# 2016 V.League 1

The 2016 V.League 1 (known as the Toyota V.League 1 for sponsorship reasons) season was the 33rd season of the V.League 1, the highest division of Vietnamese football and the 16th as a professional league. It began on 20 February 2016 and ended 18 September 2016.

## Changes from last season
### Team changes

The following teams had changed division since the 2015 season.

### Rule changes

In season 2016, the club finishing in the 14th position would be relegated to V-League 2. The club that had finished in the 13th position would face the winner of a play-off between the V-League 2's second, third and fourth place clubs for a place in the 2017 V.League 1 season.

### Name changes

* Dong Tam Long An changed their name to Long An FC in December 2015.
* In April 2016 with only four matches remaining, promoted side Hanoi FC relocated to Ho Chi Minh City and renamed Saigon FC. This was with only four matchdays played

## Teams

| Team | Based | Home stadium | Capacity | Previous season rank |
| Becamex Binh Duong | Binh Duong | Go Dau | 18,250 | VL1 (1st) |
| XSKT Cantho | Cantho | Cantho | 60,000 | VL1 (11th) |
| SHB Danang | Danang | Chi Lang | 28,000 | VL1 (9th) |
| Dong Thap FC | Dong Thap | Cao Lanh | 23,000 | VL1 (12th) |
| Hoang Anh Gia Lai | Gia Lai | Pleiku | 12,000 | VL1 (13th) |
| Haiphong FC | Haiphong | Lach Tray | 28,000 | VL1 (6th) |
| Hanoi T&T | Hanoi | Hàng Đẫy Stadium | 22,000 | VL1 (2nd) |
| Sanna Khanh Hoa BVN | Khanh Hoa | 19 August | 25,000 | VL1 (5th) |
| Long An FC | Long An | Long An | 19,975 | VL1 (10th) |
| Song Lam Nghe An | Nghe An | Vinh | 12,000 | VL1 (7th) |
| QNK Quang Nam | Quang Nam | Tam Ky | 15,624 | VL1 (8th) |
| Than Quang Ninh | Quang Ninh | Cam Pha | 15,000 | VL1 (4th) |
| Saigon FC | Ho Chi Minh City | Thong Nhat | 22,000 | VL2 (1st) |
| FLC Thanh Hoa | Thanh Hoa | Thanh Hoa | 14,000 | VL1 (3rd) |

### 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 | Head Coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer |
| Becamex Binh Duong | Nguyễn Thanh Sơn | Nguyễn Anh Đức | Kappa |
| XSKT Cantho | Vũ Quang Bảo | Trần Chí Công | KeepDri |
| SHB Danang | Lê Huỳnh Đức | Nguyễn Vũ Phong | Made by club |
| Dong Thap FC | Phạm Công Lộc | Trần Minh Lợi | Codad |
| Hoang Anh Gia Lai | Nguyễn Quốc Tuấn | Bùi Văn Long | Made by club |
| Haiphong FC | Trương Việt Hoàng | Lê Văn Phú | Mitre |
| Hanoi T&T | Chu Đình Nghiêm | Gonzalo Marronkle | Kappa |
| Saigon FC | Nguyễn Đức Thắng | Nguyễn Ngọc Duy | Made by club |
| Sanna Khanh Hoa BVN | Vo Dinh Tan | Trần Vǎn Vǔ | Made by club |
| Long An FC | Ngô Quang Sang | Huỳnh Quang Thanh | Kappa |
| Song Lam Nghe An | Ngô Quang Trường | Trần Nguyên Mạnh | Made by club |
| QNK Quang Nam | Hoàng Văn Phúc | Đinh Thanh Trung | Made by club |
| Than Quang Ninh | Phan Thanh Hùng | Huỳnh Tuấn Linh | Joma |
| FLC Thanh Hoa | Hoàng Thanh Tùng | Pape Omar Faye | Mitre |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| FLC Thanh Hoa | Hoàng Thanh Tùng | Demoted | 20 January 2016 | Pre-Season | Lê Thụy Hải | 20 January 2016 |
| Hanoi T&T | Phan Thanh Hùng | Resigned | 13 February 2016 | Pre-Season | Phạm Minh Đức | 13 February 2016 |
| Than Quang Ninh | Phạm Như Thuần | Resigned | 16 March 2016 | 9th | Phan Thanh Hùng | 16 March 2016 |
| Hanoi T&T | Phạm Minh Đức | Demoted | 17 March 2016 | 14th | Chu Đình Nghiêm | 17 March 2016 |

