Ho Chi Minh City FC

For the Police football club, see Ho Chi Minh City Police F.C. For the Customs football club, see Customs F.C.
Hồ Chí Minh City
Full nameHồ Chí Minh City Football Club
Nickname(s)Chiến hạm đỏ (The Red Battleship)
Short nameHCMC
Founded1958 (1958) as Saigon Harbour
1975 (1975) as Saigon Port
2009 (2009) as Hồ Chí Minh City
GroundThống Nhất Stadium
Capacity15,000[1]
OwnerHo Chi Minh City Football JSC
ChairmanVacant
Head coachLê Huỳnh Đức
LeagueV.League 1
2024–25V.League 1, 10th of 14
Websitewww.hcmcf.club

Hồ Chí Minh City Football Club (HCMC, Vietnamese: Câu lạc bộ bóng đá Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh), also known as Ho Chi Minh City, is a professional football club based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The club competes in the V.League 1, the highest level of Vietnamese football, since the 2017 season after winning the Vietnam's 2016 V.League 2 league in the 2016 season. The club was formerly known as Thương Cảng Sài Gòn (Saigon Harbour) before 1975, and then Cảng Sài Gòn (Saigon Port) between 1975 and 2009.[2] The club's home ground is the Thống Nhất Stadium.

History

On 1 November 1975, the Saigon Port Workers Football Club was officially established, inherited many players and staffs from the previous Saigon Harbour Football Club that competed in the South Vietnam Football Championship.[3] The team quickly became well-known in Southern Vietnam, together with Hải Quan - their local rivals.[4]

In 1980, Saigon Port was one of 10 clubs based in Southern Vietnam to participate in the 1980 Vietnamese National A1 League - the first football championship in Vietnam.[5] In 1983, former defender Phạm Huỳnh Tam Lang returned from Germany and was appointed as a head coach for the club.[6] In 1984, CSG began to focus on recruiting young players from their youth academy, including Đặng Trần Chỉnh, Hà Vương Ngầu Nại, Nguyễn Hoàng Châu, Phạm Văn Tám, ... This squad was later regarded as the club's "Golden Generation".[4] Among them, midfielder Hà Vương Ngầu Nại received recognition by becoming the top scorer of the 1989 V-League, scoring a total of 10 goals.[7] However, until the end of 1990, the team had not won any more titles besides the 1986 V-League.

From 1990-2001, many players of the team were called up to the Vietnam national team, including Nguyễn Hồng Phẩm, Hà Vương Ngầu Nại, Lư Đình Tuấn, Hồ Văn Lợi, Huỳnh Hồng Sơn. In 2001, under the new name Saigon Port Football Club, they won another league title in the 2001-02 season.[8] However, they were relegated to the First Division the following season, returning to the V-League again in 2005.[9]

The Saigon Port Corporation's officials claimed at the end of 2008 that they no longer had enough money to support the club. At that time, they only had one primary sponsor, the Vietnam Steel Company, the club's leadership decided to alter the team's name in order to operate on a professional model. The name Ho Chi Minh City Football Club was adopted with the permission of the club's management unit, the Ho Chi Minh City Football Company Ltd, and the Ho Chi Minh City Football Federation, with a 15 billion Vietnam Dong investment for the team.

Because of their devotion to the heritage connected with the name Saigon Port, the club's supporters have expressed disappointment and resistance to the decision to alter the name. Yet, the club's objective was to become a major football club in Ho Chi Minh City, as well as to promote the acquisition of government and commercial aid. The club officially changed its name to Ho Chi Minh City Football Club on 22 January 2009, with the Vietnam Steel Corporation serving as the team's primary sponsor.

