Special season
The preparation journey for the 2024-2025 National First Division is like taking fans through a movie with many "plot twists" (surprise elements). In the past decade, this tournament has been quiet, without many highlights, even a few seasons were quite boring, except for the occasional uproar due to clubs being discovered to have fixed scores or players being violent on the field.
It was not until the 2024-2025 season that the National First Division attracted great attention. At the end of August 2024, this tournament missed the draw and schedule for the new season twice. The reason came from the fact that 4-5 clubs (accounting for nearly half of the team pool participating in the tournament) hesitated to register to participate.
Long An, Khanh Hoa, Dong Nai clubs admitted financial difficulties; Ba Ria - Vung Tau left open the possibility of participating due to personnel issues. Meanwhile, the newcomer from the Second Division, Dinh Huong Phu Nhuan, had internal conflicts and withdrew from the tournament. At that time, not many people were optimistic about the expertise of the First Division, because even when trying to organize, this tournament was weak in both quantity and quality.
In the context of being on the brink of "collapse", more positive signs appeared. Long An, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Khanh Hoa... decided to continue playing, although many people understood that they were trying to hold on. Notably, an unprecedented turning point in history, when this year's First Division welcomed the presence of goalkeeper Dang Van Lam, Nguyen Hoang Duc (Phu Dong Ninh Binh), Nguyen Cong Phuong (Binh Phuoc), Nguyen Huy Hung (PVF-CAND) and a series of veteran faces who had fought in V.League.
For the first and perhaps only time, the National First Division has the appearance of the reigning Golden Ball and Bronze Ball of Vietnam. That unimaginable “plot twist” turns the tournament from boring to special and attractive like never before.
Hot promotion ticket
After a much-discussed press warm-up, the 2024-2025 National First Division will officially get underway this weekend.Of course, with the appearance of V.League stars, the quality of the matches will be significantly improved.
The attraction of stars such as Cong Phuong, Huy Hung, Hoang Duc, Van Lam, Quoc Viet, Huu Tuan, Thanh Binh...also makes fans more interested in the tournament's expertise.
The championship race, which means a ticket to V.League promotion this year, is very unpredictable. Unlike every year, Binh Phuoc, PVF-CAND, Phu Dong Ninh Binh are ready for the "three-horse" race.
Among them, Phu Dong Ninh Binh is the club that is rated higher. Coach Nguyen Viet Thang's team owns Hoang Duc - the current Golden Ball of Vietnam, Dang Van Lam - the current Bronze Ball of Vietnam and more, both of these players are maintaining stable performance when competing continuously in the previous V.League. In addition to the two main factors, the depth of Phu Dong Ninh Binh's squad also includes national players such as Thanh Thinh, Quoc Viet, Thanh Binh or former young Vietnamese players such as Trong Hoa, Van Thanh, Duc Viet, Hoang Duy...
However, it is not easy for Ninh Binh to "go it alone" towards the championship. Competing with them is PVF - CAND - a team with stability over the past years, or the willingness to invest in the force from Binh Phuoc is also very admirable.
An unprecedentedly attractive National First Division, promotion ambitions, serious investment from many clubs and the appeal of Vietnam's top football stars - are about to begin!
