The 2023 V.League 1, known as the Night Wolf V.League 1 () for sponsorship reasons, was the 40th season of the V.League 1, the highest division of Vietnamese football and the 23rd as a professional league. The season started on 3 February 2023.
Hanoi FC unsuccessfully defended its 2022 title. losing to Cong An Hanoi, its 2nd VL 1 title.
This season was the last to have an intra-year schedule (spring-to-autumn). There was a break from 20 February to 6 April for the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup and from 18 April to 19 May for the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
Changes from previous season Team changes Promoted clubs Promoted from 2022 V.League 2 Cong An Nhan Dan Khanh Hoa
Relegated clubs Relegated from 2022 V.League 1 Saigon (withdrew)
Name changes Promoted side Cong An Nhan Dan FC changed their name to Cong An Hanoi in November 2022. Nam Dinh FC changed their name to Thep Xanh Nam Dinh on 4 January 2023 due to sponsorship reasons.
Rule changes The league will return to the split season format as played in the 2020 season where in the latter half the top eight teams will play each other in the championship group, while the remaining six teams will face each other in the relegation group. In addition, no teams will be qualified for the AFC Champions League or AFC Cup competitions this season (all 2023–24 AFC club competition slots were already distributed in the 2022 season). Teams will also be allotted a non-naturalized Vietnamese player slot that will not be counted towards their foreign player allotment.
Prize money 1st place – 3 billion VND ($127,931) → 5 billion VND ($213,219) 2nd place – 1.5 billion VND ($63,965) → 2.5 billion VND ($106,609) 3rd place – 750 million VND ($31,982) → 1.25 billion VND ($53,304)
Participating clubs by province
Team Location Stadium Capacity Previousseason rankTopenland Binh DinhQuy NhonQuy NhonVL1 (3rd)Becamex Binh DuongThu Dau MotGo DauVL1 (7th)SHB Da NangDa NangHoa XuanVL1 (10th)Hoang Anh Gia LaiPleikuPleikuVL1 (6th)Haiphong FCHaiphongLach TrayVL1 (2nd)Hanoi FCHanoiHang DayVL1 (1st)Cong An Hanoi VL2 (1st)ViettelVL1 (4th)Hong Linh Ha TinhHa TinhHa TinhVL1 (11th)Ho Chi Minh City FCHo Chi Minh CityThong NhatVL1 (9th)Khanh Hoa FCNha Trang19 August VL2 (2nd)Thep Xanh Nam DinhNam DinhThien TruongVL1 (12th)Song Lam Nghe AnVinhVinhVL1 (5th)Dong A Thanh HoaThanh HoaThanh HoaVL1 (8th)
Personnel and kits
Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor Becamex Binh Duong Lê Huỳnh Đức Nguyễn Tiến Linh Kamito BecamexCong An Hanoi Trần Tiến Đại Huỳnh Tấn Sinh Kamito Hanoi Police ForceDong A Thanh Hoa Velizar Popov Nguyễn Minh Tùng Jogarbola Đông Á GroupHaiphong FC Chu Đình Nghiêm Nguyễn Hải Huy JogarbolaHanoi FC Božidar Bandović Nguyễn Văn Quyết Jogarbola T&T Group BaF Meat Vinawind Quảng Ninh PortHoang Anh Gia Lai Kiatisuk Senamuang Nguyễn Tuấn Anh Mizuno Carabao Bapi FoodHo Chi Minh City FC Vũ Tiến Thành Ngô Tùng Quốc Kelme Phú Mỹ Hưng MurataHong Linh Ha Tinh Nguyễn Thành Công Đinh Thanh Trung Grand Sport Sao Vàng BeerKhanh Hoa FC Võ Đình Tân Lê Duy Thanh Nguyễn Văn Việt Kamito KN Cam RanhSHB Da Nang Phạm Minh Đức Hoàng Minh Tâm Kamito SHB MurataSong Lam Nghe An Phan Như Thuật Quế Ngọc Hải Grand Sport A An Rice EuroSunThep Xanh Nam Dinh Vũ Hồng Việt Nguyễn Hạ Long Kelme Xuân Thiện SteelTopenland Binh Dinh Nguyễn Đức Thắng Đặng Văn Lâm Kamito TopenLandViettel Thạch Bảo Khanh Bùi Tiến Dũng Li-Ning Viettel TV360 Notes: On the front of shirt. On the back of shirt.