The supporters were vehemently opposed to the name change. The whole Fans Association Executive Committee resigned, and the Saigon Port Football Supporters Association dissolved, generating problems for the team in its first season under the new name. They were relegated to Vietnamese Football League Second Division after finishing at the 13th place in the 2009 season. In 2012, the club finished last in the Vietnamese First League. After only one season at the Vietnamese Second League, Ho Chi Minh returned to the First League in 2015. With the ambition to return to top fight, Ho Chi Minh City received big investments and successfully gained a promotion to the V.League 1 after winning the 2016 V.League 2.[10]

Following returning to the V.League 1 in 2017, the team focused more on drawing spectators to the stadium by listening to supporters' criticism and renovating the stadium, stands, and so on. As a consequence, the club's reputation among supporters progressively improved. After that, the Ho Chi Minh City Football Club Fans Association was formed. The squad finished 12th in the league standings in 2017.

In the 2019 season, Jung Hae-seong was named as Hồ Chí Minh City's new head coach. He was the VIetnam national team's assistant coach. Under his management, Hồ Chí Minh City was in the title race, being the league's top 2 throughout the season. The club finished first after the first part of the season, but then Hà Nội.[11] Therefore, Hồ Chí Minh City finished as runners-up, their best result since their rebranding in 2012. The team also qualified to the 2020 AFC Champions League preliminary round.[12]

In the following the season, Hồ Chí Minh City had spent 20 billion ₫ on the transfer market, signing several reputated V.League 1 players such as Nguyễn Công Phượng and Võ Huy Toàn, as well as Costa Rican forwards Ariel Rodríguez and José Guillermo Ortiz. The club began the season with a defeat against Hà Nội in the Vietnamese Super Cup, follow by the defeat in the AFC Champions League preliminary round which resulted in their entry to the 2020 AFC Cup group stage. There, the team topped their group with two wins and one defeat before the competition was cancelled due to logistic problems with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. in the 2020 V.League 1, the club's form was inconsistent and the foreign players performed poorly. The club finished 5th in the league.[13]

Before the start of the 2021 season, the club's management made several changes to the team's personnel with the goal of winning the 2021 V.League 1. Alexandré Pölking, the former coach of Bangkok United, was appointed as the team's new head coach with a 1-year contract.[14][15][16] In December 2020, Ho Chi Minh City then announced the signing of Vietnamese-American midfielder Lee Nguyen, who played for USA national team.[17][18][19] However, the team performed poorly, due to players' difficulties to adapt to the coach's tactics. The club eventually finished at 11th place when the season was cancelled after the 14th matchday, due to the impact of Covid -19 in Vietnam.[20][21]

Crests

  • Saigon Port badge
  • Ho Chi Minh City badge

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2017–2018 Mizuno[22] Cityland
2019 Zaicro[23]
2020 Kappa[24]
2021–2023 Kelme[25] Cityland
Bamboo Airways
Viva Land
SCB
Phú Mỹ Hưng
Murata
2023–present Jogarbola Mansion Sports
Phu Hung Life Insurance
Phu Hung Securities

Players

First-team squad

As of 11 July 2025[26]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
4 DF  VIE Quan Huỳnh Thanh Quý
5 DF  USA Zan Nguyen
6 MF  VIE Võ Huy Toàn
7 MF  VIE Đoàn Hải Quân
8 FW  VIE Nguyễn Vũ Tín
9 FW  EST Erik Sorga
11 MF  VIE Lâm Thuận
12 FW  VIE Nguyễn Ngọc Hậu
15 MF  VIE Nguyễn Thái Quốc Cường
16 MF  VIE Nguyễn Thanh Khôi
18 FW  VIE Bùi Ngọc Long
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 DF  VIE Adriano Schmidt
20 DF  VIE Võ Hữu Việt Hoàng
21 MF  VIE Đào Quốc Gia
22 GK  VIE Trần Văn Tiến
26 FW  VIE Bùi Văn Bình
27 MF  VIE Phan Nhật Thanh Long
28 DF  VIE Trần Hoàng Phúc
29 MF  VIE Nguyễn Hạ Long (vice-captain)
32 DF  VIE Trần Mạnh Cường
67 GK  VIE Nguyễn Mạnh Cường
89 GK  SVK Patrik Le Giang (captain)

