Vietnam

Early history (1896–1954)

The introduction of football into Vietnam can be traced back to 1896, during the era of colonial French Cochinchina. At first, the sport was only played among French civil servants, merchants, and soldiers. The French encouraged local Vietnamese to play football and other introduced sports, partly to divert their interest from politics but also because of local enthusiasm. Football subsequently spread to the northern and central region. On 20 July 1908, the newspaper Southern Luc Tan Van reported on a match between two local Vietnamese teams for the first time. A football guidebook published in 1925 by Vietnamese doctor Pham Van Tiec attracted interest among Vietnamese youth. By 1928, the Vietnamese had established the Annamite Sports Bureau and in the same year they sent a football team to compete in Singapore. More local football clubs then established in northern and southern Vietnam. However, it was not until after World War II that football clubs in the region started to become more organized. Vietnam (future South Vietnam) played their first game on 20 April 1947 in a 3-2 loss against Hong Kong in Hong Kong.

Two Vietnam national teams (1954–1976)

Two national football teams existed existed side by side after Vietnam was divided into South Vietnam and North Vietnam in 1954. The southern team appeared in a friendly in 1947 and participated in the first two AFC Asian Cup finals (1956 AFC Asian Cup and 1960 AFC Asian Cup) and earned two fourth-place finishes. They won the first Southeast Asian Games gold in 1959 in Thailand as well as two times won silver medals and three times won bronze medals. South Vietnam reached quarter-finals of the Asian Games 1958 and fourth place of the Asian Games 1962. The team also attempted to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, beating Thailand 1–0 to qualify for the classification matches. They ultimately lost their group opening matches by 4–0 to Japan and 1–0 to Hong Kong. As a result of reunification the team was disbanded and played their last game in a 3-0 loss against Malaysia in 1975. South Vietnamese football became a member of FIFA in 1952 and the AFC in 1954, therefore South Vietnam was more integrated than the North and South Vietnamese football association was treated by these bodies as the only legitimate Vietnamese one as South Vietnam claimed sovereignty over all of Vietnam from 1949 to 1975. Meanwhile, the northern team was much less active than the South and tended to be closed, North Vietnam was never a member of either AFC or FIFA. Between 1956 and 1966 they often played against other communist states. Their first game was a 5-3 loss to China PR under head coach Truong Tan Buu on 4 October 1956 and their played last game was a 3-2 win over Cuba. They participated in the first GANEFO (Games of the New Emerging Forces) competitions in Indonesia in 1962 and Cambodia in 1966. Like the South, the North team also ceased to exist when the North and South regions reunited into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam following the end of the Vietnam War. Because South Vietnam was a member of FIFA (from 1952), the current unified Vietnam is classified as its successor by FIFA.

The development of football during this era for both Vietnams stagnated due to the coincident Vietnam War. Having been a significant football force in the region, Vietnam's reputation diminished. The conflict also greatly reduced Vietnamese footballing ability and weakened the country generally. Moreover, the subsequent Cambodian–Vietnamese War and Sino–Vietnamese War, combined with global sanctions against the country, depleted the nation's football team and turned Vietnam into one of the weakest teams in the world. For these reasons, Vietnamese football remains new and unknown to much of the rest of the world. Despite its long-standing history of football, Vietnam only rejoined the global football community in 1991.

Vietnam's professional football league, known as the All Vietnam Football Championship, was launched in 1980 to redevelop Vietnamese football after the war. In 1989, following the Đổi Mới reforms, a new football federation was formed. Most Vietnamese sports returned to the international stage. After three months of preparation, in August 1989, the First Congress of the new football federation took place in Hanoi, declaring the formation of the Vietnam Football Federation. Trịnh Ngọc Chữ, deputy minister of the General Department of Sports, was elected as the first president of VFF.

Post Vietnam War and redevelopment era (1991–2006)

The reunified Vietnam national football team joined international football by participating in the 1991 edition of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines. They have participated in every subsequent SEA Games tournament. Since 1994, Vietnam has consistently participated in qualification for the FIFA World Cup, and in qualification for the AFC Asian Cup (since 1996).

Vietnam participated for the first time as a unified nation in FIFA World Cup qualification during the 1994 World Cup campaign, having participated in the 1974 qualification as South Vietnam. The national side failed to qualify for the 1994 and 1998 tournaments with only one qualifying win in total.