Managerial changes TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointment Cong An Hanoi Thạch Bảo Khanh Mutual consent 15 November 2022Pre-season Paulo Foiani 2 December 2022 Dong A Thanh Hoa Svetislav Tanasijević (caretaker)Caretaker period over 21 November 2022 Velizar Popov 2 December 2022 Hanoi FC Chun Jae-ho (caretaker) 21 November 2022 Božidar Bandović 3 January 2023 Viettel Bae Ji-won December 2022 Thạch Bảo Khanh 15 December 2022 Becamex Binh Duong Lư Đình Tuấn Resigned 23 February 2023 13th Nguyen Quốc Tuấn (caretaker) 23 February 2023 Cong An Hanoi Paulo Foiani Mutual consent 27 April 2023 5th Flavio Cruz 9 May 2023 Becamex Binh Duong Nguyễn Quốc Tuấn Caretaker period over 11 May 2023 14th Lê Huỳnh Đức 11 May 2023 SHB Da Nang Phan Thanh Hùng Promoted to technical director 3 June 2023 14th Phạm Minh Đức 3 June 2023 Song Lam Nghe An Nguyễn Huy Hoàng Resigned 3 June 2023 11th Phan Như Thuật 3 June 2023 Cong An Hanoi Flavio Cruz Mutual consent 22 August 2023 1st Trần Tiến Đại 22 August 2023
Foreign players Teams are allowed to register 3 foreign players. Starting this season, teams will be allotted an extra slot for 1 unnaturalized overseas Vietnamese player that will not be counted against their foreign player allotment. Hanoi and Haiphong will be allowed to register 1 additional AFC player as they will compete in the AFC competitions. Players name in bold indicates the player was registered after the start of the season. ClubPlayer 1Player 2Player 3Player 4(Unnaturalized Vietnamese player)Player 5(AFC player, AFC competitions)Former Players Topenland Binh Dinh Rafaelson Marlon Rangel Jermie Lynch Viktor Le Ganiyu Oseni Becamex Binh Duong Rimario Gordon Cassius Nicholas Olsen João Guilherme Guy N’Diaye Moses Oloya SHB Da Nang Mauricio Pinto Lucão Brandon Wilson Aylton Alemão Rodrigo Dias Nicholas Olsen Hoang Anh Gia Lai Washington Brandão Papé Diakité Paollo Haiphong Bicou Bissainthe Joseph Mpande Yuri Mamute Nguyen Nhu Duc Anh Benjamin Van Meurs Carlos Fernandez Hanoi FC Milan Jevtović Caion Marcão Mirlan Murzayev William Henrique Lucão Cong An Hanoi Gustavo Henrique Jhon Cley Raphael Success Filip Nguyen Juvhel Tsoumou Elton Monteiro Patrik Le Giang Viettel Mohamed Essam Jeferson Elias Jahongir Abdumominov Geovane Hong Linh Ha Tinh Janclesio Zé Paulo Abdoulaye Diallo Pham Thanh Tiep Ho Chi Minh City Daniel Green Brendon Lucas Victor Mansaray Patrik Le Giang Alex Bruce Jonny Campbell Lê Trung Vinh Vincent Trọng Trí Guyenne Khanh Hoa Douglas Tardin Jairo Yago Ramos Ryan Ha Douglas Mineiro Muacir Thep Xanh Nam Dinh Hêndrio Douglas Coutinho André Luiz Wilker Dominic Vinicius Samuel Nnamani Song Lam Nghe An Michael Olaha Vytas Gašpuitis Jordy Soladio Dong A Thanh Hoa Conrado Gustavo Bruno Cantanhede
Dual nationality players Players name in bold indicates the player was registered after the start of the season. Player's name in italics indicates Overseas Vietnamese players whom have obtained a Vietnamese passport and citizenship, therefore being considered as local players. Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Topenland Binh Dinh Mạc Hồng Quân Adriano Schmidt Đặng Văn Lâm Becamex Binh Duong A Sân Trần Trung Hiếu Đặng Thanh Hoàng SHB Da Nang Hoang Anh Gia Lai Haiphong Lò Martin Hanoi FC Cong An Hanoi Viettel Hong Linh Ha Tinh Ho Chi Minh CIty Hoàng Vũ Samson Khanh Hoa Thep Xanh Nam Dinh Song Lam Nghe An Dong A Thanh Hoa Notes: Capped for Vietnam national team.
Regular season League table
Position by round
Results
Championship round Points and goals carried over in full from the regular season.
Positions by round Below the positions per round are shown. As teams did not all start with an equal number of points, the initial pre-playoffs positions are also given.
Relegation round Points and goals carried over in full from the regular season.
Positions by round Below the positions per round are shown. As teams did not all start with an equal number of points, the initial pre-playoffs positions are also given.
