2021 V.League 1
| Season | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 15 January 2021 – 2 May 2021 (Remaining matches cancelled) |
| Champions | Not awarded |
| Relegated | None |
| Matches played | 84 |
| Goals scored | 194 (2.31 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Topenland Binh Dinh 0–1 Viettel (11 April 2021) |
| Lowest attendance | 1,500 Viettel 3–0 Saigon FC (3 April 2021) |
| Total attendance | 465,600 (excluding matches played behind closed doors) |
| Average attendance | 6,208 |
← 2020 →
All statistics correct as of complete. | |
The 2021 V.League 1 (known as the LS V.League 1 for sponsorship reasons) was the 65th professional season of the top-flight football league in Vietnam.[1][2]
The season was paused for a third time on 6 May 2021 due to an outbreak of the delta variant of the coronavirus in the country.[3]
Despite attempts to re-start the season by late November,[4] after a meeting with all teams on August 21, the season was officially cancelled, with no champion determined, and no relegation teams; the slots for the 2022 AFC Champions League and 2022 AFC Cup to be determined at a later stage. Due to cancellation of the league, LS Group was lost sponsors due to issues, and awarded from Sâm Ngọc Linh Kon Tum to sponsors on next season.
Competition format
The league was scheduled to operate in two stages, with the top six teams and bottom 8 teams split into two play-off sections after a single-round robin first stage. The season was cancelled before the completion of the first stage.
Teams
A total of 14 teams contested the league, including 13 sides from the
Stadiums and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Previous season rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Topenland Binh Dinh
|
Binh Dinh | Quy Nhon | 15,000 |  VL2 (1st)
|
Becamex Binh Duong
|
Binh Duong | Go Dau | 13,035 | VL1 (6th) |
SHB Danang
|
Danang | Hoa Xuan | 20,000 | VL1 (9th) |
Hoang Anh Gia Lai
|
Gia Lai | Pleiku | 12,000 | VL1 (7th) |
| Haiphong FC | Haiphong | Lach Tray | 25,000 | VL1 (12th) |
| Hanoi FC | Hanoi | Hang Day | 22,500 | VL1 (2nd) |
Viettel
|
VL1 (1st) | |||
| Hong Linh Ha Tinh | Ha Tinh | Ha Tinh | 20,000 | VL1 (8th) |
| Ho Chi Minh City FC | Ho Chi Minh City | Thong Nhat | 16,000 | VL1 (5th) |
| Saigon FC | VL1 (3rd) | |||
Nam Dinh FC
|
Nam Dinh | Thien Truong | 30,000 | VL1 (13th) |
| Song Lam Nghe An | Nghe An | Vinh | 18,000 | VL1 (10th) |
| Than Quang Ninh | Quang Ninh | Cam Pha | 20,000 | VL1 (4th) |
Dong A Thanh Hoa
|
Thanh Hoa | Thanh Hoa | 12,000 | VL1 (11th) |
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
TopenLand Binh Dinh
|
 Nguyen Duc Thang
|
Bùi Văn Hiếu
|
Kamito
|
Becamex Binh Duong
|
Nguyen Thanh Son (caretaker)
|
 Pape Omar Faye
|
Kamito
|
SHB Danang
|
Phan Thanh Hùng
|
Đặng Anh Tuấn
|
Kamito
|
Hoang Anh Gia Lai
|
 Kiatisuk Senamuang
|
Lương Xuân Trường
|
Mizuno
|
| Haiphong FC | Pham Anh Tuan
|
 Andre Fagan
|
 Jogarbola
|
| Hanoi FC |  Park Choong-kyun
|
Nguyễn Văn Quyết
|
Jogarbola
|
Viettel
|
Truong Viet Hoang
|
Bùi Tiến Dũng
|
FBT
|
| Hong Linh Ha Tinh | Nguyen Thanh Cong
|
Trần Phi Sơn
|
 Kelme
|
| Ho Chi Minh City FC |  Alexandré Pölking
|
Sầm Ngọc Đức
|
Kelme
|
| Saigon FC | Phung Thanh Phuong
|
Daisuke Matsui
|
Made by club |
Nam Dinh FC
|
Nguyen Van Sy
|
Lâm Anh Quang
|
Kelme
|
| Song Lam Nghe An | Nguyễn Huy Hoàng (caretaker)
|
Hoàng Văn Khánh
|
 Mitre
|
| Than Quang Ninh | Hoang Tho
|
Phạm Nguyên Sa
|
Joma
|
Dong A Thanh Hoa
|
 Ljupko Petrović
|
Hoàng Đình Tùng
|
Jogarbola
|
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hoang Anh Gia Lai
|
Duong Minh Ninh Nguyen Van Dan
|
Mutual consent | November 2020 | Pre-season | Kiatisuk Senamuang[6]
|
November 2020 |
| Ho Chi Minh City FC | Jung Hae-seong