In 1996, Vietnam finished third in the first (1996) ASEAN Football Federation championship (then known as the Tiger Cup). Vietnam hosted the second Tiger Cup in 1998, losing 1–0 to Singapore in the final. From 2000 to 2007, Vietnam strove to win the Southeast Asian trophy, but invariably failed. In 1996, Vietnam created international headlines by inviting Italian giant Juventus, the reigning 1995–96 UEFA Champions League champion, to play in a friendly match in Hanoi. Despite the 2-1 loss, the match was a watershed moment that boosted the development of football in the country.

Vietnam was the host of the 1999 Dunhill Cup, a friendly tournament for both senior and U-23 players. Because it was categorized as a mingled senior and U-23 competition, some national teams decided to use their senior reserve sides. In this competition, Vietnam performed promisingly. The highlight was a shock 1–0 win over Russia (then-1994 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1996 participant); they also drew 2–2 with 1998 FIFA World Cup participant Iran, thereby topping the group. Vietnam was then eliminated in the semi-finals after a 4–1 defeat to China.

Vietnam's 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign had some bright moments, with the team winning three matches and drawing one, all played in Dammam. However, the losses against Saudi Arabia, meant that Vietnam did not qualify for the World Cup. The 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification was also unsuccessful, with Vietnam falling to South Korea and Oman, but managing to create a shock 1–0 win over 2002 FIFA World Cup's fourth-place-getter South Korea in Muscat, one of Vietnam's greatest football feats. The 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification was a low point for Vietnam, with the team once again failing, losing to South Korea and Lebanon, and only finishing above Maldives on goal difference.

Renaissance of Vietnam football (2007–2009)

Vietnam hosted the 2007 AFC Asian Cup along with Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, despite having failed to qualify for the Asian Cup since the 1990s. The team was ranked second lowest only after Malaysia, but Vietnam created a shock by defeating the UAE 2–0, drawing 1–1 with another Gulf team, Qatar, before losing 1–4 to defending champions Japan. Vietnam were the only Southeast Asian and host team to reach the quarter-finals, in which they lost to eventual champions Iraq 2–0. This marked the beginning of the first Vietnamese football upsurge.

Vietnam won their first AFF Championship title in 2008. They were placed in Group B with Thailand, Malaysia, and Laos. After losing to Thailand 2–0 in the opener, Vietnam defeated Malaysia 3–2 and Laos 4–0. In the semi-final, Vietnam held the defending champion Singapore to 0–0 at home before winning 1–0 away, making the final for the first time in 10 years. Vietnam met Thailand again in the final. They defeated Thailand 2-1 in the first leg in Thailand. Returning home, Vietnam drew 1-1 behind Le Cong Vinh's last-minute header, resulting in an aggregate 3-2 victory. This was the team's first international title since rejoining global football.

Vietnam almost managed a successful 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification, performing well against Syria and Lebanon, as well as against China; but the shortcoming in scoring goals once again proved to be instrumental in denying Vietnam's qualification for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, as the team finished third with only a single 3–1 home win (over Lebanon) and two draws away to both Levant opponents Syria and Lebanon. Losing both matches against China, including the huge 6–1 loss in Hangzhou, Vietnam at least had the slight consolation of scoring a single goal in both games.

Decline (2009–2014)

The period between 2009 and 2014 marked the decline of Vietnamese football. The team participated in the 2010 and 2014 World Cup qualifiers and 2015 Asian Cup qualifiers, but were unsuccessful, being eliminated at the first hurdle. The team lost 6–0 on aggregate against the United Arab Emirates in the first round of 2010 World Cup qualification. In the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Vietnam could only defeat Macau in the first round, before being eliminated by Qatar in the second round. The worst of this decline was in the 2015 Asian Cup qualifiers during which Vietnam lost five out of six games and finished at the bottom of the group, which included the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Hong Kong.

Along with the poor performance in the continental qualification, Vietnam suffered a setback in the regional tournament. The team lost to Malaysia, the eventual champion, in the 2010 AFF Championship semi-final. The 2012 AFF Championship was a disaster for Vietnam; the team was eliminated in the group stage and only obtained a 1–1 draw against Myanmar, while losing 3–1 to Thailand and 1–0 to the Philippines.