Season statistics Top scorers RankPlayerClubGoals1 Rafaelson Topenland Binh Dinh142 Jhon Cley Cong An Hanoi11 Bruno Cantanhede Dong A Thanh Hoa4 Victor Mansaray Ho Chi Minh City 9 Hoàng Vũ Samson6 Abdoulaye Diallo Hong Linh Ha Tinh8 Caion Hanoi FC Nguyễn Văn Quyết9 Rimario Gordon Becamex Binh Duong6 Nguyễn Đức Chiến Viettel Paollo Hoang Anh Gia Lai Source: Soccerway
Hat-tricks Player For Against Result Date Juvhel TsoumouHanoi PoliceTopenland Binh Dinh5–0 (H)3 February 2023 RafaelsonTopenland Binh DinhHanoi FC3–1 (H)17 April 2023 Jhon CleyCong An Hanoi Hong Linh Ha Tinh4–2 (H)24 June 2023 CaionHanoi FCTopenland Binh Dinh4–2 (H)17 July 2023 Lucão do BreakSHB Da NangKhanh Hoa3–1 (A)11 August 2023 CaionHanoi FCDong A Thanh Hoa3–1 (A)12 August 2023
Clean sheets RankPlayerClubMatches1 Nguyễn Thanh DiệpDong A Thanh Hoa4 Dương Quang Tuấn Hong Linh Ha Tinh Trần Nguyên MạnhThep Xanh Nam Dinh Phạm Văn PhongViettel5 Bùi Tấn TrườngHanoi FC36 Lê Văn TrườngKhanh Hoa 2 Phạm Văn CườngSHB Da Nang Đặng Văn LâmTopenland Binh Dinh9 Bùi Tiến DũngCong An Hanoi 1 Patrik Le Giang Nguyễn Văn ToảnHaiphong Nguyễn Đình Triệu Huỳnh Tuấn LinhHoang Anh Gia Lai Nguyễn Thanh TùngHong Linh Ha Tinh Võ Ngọc Cường Khanh Hoa Trần Văn Tiến Song Lam Nghe An
Discipline Player Most yellow cards: 6 3 players
Most red cards: 1 12 players
Club Most yellow cards: 28 Dong A Thanh Hoa
Fewest yellow cards: 12 Song Lam Nghe An
Most red cards: 2 Topenland Binh Dinh Hoang Anh Gia Lai
Fewest red cards: 0 4 clubs
Attendances By round + 2023 V.League AttendanceRoundTotalAvg. Per Game Round 1 58,000 7 8,286 Round 2 43,000 7 6,142 Round 3 51,000 7 7,286 Round 4 48,000 7 6,857 Round 5 38,000 7 5,429 Round 6 47,500 7 6,786 Round 7 44,000 7 6,286 Round 8 46,500 7 6,643 Round 9 45,500 7 6,500 Round 10 43,700 7 6,243 Round 11 56,000 7 8,000 Total 521,200 77 6,769
By team
Awards Monthly awards MonthManager of the MonthPlayer of the MonthGoal of the MonthManagerClubPlayerClubPlayerClubFebruary Nguyễn Đức Thắng Topenland Binh Dinh Nguyễn Văn Quyết Hanoi FC Trần Phi Sơn Hong Linh Ha Tinh April Velizar Popov Dong A Thanh Hoa Paulo Conrado Dong A Thanh Hoa Nguyễn Trọng Long Cong An Hanoi June Chu Đình Nghiêm Haiphong Jhon Cley Cong An Hanoi Hoàng Vũ Samson Ho Chi Minh CityAugust Thạch Bảo Khanh Viettel Nguyễn Hoàng Đức Viettel Trần Phi Sơn Hong Linh Ha Tinh
Annual awards Award Winner Club Manager of the Year Božidar Bandović Hanoi FC Player of the Year Nguyễn Hoàng Đức Viettel Best Young Player Nguyễn Thái Sơn Dong A Thanh Hoa Goal of the Year Trần Phi Sơn Hong Linh Ha Tinh
Best XI Goalkeeper Trần Nguyên Mạnh (Thep Xanh Nam Dinh) Defenders Vũ Văn Thanh (Cong An Hanoi) Bùi Hoàng Việt Anh (Hanoi FC) Nguyễn Thanh Bình (Viettel) Đoàn Văn Hậu (Cong An Hanoi) Midfielders Lâm Ti Phông (Dong A Thanh Hoa) Nguyễn Hoàng Đức (Viettel) Nguyễn Hải Huy (Haiphong) Bùi Văn Đức (Hong Linh Ha Tinh) Forwards Rafaelson (Topenland Binh Dinh) Phạm Tuấn Hải (Hanoi FC)
References