Unregistred players

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF  VIE Trần Hải Anh

Current staff

Position Name
Technical Director Phùng Thanh Phương
Head coach Lê Huỳnh Đức
Assistant coach Hien Vinh Hua
Goalkeeper Coach
Fitness Coach
Match Analyst
Doctor
Physiotherapist
Interpreter
Kit Manager
Team Manager

Affiliated clubs

Season-by-season records

Season Pld Won Draw Lost GF GA GD PTS Final position Notes
2000–01 V-League 18 7 6 5 29 21 +8 27 4th
2001–02 V-League 18 9 5 4 20 16 +4 32 Champions Qualified for the 2002–03 AFC Champions League qualification Round 3
2003 V-League 22 4 7 11 26 41 −15 19 11th Relegated to V.League 2
2004 V.League 2 22 15 5 2 51 18 +33 50 Champions Promoted to V.League 1
2005 V-League 22 6 9 7 25 29 −4 27 8th
2006 V-League 24 7 8 9 35 38 −3 29 10th
2007 V-League 26 8 10 8 41 40 +1 34 8th
2008 V-League 26 11 6 9 34 34 0 39 5th
2009 V-League 26 8 5 13 34 44 −10 29 13th Relegated to V.League 2
2010 V-League 2 24 7 6 11 28 42 −14 27 10th
2011 V.League 2 26 6 10 10 29 36 −7 28 11th
2012 V-League 2 26 5 8 13 36 54 −18 23 14th Relegated to Vietnam National 2nd Division
2013 Vietnam National 2nd Division 10 5 1 4 13 10 +3 16 2nd (Group C) Promoted through play-offs
2014 V.League 2 14 3 4 7 11 19 −8 13 7th
2015 V.League 2 14 7 3 4 19 13 +6 24 3rd
2016 V.League 2 18 12 3 3 38 15 +23 39 Champions Promoted to V.League 1
2017 V.League 1 26 6 7 13 29 46 −17 25 12th
2018 V.League 1 26 7 6 13 36 44 −8 27 12th
2019 V.League 1 26 14 6 6 41 29 +12 48 2nd Qualified for the 2020 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs[a]
2020 V.League 1 20 8 4 8 29 25 +4 28 5th
2021 V.League 1 12 4 2 6 14 17 –3 14 11th League was cancelled due to Covid-19
2022 V.League 1 24 6 7 11 23 34 -11 25 9th
2023 V.League 1 18 4 3 11 21 32 -8 15 13th
2023–24 V.League 1 26 11 7 8 30 26 +4 40 4th
2024–25 V.League 1 26 6 10 10 19 36 −17 28 10th
  1. ^ As Hanoi FC failed to obtain an AFC license, Ho Chi Minh City FC qualified for the 2020 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs.

Continental record

All results list Ho Chi Minh City's goal tally first.

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
1993–94 Asian Cup Winner' Cup First round Sarawak FA w/o[a]
Second round Semen Padang
0–1
1–1
1–2
1995–96 Asian Club Championship First round Pahang FA w/o[b]
1998–99 Asian Club Championship First round Pohang Steelers
0–2
0–4
0–6
2000–01 Asian Cup Winners' Cup First round Singapore Armed Forces
0–0
2–0
2–0
Second round Shimizu S-Pulse
0–2
0–4
0–6
2002–03 AFC Champions League Qualification Churchill Brothers
0–2
1–0
1–2
2020 AFC Champions League Preliminary round 2 Buriram United
1–2
AFC Cup Group F Yangon United Cancelled 2–2
Hougang United Cancelled 3–2
Lao Toyota Cancelled 2-0

Performance in AFC competitions

Honours

National competitions

League
Cup

Other competitions

  • BTV Cup:
    • Winners: 2000
    • Runners-up: 2001

Notes

  1. ^ Sarawak FA withdrew.
  2. ^ Cảng Sài Gòn withdrew.