Rebuilding (2014–2017)

The national team of Vietnam witnessed significant changes under the tenure of Toshiya Miura, who took charge of Vietnam from 2014 to 2016. The Japanese coach was credited for rebuilding the national team after the failed 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification and had a significant impact on the improvement of the team's performances. One of the most renowned achievements of Miura's regime was with the youth team, which cruised past Olympic Iran, a major Asian force, at the 2014 Asian Games with an unthinkable 4–1 victory. Many of the young players nurtured by coach Miura were brought to the senior side, which performanced well in the 2014 AFF Championship. However, Vietnam failed to progress beyond the semi-finals after a shocking 4–2 home defeat to Malaysia, in spite of winning 2–1 away in the first leg. Vietnamese police had sought to investigate this match, but found no evidence of bribery or corruption, as stated in the findings of Swiss-based international supplier betting services Sportradar.

Miura led Vietnam in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers when Vietnam was grouped together with Thailand, Indonesia, Chinese Taipei, and Iraq. Indonesia was later banned from participating by FIFA. Vietnam managed a fine performance, drawing with Iraq 1–1 at home. However, two disappointing defeats to Thailand, away 1–0 and a humiliating 3–0 home loss, subjected the team to heavy criticism. Despite the sporadic improvement, Toshiya Miura was sacked by the VFF after the Olympic side's failure to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Nguyễn Hữu Thắng, a Vietnamese manager, was appointed coach during the era, inspiring new hope. Under Nguyễn Hữu Thắng, Vietnam once again progressed to the semi-finals of the 2016 AFF Championship, but lost to Indonesia in another thrilling semi-final, being held 2–2 at home, having lost 2–1 away. The team's disappointment was relieved a little, as the Golden Star Warriors finished third in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification World Cup qualification group. The Vietnamese side managed two draws in their opening run against Afghanistan in Tajikistan and a goalless draw to Jordan in Ho Chi Minh City. However, the Olympic side was surprisingly eliminated in the group stage of the 2017 SEA Games, and Nguyễn Hữu Thắng was relieved from duty. The team faced a tremendous crisis of confidence as many fans stopped supporting the team. Interim coach Mai Đức Chung was appointed to help Vietnam in two crucial Asian Cup qualification matches against neighbouring Cambodia, in which he was able to replenish some of the team's lost spirit, beating Cambodia 2–1 away and giving them a 5–0 thrashing at home. These wins placed Vietnam in the top two for final qualification.

Golden Generation with Park Hang-seo (2017–2023)

Park Hang-seo, former assistant to Guus Hiddink for South Korea during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, was appointed as the new coach of the Vietnam national team on 29 September 2017. His appointment came after an attempt to negotiate with Takashi Sekizuka was unsuccessful. Previously the VFF had tried to contact American manager Steve Sampson, but received no response.

Park's first match as coach of Vietnam was in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifications, where Vietnam defeated Cambodia at home 5–0 on 10 October 2017, followed by a 0–0 draw at home against Afghanistan on 14 November 2017. This allowed Vietnam to qualify for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, their first Asian Cup since 2007. Park himself, though, was criticized due to the team's unconvincing performance. However, the mood rapidly changed after Vietnam youth team's tremendous achievements in the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship and 2018 Asian Games where Park Hang-seo was also the coach of the U-23 and Olympic team. With the same U-23 players, he formed the squad of the Vietnamese senior team in a dead-rubber 1–1 draw to Jordan in 2019 Asian Cup qualification, which both teams qualified together.

2018 AFF Championship triumph

In Hang-seo first task was the 2018 AFF Championship consisting of young players where Vietnam managed 3 victories winning against Laos 3–0, Malaysia 2–0, Cambodia 3–0 and a 0–0 draw with Myanmar which see Vietnam topping the group and advancing to the next round, In the semi-finals, they defeated the Philippines twice, and in the finals defeated Malaysia 3–2 on aggregate where Hang-seo helms Vietnam to their second AFF Championship title since their last victory in 2008. Nguyễn Quang Hải was voted the Most Valuable Player in the tournament which he scored four goals throughout the entire tournament. Vietnam also went unbeaten in the process winning 6 matches and drawing twice.

