V.League 1 (, ) is the top professional football league in Vietnam, commercially organized by the Vietnam Professional Football JSC (VPF). It is contested by 14 clubs who play each other on a home and away basis. The team finishing at the top at the end of the season is crowned the champion and enters the AFC Champions League Two.
The league was founded in 1980 as the National A1 League, with General Department of Railways Football Team being the first winner. The league turned professional in the 2000–01 season, which allowed clubs to hire foreign players. From 2012, the organising power was transferred from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to Vietnam Professional Football JSC (VPF) as a joint venture between VFF and participating clubs.
Thể Công-Viettel and Hanoi have won the title 6 times each, the most among V-League clubs. The current champion is Cong An Hanoi, which won the 2025–26 edition.
History Pre-unification to 1976 and pre-V-League to 1979 The North Vietnam Football Championship was formed in 1955. From the beginning, this League (AKA the Northern league) was split into Division A and Division B. The South Vietnam Football Championship was formed in 1950. Since then, league football has been played North and South during war time. The number of teams in the North was extraordinary. For example, Haiphong had 10 clubs back then. Thể Công was the most successful team in the North by winning 9 national titles, while Tổng Tham Mưu dominated the South Vietnam league with 11 titles.
After Vietnam's reunification in 1975, an unified Vietnamese football league was yet to be held due to logistics problems. As the result, three separate regional leagues were created, with the northern league named Hồng Hà League, the central named as Trường Sơn League and the southern named as Cửu Long League.
Foundation and early days The V.League 1, as it is known today, began in 1980 when the first National A1 League was launched. Seventeen clubs participated in the competition (originally 18, but Thể Công withdrawn due to internal reasons) which was split into three groups and conducted more like a cup competition, with the winner from each group qualifying for the Championship Stage. Công An Hà Nội, Tổng Cục Đường Sắt and Hải Quan were the three teams to qualify, with Tổng Cục Đường Sắt ultimately taking the title. That format, reduced to two groups, continued until 1995 when the league reverted to a more traditional league format.
In 1990, the league was renamed to the National Elite Football Championship, before being referred as the National First Division in 1997.
Turning professional League football in Vietnam turned professional in the 2000–2001 season, which saw the league change its name to its current moniker, V-League. In that inaugural V-League season, only ten clubs participated, with tighter restrictions meaning fewer teams. Over the next decade, the league grew from 10 teams to the current fourteen, with the team that finishes on top of the table qualifying for the AFC Champions League Group Stage. Clubs were allowed to hire foreign players from this season on.
VPF establishment Following a season marred by accusations of refereeing corruption and a cover-up by the V.League governing body Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), six clubs (Dong Tam Long An, Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Hanoi ACB, Vissai Ninh Binh, Khatoco Khanh Hoa and Lam Son Thanh Hoa) threatened to leave the league and form an entirely new league for the 2012 season. The most outspoken club in the move was Hanoi ACB, who had been relegated from the V.League, with its chairman Nguyễn Đức Kiên announcing that ACB would spearhead the move. Due to the controversy, EximBank expressed its intention to drop its title sponsorship of the league. League officials scrambled to resolve the issues, going so far as to hire foreign referees for the 2012 season. After a meeting on 29 September, representatives of the VFF, the 14 V.League 1 teams, and 14 V.League 2 teams announced the formation of a new corporation, the VPF, Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company to manage the V-League. The VFF would hold a 36% stake in the new corporation, and the rest would be held by clubs.
From the 2012 season, the organising power was transferred from the VFF to the VPF (Vietnamese Professional Football), and the "V-League" was renamed the "Super League". This name change was short-lived, reverting to "V.League 1" later in the season. The First Division was also renamed the "V.League 2". At the same time, many clubs found themselves with financial problems and sponsor issues, and many withdrew, merged, bought another club, or failed to meet league requirements. As a result, the number of clubs in each league changed dramatically.
Season change From 2023, the V.League 1's schedule was restructured. The 2023 V.League 1 season was the last season to be played from spring to autumn format. The 2023–24 V.League 1 season ran from autumn 2023 to near summer 2024, in line with most domestic leagues in the world.
Competition format The V.League 1 season starts in August/September and ends in June next year (previously started from February/March to September). In each season, each club plays each of the other clubs twice, once at home and another away, for a total of 26 games. Teams are ranked by total points, head-to-head, goal difference and goals scored (depending on the regulations). Winner qualifies for AFC Champions League Two group stage. For 2010 season, two bottom teams are relegated to the Vietnam First Division while third lowest placed team goes to play-off with the third highest placed team from the First Division. Starting in the 2013 season, the number of clubs participating in the V.League 1 would be decreased from fourteen to twelve after three clubs failed to register. Also in the same season, the bottom team will be relegated to the First Division while the top three teams from the First Division will be promoted into the V-League 1. Starting in the 2015 season, the league is competed by 14 teams.
International competitions Qualification for Asian competitions
Qualification criteria for 2026–27
The V.League 1 winner qualify automatically for the subsequent season's AFC Champions League Elite preliminary round and runner-ups qualify for the AFC Champions League Two group stage.
