A golden age
When the news of Ho Chi Minh City Club officially changing its name to Ho Chi Minh City Police Club, memories of the old Police team flooded back into the minds of many fans and veteran experts. That is because this proud name has disappeared from the map of Vietnamese professional football for more than 2 decades.
Ho Chi Minh City Police once had a golden age. That was the period in the 90s of the last century. At that time, the Southern Police team won the national championship in 1995 and won the National Cup twice in 1998 as well as 2000 - 2001. Ho Chi Minh City Police was also the cradle that produced many talented players, making important contributions to the Vietnam national team at that time. We can mention famous players such as Le Huynh Duc, Tran Minh Chien, Phung Thanh Phuong or Nguyen Viet Thang.
But the change of Vietnamese professional football towards a market economy has made it impossible for the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club to stand firm against the whirlpool of money. At the end of January 2002, Le Huynh Duc and his teammates had to say goodbye to their beloved name. The team changed its name to Dong A Bank Ho Chi Minh City, before sliding down and disappearing a few years later.
Remember before the name of Ho Chi Minh City Police Club gradually faded into the flow of history, coach Nguyen Dat Hung of the team at that time choked up: "The whole team really regrets a tradition of nearly 20 years. But that's how professional football is. We will be determined to play a beautiful last match, so that when we say goodbye to the old shirt, we have nothing to be ashamed of."
The feeling of excitement when the name Ho Chi Minh City Police returned to the professional football map was similar to that of nearly 3 years ago, when the Hanoi Police Club was present in the V.League. “My generation, the 7x players were trained by the Hanoi Department of Sports and Physical Training to later be promoted to the Hanoi Police team. At that time, playing for one of the three teams: Hanoi Police, The Cong, and Vietnam Railways was the dream of all of us players at that time,” coach Pham Minh Duc recalled.
Commentator Ngo Quang Tung, who has been with Vietnamese football for nearly two decades, said: “After nearly 20 years, the national football championship map, now called V.League, has welcomed the return of the Public Security team. The history of Vietnamese football has recorded the national championships of the Hanoi Public Security team (1984), the Ho Chi Minh City Public Security team (1995) and the Hai Phong Public Security team, which won the National Cup in 1995.”
Regain glory
Not just a simple return, Hanoi Police Club soon became a force in V.League. In 2023, this team transformed with a series of transfer deals. Van Thanh, Quang Hai, Nguyen Filip, Tan Tai, Van Hau... helped Hanoi Police Club win the V.League championship. It should be added that after HAGL in 2003, the National Championship witnessed another team crowned in the new season of "wet feet" promotion.
Last season, Hanoi Police Club fought on three fronts. The arrival of Cao Pendant Quang Vinh, Leo Artur, and Alan helped coach Mano Polking add depth to his squad. As a result, Hanoi Police Club won 3rd place in the V.League, runner-up in the Southeast Asian Club Championship before winning the National Cup for the first time in history. This achievement helped Mr. Polking's team to be present in the AFC Champions League Two season 2024/25, as well as continue to be present in the regional tournament.
Thanks to the privilege of registering more foreign players, Hanoi Police Club has been increasingly active in this year's "summer market". Most recently, they announced the China deal and promoted the contract of central midfielder Andrey Ramos. In addition to searching for foreign players, the police representative also increased the number of personnel with promising and quality deals. This team recruited 2 overseas Vietnamese, Adou Minh and Brandon Ly.
In addition, Hanoi Police Club brought in Ly Duc (HAGL) and Dinh Tien (Hong Linh Ha Tinh). Star Vo Hoang Minh Khoa can also join the Hang Day Stadium team if he meets all the necessary and sufficient conditions. Hanoi Police Club is ambitious enough to play on many fronts next season, in which regaining the V.League championship from Nam Dinh is an important task.
Not yet reaching the depth of the squad as strong as the Hanoi Police Club, but immediately after completing the transfer process from Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City Police Club immediately invited coach Le Huynh Duc to lead the team. Mr. Huynh Duc's extensive battle experience significantly compensated for the gaps in the changing period of Ho Chi Minh City Police Club. Of course, this team did not "contract" to Mr. Huynh Duc a mid-level force like the present. Contracts at a fairly good level or higher promise to gradually appear at Thong Nhat Stadium in the near future.
Regarding the roadmap, Ho Chi Minh City Police Club strives to reach the top 5 in V.League 2025/26, before aspiring to reach a higher position, even the championship in the next season. If that becomes a reality, the Police teams will truly recall a golden age.
6 Ho Chi Minh City football teams present in professional playground
In addition to the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club, the city named after Uncle Ho also witnessed a series of football teams competing in the V.League and the First Division. Becamex Binh Duong Club announced a name change to Becamex Ho Chi Minh City and continued to play at Go Dau Stadium in the National Championship. Below, the First Division has up to 4 Ho Chi Minh City clubs.
Ba Ria Vung Tau changed its name to Ho Chi Minh City Club and registered Ba Ria Stadium in the 2025/26 season. Ho Chi Minh City Youth Club continues to choose Thong Nhat as its home stadium. This is also the stadium of 2 new recruits from the Second Division to participate in the competition. They are Gia Dinh and Van Hien University.
Rarely has Vietnamese professional football witnessed such a large number of teams in Ho Chi Minh City. Fans in the South therefore expect the excitement of football in this city, after a period of cooling down.
Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/su-troi-day-cua-cac-doi-bong-cong-an-i775135/
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