2019 AFC Asian Cup

It wasn't until the 2019 AFC Asian Cup that Vietnam truly began to gain international recognition.^[] With the entire squad made up of mostly promising U-23 players, Vietnam had the youngest squad in the tournament. Being drawn into group D along with Iran, Iraq, and Yemen, Vietnam lost to Iraq 2–3 conceding a 90th-minute free kick from Ali Adnan and Iran 0–2 before beating Yemen 2–0 in their final group matches with goals coming from Nguyễn Quang Hải and Quế Ngọc Hải to seal Vietnam to become the last best third-place team qualifying for the round of 16. Then, they pulled up a shocking result by defeating Jordan in a penalty shootout, with Bùi Tiến Dũng scoring the decisive penalties which sent them to the quarter-finals. The win sent millions of Vietnamese into the streets for celebrations. In the quarter-finals, Vietnam played against Japan but failed to continue the success after their opponent was awarded a penalty kick which was decided through the video assistant referee (VAR), resulting in a 0–1 loss score by Ritsu Dōan until the final whistle was blown.

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Vietnam was grouped in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying Second Round Group G with three other Southeast Asian rivals: Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, along with the United Arab Emirates. The Vietnamese started with a 0–0 away draw over Thailand before defeating Malaysia 1–0 at home and then achieved a 3–1 away win against Indonesia. In November 2019, Vietnam faced the United Arab Emirates on home soil with attempts to break a 12-year winless streak to the opponent. In spite of facing a struggle in the early minutes, a red card to the UAE gave the Vietnamese an advantage. They eventually managed to beat the Emirates 1–0. Then, Vietnam moved to a thrilling encounter against neighbour and fellow powerhouse Thailand at home, where both teams played in another goalless draw, in a match with a crucial Akinfeev-penalty like save by Đặng Văn Lâm and two disallowed Vietnamese goals, to foster Vietnam's top position in the Joint World Cup/Asian Cup qualifying Group G.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam was forced to play all their remaining qualifying second-round games in the United Arab Emirates. In this campaign, Vietnam suffered a great loss of key players, as the midfield soul Đỗ Hùng Dũng suffered from a severe injury in 2021 V.League 1 that caused him 6-months of recession, while best goalie Đặng Văn Lâm, due to an unexpected incident related to COVID-19 in his Japanese club Cerezo Osaka, could not come to the national team in Dubai, the key midfielder Nguyễn Tuấn Anh, after suffering an aggressive tackle from an Indonesian player in the 20th minute of the first match, had to miss the rest of the qualifying second round. Nevertheless, even with such a great loss, Vietnam's campaign in UAE was an astonishing success. Vietnam pounded Indonesia 4–0 and held on to a 2–1 win against Malaysia. On the last match day, Vietnam battled it out in a thrilling encounter against the hosts, UAE. After trailing 3–0, a late surge in the final 10 minutes brought 2 goals on the scoresheet for Vietnam, but it wasn't enough as the match ended 3–2 in favour of UAE. Despite losing however, with Australia defeating Jordan 1–0 in the decisive game of Group B and later Saudi Arabia beating Uzbekistan 3–0 in the decisive game of Group D, Vietnam officially claimed its ticket into the third and final round of the World Cup qualifiers for the first time ever, and automatic qualification to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in China, after entering as one of the five best runner-ups, the second Southeast Asian nation after Thailand to achieve the feat.

In the third round, Vietnam was drawn into group B along with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, China, and Oman where Vietnam lost its first seven head-to-head matches. The team played its best in every match, but since the team suffered an injury crisis, which began in mid-August 2021, Vietnam was unable to achieve a single point after the first seven games, and was officially eliminated from the World Cup after a 0–4 loss against Australia in Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on 27 January 2022. However, just five days later, it became the first ever team from Southeast Asia to win a match in the final round of the World Cup qualifiers by beating China 3–1 at home on 1 February 2022, which coincided with the Lunar New Year's Day in Vietnam and China. The win was also the first-ever win from a Southeast Asian team against China in an official competitive match in 65 years, when Indonesia beat China 2–0 in the 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification. The team achieved another historical result in the last qualifying match with a 1–1 draw against host Japan in Saitama Stadium 2002 on 29 March marking the first time ever that Vietnam did not lose against Japan since its reintegration into international football. Nonetheless, Vietnam only earned 4 points in total after 10 matches of the third round (1 win, 1 draw, 8 losses) and finished bottom, losing against all teams in this round but ended up with a historic 3–1 win over China and a draw against Japan in the final match, which was still Vietnam's best ever run in World Cup qualification, massively influencing Vietnam's image as a potential, emerging footballing nation.