References

  1. ^ "TP Hồ Chí Minh". vpf.vn (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Cảng Sài Gòn, đâu dễ lấy lại một cái tên". laodong.vn. 27 April 2021. Archived from the original on 2023-01-29. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  3. ^ "CLB Cảng Sài Gòn, đâu dễ lấy lại một cái tên". laodong.vn. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
  4. ^ a b Thao, Chuyên Trang Thể (2011-03-19). "Thế hệ vàng của Cảng Sài Gòn". Chuyên Trang Thể Thao (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2025-04-30.
  5. ^ "Vietnam 1980". rsssf.org. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
  6. ^ "Phạm Huỳnh Tam Lang và những nỗi buồn sau ánh hào quang". Báo điện tử Tiền Phong (in Vietnamese). 2014-06-02. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
  7. ^ "U.21 TP.HCM sẽ chơi như Cảng Sài Gòn nhờ cựu vua phá lưới Hà Vương Ngầu Nại". Truyền hình cáp SCTV. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
  8. ^ "VNN2 - Cau lac bo Bong da - VASC". 2002-12-05. Archived from the original on 5 December 2002. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
  9. ^ Trí, Dân (2009-07-15). "CLB TP.HCM: Đổi tên và…xuống hạng?". Báo điện tử Dân Trí (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  10. ^ Vn, Baotintuc (13 August 2016). "CLB TP Hồ Chí Minh xuất sắc nhận Cúp vô địch hạng Nhất Quốc gia 2016". Báo Tin Tức.
  11. ^ "TP.Hồ Chí Minh vô địch lượt đi V.League 2019". Báo Đồng Nai. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  12. ^ "TP HCM mừng ngôi á quân V-League 2019". Vnexpress. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  13. ^ "V-League 2020: Thất bại khó 'nuốt' của CLB TP.HCM". Tuổi Trẻ. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  14. ^ VCCorp.vn (2020-12-01). "CLB TP.HCM trả lương cao nhất V.League cho tân HLV từ Thái Lan". Sport5 (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  15. ^ ONLINE, TUOI TRE (2023-11-21). "CLB TP.HCM chia tay HLV Vũ Tiến Thành, tính phương án mời cựu danh thủ Thái Lan". TUOI TRE ONLINE (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  16. ^ "CLB TP.HCM nhắm HLV trưởng đội tuyển Thái Lan". TUOI TRE ONLINE (in Vietnamese). 2023-11-22. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  17. ^ "CHÍNH THỨC: CLB TP.HCM chiêu mộ thành công Lee Nguyễn". Thể thao 247 (in Vietnamese). 2020-12-18. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  18. ^ Trí, Dân (2020-12-18). "Lee Nguyễn về V-League khoác áo CLB TPHCM". Báo điện tử Dân Trí (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  19. ^ "Lee Nguyễn chính thức gia nhập CLB TP Hồ Chí Minh". Báo Nhân Dân điện tử (in Vietnamese). 2020-12-25. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  20. ^ "CLB TP.HCM 1-3 CLB Hà Nội, V-League 2023: Nỗ lực bất thành của HLV Vũ Tiến Thành". thanhnien.vn (in Vietnamese). 2023-04-08. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  21. ^ "Nam Định - CLB TP Hồ Chí Minh: Tiếp đà chiến thắng". baotintuc.vn (in Vietnamese). 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  22. ^ "CLB TP.Hồ Chí Minh: CLB TP.Hồ Chí Minh công bố áo đấu mới giai đoạn lượt về | VTV.VN". Archived from the original on 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  23. ^ "Hãng thời trang Hàn Quốc tài trợ cho CLB TP HCM". 8 January 2019. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  24. ^ https://www.goal.com/vn/tintuc/clb-tphcm-lam-le-cong-bo-cac-doi-tac-chien-luoc-tu-mua-giai/3wfpz376n89q1w19cffvhloje Archived 2022-03-12 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ "Kelme Vietnam on Facebook". Archived from the original on 2022-04-27 – via Facebook.
  26. ^ "TP Hồ Chí Minh". Archived from the original on 2023-02-03. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  27. ^ "Vietnam — List of Champions". Archived from the original on 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
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