The number of places allocated to Vietnamese clubs in AFC competitions is dependent upon the position the country holds in the AFC club competition rankings, which are calculated based on the performance of teams in AFC competitions over the previous eight years. Vietnam is ranked fourteenth, ahead of Singapore and above Iraq.
As of 18 May 2025, the coefficients for are as follows:
Ranking Member association Club points Total 2026–27 Competition(direct + indirect)2024–252023–24 2016201720182019202120222023–242024–25ACLEACL2ACGL1210 –2 W 6 Iraq 9.8338.9338.6338.3003.2507.4507.4738.50039.2801+001313 — W 7 Jordan 4.1674.9007.6337.9674.8936.0005.41512.00036.9050+11+01414 — E 7 Vietnam 4.0002.8003.26710.7526.0005.3005.40011.33335.0381522 +7 E 8 Singapore 4.5005.1385.6174.1330.0003.2533.64014.83329.40501+11617 +1 W 8 Bahrain 5.3333.4671.6332.5005.5105.2157.0207.58327.233
Performance in Asian competitions
Currently, Vietnam is standing 14th in the AFC clubs ranking.
Since reunified Vietnam returned to Asian club football in 1992, 16 clubs has been made it to the AFC Champions League Elite, with 7 clubs failed to qualify to the group/league stage and only 9 made it. 17 clubs also made it to the AFC Champions League Two (formerly AFC Cup) and 6 clubs also made it to the Asian Cup Winners' Cup, with 3 clubs getting the semi-finals as their best result.
In results, Vietnamese teams had reached the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Two (formerly AFC Cup) on two occasions, in 2009 AFC Cup by Bình Dương and ten years later in 2019 by Hà Nội. Quảng Nam-Đà Nẵng reached the semi-finals of the defuncted Asian Cup Winners' Cup in 1993..
Qualification for Southeast Asian competitions Qualification criteria for 2026–27
The V.League 1 winner and Vietnamese Cup winners qualify automatically for the subsequent season's ASEAN Club Championship group stage.
As of 5 June 2026, the allocation are as follows:
Play-off Vietnam 2—
Performance in ASEAN competitions
As of 2024–25 ASEAN Club Championship, Cong An Hanoi advanced and became the first Vietnamese team on the ASEAN Club Championship finals, but lost to Thai club Buriram United by penalties, finishing runners-up as best result. Becamex Bình Dương became the first Vietnamese team to win a Southeast Asian club competition.
Prize money Here are the prize money as of 2025–26 V.League 1: Position Prize (VND) Champion 5,000,000,000 Runner-up 3,000,000,000 Third-place 1,500,000,000
Sponsorship Since the 2000–2001 season, the V.League 1 has been branded with a principal sponsor's name and logo. The following companies have acted as principal sponsors:
PeriodSponsorBrand1980–1989No sponsor National A1 League1990–1996National Elite League 1997–2000National First Division2000–2002Strata Strata V-League2003PepsiCoSting V-League2004Kinh DoKinh Do V-League2005Tan Hiep PhatNumber 1 V-League2006EurowindowEurowindow V-League2007–2010PetrovietnamPetrovietnam Gas V-League2011–2014EximbankEximbank V.League 1In response to recent allegations of corruption in the Vietnam Football Federation, Eximbank were reportedly "considering canceling their sponsorship" of the V-League, effective the 2012 season. 2015–2017Toyota Toyota V.League 12018NutiFoodNutiCafe V.League 12019Masan GroupWake-up 247 V.League 12020–2021LS GroupLS V.League 12022–2024Ngọc Linh GinsengNight Wolf V.League 12024–LPBankLPBank V.League 1
Controversies 2013 controversy After Xuan Thanh Saigon Cement was docked points for what the VFF deemed the club's unsportsmanlike conduct in fielding a non-competitive squad for their Matchday 20 meeting with Song Lam Nghe An, club officials announced that the club would withdraw from the league. On 22 August 2013, the VFF approved Xuân Thành Sài Gòn's withdrawal request. Matches involving the club were vacated. The VFF is still debating if the last place club will still be relegated to V.League 2, though the league charter states that the club in 12th place would be the only club relegated in the 2013 campaign.
Relegation was cancelled for the 2013 campaign after Xuan Thanh Saigon Cement withdrew from the V.League 1 before the conclusion of the season. QNK Quang Nam, Than Quang Ninh and Hung Vuong An Giang, as winners, first runners-up and second runners-up respectively, were promoted from the 2013 V.League 2 season. Kienlongbank Kien Giang failed to apply for the 2014 campaign and subsequently folded during the offseason.
2014 match-fixing scandal Vissai Ninh Binh wrote to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and to the Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company to be allowed to stop their participation in the league and also the AFC Cup due to 13 players being involved in match fixing. They had played eight league matches and were third from bottom at the time. Following their withdrawal from the league, all their results were declared null and void.
Due to the match fixing scandal and withdrawal of Vissai Ninh Binh, it was decided that the bottom-placed team at the end of the season will take part in a play-off match against the third-placed team in the First Division for the right to play in the V-League next season.
One owner, many teams