2022 AFF Championship

In October 2022, Park Hang-seo announced that he would leave his position as coach at the conclusion of the 2022 AFF Championship. In the tournament, Vietnam topped their group with victories against Laos, Malaysia, and Myanmar and a draw against Singapore. Vietnam beat Indonesia in the semi-final but lost 3-2 to Thailand in the final. Coach Park Hang-seo, is considered the most successful coach in Vietnam football history, with FIFA praising Vietnam's progress throughout his managerial career with the team. His achievements include the junior team success in the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship as Asian runners-up, the 2018 Asian Games in 4th place, Southeast Asian Games Gold Medal finishes in 2019 and 2021, as well as the senior team in the 2018 AFF Championship as champions, the 2019 AFC Asian Cup as top 8, and Vietnam's first time ever qualification to the final and 3rd round of the World Cup Qualifiers for Asia.

Troussier era and declining (2023–present)

On 16 February 2023, VFF announced that Frenchman Philippe Troussier, who led South Africa and Japan to the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups, had been appointed coach of the Vietnam national team and the under 23s . Troussier was officially presented on 27 February 2023, making him the first World Cup profile manager to lead the country. Troussier signed a contract that last until 31 July 2026, with an ambitious goal of taking Vietnam to the next FIFA World Cup in 2026, where the biggest men’s international football tournament plans to increase the number of participating teams to 48 from 32. Vietnam has never been to the World Cup and the furthest stages were only up to the AFC qualification third round previously under Park Hang-seo. He is also the first coach of the Muslim faith for a Vietnamese side, having converted to Islam and acquiring the name Philippe Omar Troussier.

Before his debut with the national team, Philipe Troussier had led Vietnam’s Olympic side in the 2023 SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where Vietnam finished with a bronze medal.

Vietnam started its 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification from the second round of the AFC, drawn in a group with Iraq, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Troussier declared during a press conference that he wishes to call up more overseas Vietnamese players into the national teams to strengthen the team for the qualifiers. Later, Czech based Andrej Nguyen and Filip Nguyen were one the first overseas players to get called up under Troussier. In June 2023, Troussier made his debut with the Vietnamese national team with two friendly match wins against Hong Kong and Syria. After a series of six friendlies from 15 June to 17 October 2023 to prepare for the World Cup qualifiers, Vietnam ended up with three wins and three losses, including the 0–6 defeat against South Korea which was one of the biggest defeats in Vietnam's football history, as well as losses against China and Uzbekistan.

On 16 November 2023, Vietnam began its 2026 World Cup qualification campaign with a 2–0 away game win against the Philippines. A few days later, Vietnam suffered a 0–1 defeat against Iraq on home soil, conceding a goal in the last minute of the game. The first two qualifiers games saw Troussier renewing the team's starting lineup with several young players such as Phan Tuấn Tài, Võ Minh Trọng or Nguyễn Thái Sơn.

2023 AFC Asian Cup

Vietnam qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, and were grouped with Japan, Iraq and Indonesia in Group D. At the dawn of the tournament, the team left with many doubts due to the absence of key players like Đặng Văn Lâm, Đoàn Văn Hậu, Quế Ngọc Hải or Nguyễn Tiến Linh due to injuries. The Golden Star Warriors were then forced to deal with a talented but inexperienced squad with an average age of 25. New hard blows were then added with the forfeit of Nguyễn Hoàng Đức, 2021 Vietnamese Golden Ball, who also failed to recover from his injury.

Vietnam came to the tournament with a team is mostly constituted of players with little experience in international competitions. The team had a positive performance in the opening match, losing 2–4 to title contender Japan and lead 2-1 at one point during the game. However, Vietnam then lost 0–1 to direct competitor Indonesia and was soon eliminated from the group stage, marking their first defeat to Indonesia after 7 years. In the final group stage game against Iraq, Vietnam had a good start while leading 1-0 after the first half, but the team soon fell into a disadvantage position after Khuất Văn Khang was sent off. Iraq quickly lead 2-1 before Nguyễn Quang Hải equalized in the 89th minute. In the last minute of the game, Iraq was awarded a penalty and coverted it, ending the match in a 2–3 for Vietnam, forcing them to leave the tournament with 0 point.

Troussier dismissal

At the continuation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification, Vietnam suffered further losses, as Vietnam lost again to Indonesia on both 21 & 26 March with an aggregate score of 0–4, with the return leg, a 0–3 defeat, being the first defeat to Indonesia at home in 20 years. Following these losses, VFF terminated Troussier's contract immediately through mutual consent. Under Troussier, Vietnam only won 4 out of 14 matches and suffered 7 defeats in a row.