V.League changes because of derby matches

At least 5 derby matches between 3 provinces and cities including Ninh Binh, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City will take place in each stage of V.League 2025/26. That is not to mention industry-specific derbies such as Hanoi Police Club - Ho Chi Minh City Police or The Cong Viettel competing with police teams this season.

Raising the level of competition

V.League 2025/26 is the season that has witnessed the most derby matches in history, in the past 20 years. The merger of provinces and cities from July 1, 2025 will help the tournament have more matches between teams in the same province and city. That is not to mention the derby matches between teams in the industry or armed forces. It is estimated that there will be a total of 17 matches of the above nature, divided into 2 home and away matches of V.League.

On August 15, the day the 2025/26 season kicked off, the first derby took place. It was a match between Hanoi Police and Viettel The Cong. This confrontation not only had the meaning of revolving around the two football teams of the capital. It was also a match between two strong candidates for the championship, as well as representing two proud armed forces: the People's Army and the People's Police.

Other V.League derbies that will appear in the coming season include: Hanoi - Hanoi Police, Hanoi - The Cong Viettel (capital derby), Nam Dinh - Ninh Binh (Ninh Binh derby), Becamex Ho Chi Minh City - Ho Chi Minh City Police (Ho Chi Minh City derby), Hanoi Police - Ho Chi Minh City Police (Police industry derby) or Ho Chi Minh City Police - The Cong Viettel (armed forces industry derby), Song Lam Nghe An - Hong Linh Ha Tinh (Central region derby).

Waiting for the police derby between Hanoi Police Club and Ho Chi Minh City Police.

A special point is that the above-mentioned teams have all invested carefully in personnel towards the new season 2025/26. In addition to the names that have been V.League powerhouses in recent years such as Hanoi, Hanoi Police, The Cong Viettel, Nam Dinh, the other 3 names including Ho Chi Minh City Police, Ninh Binh or Becamex Ho Chi Minh City have also upgraded their squads towards the goal of top 3 in the 2025/26 season.

This promises to raise the level of competition for derby matches in V.League. High-class competitions between teams related to geography or industry are also open. From focusing only on matches in the North, V.League derby will return to Ho Chi Minh City with a promising appearance at a higher level. The victory of Ho Chi Minh City Police Club over Hanoi - the 6-time V.League champion in history in the first round is proof of that.

If there is one regret for V.League 2025/26, it is the absence of the Quang - Da derby. Although both teams successfully stayed in the league, they could not have another season competing together in the national professional league. Although the Quang team tried very hard, they had to give up in finding a sponsor. Invisibly, Quang Nam - the club that won the V.League 2017 quietly sank into the past. The Quang Da derby therefore only exists in historical films...

Boosting value

Returning to more positive signals from the significant increase in the number of derbies in V.League 2025/26, the story of clubs "crowning at each other" helps V.League benefit. A year ago, according to Transfermarkt data, Vietnam's professional football league was only valued at 37.22 million euros.

However, thanks to the bustling shopping activities in the transfer market, V.League has nearly reached the 55 million euro mark at the beginning of the 2025/26 season. The clubs in the "derby" group lead the shopping list. Nam Dinh is close to reaching the 10 million euro mark in terms of squad value. Hanoi Police Club (6.8 million euro), Hanoi (5.65 million euro), Ho Chi Minh City Police (4.4 million euro), The Cong Viettel (4.13 million euro), Ninh Binh (3.98 million euro), Becamex Ho Chi Minh City (3.01 million euro) share the positions from 1st to 6th.

Two teams in the Central region, Song Lam Nghe An (2.74 million euros) or Hong Linh Ha Tinh (2.8 million euros), are also ranked 8th and 9th in the list of 14 teams participating in this season. In particular, Ha Tinh surprised everyone when bringing Yevgenjy Serdyuk to Vietnam. Remember, the Ukrainian player is ranked in the top 5 most expensive names in V.League this season. He is valued at 800,000 euros by Transfermarkt. Of course, Ha Tinh may not have to spend a large amount of money on the transfer activities surrounding the above striker. But with such a value, the Central team promises to have to pay a generous enough salary to convince Yevgenjy Seryuk to return to play football in V.League.

It will not be surprising if the 2025/26 V.League derby matches decide the championship race this season. That also makes the derby matches more attractive and dramatic. Look no further than the opening match between Hanoi Police and The Cong Viettel. The Police team impressed fans with their ability to transform their state to reach regional level. Meanwhile, The Cong Viettel, under the leadership of coach Velizar Popov, played more methodically, more calculatingly and more effectively.

The 1-1 draw showed the equality in skill and fighting tactics between the two representatives of the capital as well as the two armed forces of Vietnam!

Waiting for the match between Hanoi Police and Ho Chi Minh City Police

Finally, after 2 decades, the Police derby between Hanoi Police Club and Ho Chi Minh City Police has returned to the National Championship. For Hanoi Police Club, this is the 4th season that the team has been present in the V.League. During those 4 years, the Police representative has won 1 V.League championship, 1 National Cup and 1 National Super Cup. The club is also preparing to participate in the AFC Champions League Two for the first time and continue to participate in the Southeast Asian Club Championship. Last season, Hanoi Police Club won the runner-up position in the tournament.

4 years after the Hanoi Police Club returned to the top arena of Vietnamese football, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club also reappeared. After 20 years of absence, the legendary name has returned. The symbol, personnel, and coaching staff have also been strongly upgraded before entering the V.League cycle. Coach Le Huynh Duc has experienced players in hand, capable of going the long way this season such as Nguyen Tien Linh, Vo Huy Toan, Patrik Le Giang and Pham Duc Huy.

That promises the Police derby between Hanoi Police Club and Ho Chi Minh City Police not only recalls glorious memories in history but also promises ambitions towards a bright future.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/v-league-thay-doi-vi-nhung-tran-derby-i778387/