Committee Meeting of the 12th Party Congress, Vietnam will have 28 provinces and 6 centrally-administered cities after the mergers. How will this plan impact Vietnamese sports in general and professional football clubs in the V-League in particular?

According to the planned schedule, several provincial and city units will have to merge or reorganize. Among these, many provinces and cities that currently have professional football teams in the V-League and First Division will merge with each other.

For example, Nam Dinh, Ha Nam, and Ninh Binh will merge to form Ninh Binh province; Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau will merge with Ho Chi Minh City; Quang Nam will merge with Da Nang; Binh Dinh will merge with Gia Lai…

Speaking to Tien Phong newspaper, a leader of the Department of Sports and Physical Education said that the plan will impact the sports industry in general, as well as football in particular. Therefore, the department is preparing plans and developing adjustments to suit the new situation.

“Currently, V-League teams are operating as independent businesses, so it is acceptable for a province to have one or two professional football teams. However, youth training centers and sports training centers will have to be reviewed, and restructuring is not ruled out. We also have to plan the organization of national tournaments, the National Sports Congress…in accordance with the new administrative unit,” this person said.

Overview of the closing session of the 11th Conference of the Central Committee of the 13th Party Congress. Photo: VNA.

According to the Department of Sports and Physical Education, this is a complex issue involving many activities of the sports sector, so the immediate approach is to adjust according to Resolution 60 and the Central Committee's plan. The implementation process will follow the detailed guidelines mentioned above.

Speaking to Tien Phong newspaper, the President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), Tran Quoc Tuan, said that it is normal for a locality or city to have two or three professional football clubs. However, the VFF is still proactively monitoring the situation to prepare solutions should any problems arise.

Currently, in 2025, the VFF is continuing to organize professional football leagues, training camps, and competitions for national teams, including the Vietnamese national team, according to plan.

Nguyen Phong

Source: https://tienphong.vn/so-phan-cac-doi-bong-v-league-ra-sao-khi-sap-nhap-tinh-thanh-post1733951.tpo