|
Resigned | 12 November 2020 | Alexandré Pölking
|
2 December 2020 | |
Dong A Thanh Hoa
|
Mai Xuân Hợp
|
Mutual consent | 26 November 2020 | Ljupko Petrović
|
26 November 2020 | |
Nam Dinh FC
|
Pham Hong Phu
|
Mutual consent | 14 December 2020 | Nguyen Van Sy
|
14 December 2020 | |
| Than Quang Ninh | Phan Thanh Hùng
|
Resigned | 16 December 2020 | Hoang Tho
|
16 December 2020 | |
Becamex Binh Duong
|
Nguyen Thanh Son
|
Mutual consent | 19 December 2020 | Phan Thanh Hùng
|
23 December 2020 | |
| Saigon FC | Vu Tien Thanh[7]
|
Mutual consent | 24 February 2021 | 4th | Masahiro Shimoda[7]
|
25 February 2021 |
| Saigon FC | Masahiro Shimoda[8]
|
Sacked | 30 March 2021 | 11th | Phung Thanh Phuong[8]
|
30 March 2021 |
| Hanoi FC | Chu Dinh Nghiem[9]
|
Resigned | 3 April 2021 | 7th | Hoang Van Phuc (caretaker)[10]
|
3 April 2021 |
| Hong Linh Ha Tinh | Pham Minh Duc
|
Resigned | 12 April 2021 | 14th | Nguyen Thanh Cong
|
14 April 2021 |
| Becamex Binh Duong | Phan Thanh Hung
|
Resigned | 14 April 2021 | 6th | Nguyen Thanh Son (caretaker)
|
14 April 2021 |
| Hanoi FC | Hoang Van Phuc (caretaker)
|
End of caretaker spell | 20 April 2021 | 8th | Park Choong-kyun[11]
|
20 April 2021 |
| Song Lam Nghe An | Ngo Quang Truong[12]
|
Resigned | 30 April 2021 | 14th | Nguyen Huy Hoang (caretaker)
|
30 April 2021 |
SHB Danang
|
Le Huynh Duc[13]
|
Resigned | 3 May 2021 | 9th | Phan Thanh Hung[14]
|
3 May 2021 |
Foreign players
Players name in bold indicates the player was registered after the start of the season.
- ^1 Naturalized players whose parents or grandparents were born in Vietnam, thus are regarded as local players.
First phase
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hoang Anh Gia Lai
|
12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 9 | +14 | 29 | Qualification for AFC Champions League Group stage[a] |
| 2 | Viettel
|
12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 9 | +7 | 26 | Qualification for AFC Cup Group stage[a] |
| 3 | Than Quang Ninh | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 19 | Withdrawn after the season's abandonment.[b] |
| 4 | Nam Dinh FC
|
12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 23 | 21 | +2 | 18 | |
| 5 | Dong A Thanh Hoa
|
12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 15 | +3 | 17 | |
| 6 | Becamex Binh Duong
|
12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 17 | −3 | 17 | |
| 7 | Hanoi FC | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 14 | +3 | 16 | |
| 8 | Topenland Binh Dinh
|
12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 16 | |
| 9 | SHB Danang
|
12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 16 | |
| 10 | Hong Linh Ha Tinh | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 17 | −1 | 15 | |
| 11 | Ho Chi Minh City FC | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 17 | −3 | 14 | |
| 12 | Haiphong FC | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 15 | −8 | 14 | |
| 13 | Saigon FC | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 14 | −8 | 13 | |
| 14 | Song Lam Nghe An | 12 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 15 | −8 | 10 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Disciplinary points; 5) Play-off; 6) Drawing of lots
Notes:
- ^ a b After the abandonment of the season due to effects from COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, it was decided that the league's first placed team would take the AFC Champions League slot,[15] with the AFC Cup slots to go to the second and third placed teams.[16]
- ^ omitted from V-League competitions for 2022, after loss of their main sponsor and other financial difficulties.[17]
Positions by round
This table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches.
