| 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 | Nguyen Van Toan Oussou Konan Rodrigo Dias (7 goals) | 
| Biggest home win | Hanoi FC 4–0 Than Quang Ninh (11 April 2021) | 
| Biggest away win | Ho Chi Minh City FC 0–3 Hanoi FC (23 March 2021) Viettel 0–3 Hoang Anh Gia Lai (24 March 2021) Saigon FC 0-3 Nam Dinh FC (28 March 2021) | 
| Highest scoring | Hong Linh Ha Tinh 3–5 Dong A Thanh Hoa (3 April 2021) | 
| Longest winning run | 7 matches (Hoang Anh Gia Lai) | 
| Longest unbeaten run | 11 matches (Hoang Anh Gia Lai) | 
| Longest winless run | 6 matches (Haiphong FC) | 
| Longest losing run | 5 matches (Saigon FC) | 
| Highest attendance | 20,000 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  2022 → 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.
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 2020 season and Topenland Binh Dinh promoted from the 2020 V.League 2 season.[5]
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[lower-alpha 1] | 
| 2 | Viettel | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 9 | +7 | 26 | Qualification for AFC Cup Group stage[lower-alpha 1] | 
| 3 | Than Quang Ninh | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 19 | Withdrawn after the season's abandonment.[lower-alpha 2] | 
| 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:
- 1 2 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.
Results
Season progress
Season statistics
- As of end of season
Scoring
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Nguyen Van Toan | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 7 | 
|  Oussou Konan | Nam Dinh FC | ||
|  Rodrigo Dias | Nam Dinh FC | ||
| 4 |  Eydison | Than Quang Ninh | 6 | 
|  Geovane | Hanoi FC | ||
|  Nguyen Cong Phuong | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | ||
|  Nguyen Tien Linh | Becamex Binh Duong | ||
|  Rafaelson | SHB Danang | ||
| 9 |  Lee Nguyen | Ho Chi Minh City FC | 5 | 
|  Phan Van Duc | Song Lam Nghe An | 
Source: Soccerway
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
|  Rafaelson | SHB Danang | Dong A Thanh Hoa | 3–1 (A) | 29 March 2021 | 
|  Nguyen Tien Linh | Becamex Binh Duong | Nam Dinh FC | 4–3 (H) | 8 April 2021 | 
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Huynh Tuan Linh | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 6 | 
| 2 |  Nguyen Hoai Anh | Than Quang Ninh | 5 | 
|  Nguyen Thanh Diep | Dong A Thanh Hoa | ||
|  Tran Nguyen Manh | Viettel | ||
| 5 |  Dinh Xuan Viet | Nam Dinh FC | 4 | 
|  Pham Van Phong | Saigon FC | ||
|  Nguyen Tuan Manh | SHB Danang | ||
|  Tran Dinh Minh Hoang | Topenland Binh Dinh | ||
|  Tran Duc Cuong | Becamex Binh Duong | ||
| 10 | 4 players | 3 | |
Awards
Monthly awards
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | Goal of the Month | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | Player | Club | |
| January/March |  Kiatisuk Senamuang | Hoang Anh Gia Lai |  Nguyen Van Toan | Hoang Anh Gia Lai |  Phan Van Duc | Song Lam Nghe An | 
| April |  Kiatisuk Senamuang | Hoang Anh Gia Lai |  Nguyen Van Toan | Hoang Anh Gia Lai |  Luong Xuan Truong | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 
References
- ↑ "V.Leagues sign three year sponsorship deal". vietnamnews.vn. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ↑ "V.League 1 opening fixtures released". vnexpress.vn. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ↑ "V. League 2021 suspended after players' indirect contact with suspected Covid case". vnexpress.vn. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ↑ "V.League to return in late November". vietnamnews.vn. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ↑ "Binh Dinh FC win V. League 2, return to top flight after 12 year". vnexpress.vn.
- ↑ "Kiatisak heads back to Hoang Anh Gia Lai". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- 1 2 "Saigon FC appoints Japanese head coach". vnexpress.net. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- 1 2 "Sài Gòn FC coach out after three matches". vietnamnews.vn. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- ↑ "Hà Nội FC coach Nghiêm resigns after Đà Nẵng defeat". vietnamnews.vn. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ↑ "Hanoi FC name former national team coach as acting manager amid disappointing league play". tuoitrenews.vn. 5 April 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ↑ "Hanoi FC sign South Korean coach amid lackluster season". vnexpress.net. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ↑ "Poor results at V.League cause SLNA officials' resignation". vietnamnews.vn. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- ↑ "Đà Nẵng coach resigns after 13 years in charge". vietnamnews.vn. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ↑ "SHB Da Nang score new coach". vnexpress.net. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ↑ Duc Dong (27 November 2021). "Hoang Anh Gia Lai to represent Vietnam in AFC Champions League 2022". VN Express International. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ↑ "Following the cancellation of the 2021 #vleague, it's now confirmed: no championship title awarded, no relegation / promotion, the ranking of teams after 12 rounds determines ACL & AFC allocations". twitter.com. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ↑  thamnguyen99 (3 December 2021). "Than Quang Ninh Fans Heartbroken by Club's Demise. Here's why". VietReader. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- ↑ "V. League 1 match postponed after fresh Covid-19 transmissions detected". vnexpress.vn. Retrieved 28 January 2021.








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