### Foreign players

V.League teams are allowed to use two foreign players and one naturalised player
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Naturalised Vietnamese Player | Former Players |
| Becamex Binh Duong | Nsi Amougou | Ivan Firer | | → Nguyễn Rodgers | Han Seung-yeop Moses Oloya Henry Kisekka |
| FLC Thanh Hoa | Pape Omar Faye | Sunday Emmanuel | | → Nguyễn van Bakel | Ivan Firer |
| Hanoi T&T | Víctor Ormazábal | Gonzalo Marronkle | Loris Arnaud | → Hoàng Vũ Samson | |
| Haiphong FC | Diego Fagan | Errol Stevens | | → Lê Văn Phú | |
| Hoang Anh Gia Lai | Masaaki Ideguchi | Júnior Paraíba | | | Osmar Francisco |
| Long An FC | Marko Šimić | Henry Kisekka | | → Lê Văn Tân | Akanni-Sunday Wasiu Franklin Clovis Anzité |
| QNK Quang Nam | Claudecir | Sadio Diao | | → Hoàng Vissai | Felix Ogbuke Suleiman Oladoja |
| Saigon FC | Andrew Mwesigwa | Dudu Lima | | | Jean-Eudes Maurice |
| Sanna Khanh Hoa BVN | Chaher Zarour | Uche Iheruome | | | |
| Song Lam Nghe An | Odah Onoriode Marshal | Baba Salia | | | |
| SHB Danang | Gastón Merlo | Eydison | | | Horace James |
| Than Quang Ninh | Rod Dyachenko | Geoffrey Kizito | | | George Bisan |
| XSKT Cantho | Tambwe Patiyo | Oseni Ganiyu | | → Đinh Hoàng Max | |
| Dong Thap FC | Samson Kpenosen | Diego | | → Nguyễn Trung Sơn | Marko Šimić |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Hanoi T&T (C, Q) | 26 | 16 | 2 | 8 | 45 | 28 | +17 | 50 | Qualification to AFC Champions League preliminary round 2 |
| 2 | Haiphong FC | 26 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 47 | 32 | +15 | 50 | |
| 3 | SHB Danang (Q) | 26 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 49 | 33 | +16 | 49 | |
| 4 | Than Quang Ninh (Q) | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 39 | 32 | +7 | 44 | Qualification to AFC Cup group stage |
| 5 | QNK Quang Nam | 26 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 44 | 32 | +12 | 42 | |
| 6 | FLC Thanh Hoa | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 51 | 42 | +9 | 42 | |
| 7 | Saigon FC | 26 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 34 | 32 | +2 | 36 | |
| 8 | Sanna Khanh Hoa BVN | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 34 | 30 | +4 | 36 | |
| 9 | Song Lam Nghe An | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 34 | 36 | −2 | 34 | |
| 10 | Becamex Binh Duong | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 39 | 37 | +2 | 34 | |
| 11 | XSKT Cantho | 26 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 37 | 36 | +1 | 34 | |
| 12 | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 26 | 9 | 3 | 14 | 39 | 50 | −11 | 30 | |
| 13 | Long An FC (O) | 26 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 34 | 62 | −28 | 19 | Relegation Play-off |
| 14 | Dong Thap FC (R) | 26 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 22 | 67 | −45 | 8 | Relegation to V.League 2 |
* ↑ Than Quang Ninh qualified for the 2017 AFC Cup by winning the 2016 Vietnamese Cup.
* 1 2 Saigon ahead of Sanna Khanh Hoa by head-to-head record: KH 0-2 SG; SG 1-1 KH
* 1 2 3 Song Lam Nghe An ahead of Becamex Binh Duong and XSKT Cantho by head-to-head record: SLNA 9pts; BD 4pts 4/3; CT 4pts 4/6

## Results

| Home \ Away | BBD | FTH | HNT | HPG | HAGL | LFC | QNK | SGN | SKH | SLNA | SDN | TQN | XCT | DTP |
| Becamex Binh Duong | | 0–3 | 4–5 | 1–3 | 5–0 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 |
| FLC Thanh Hoa | 2–2 | | 3–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–4 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 4–0 |
| Hanoi T&T | 1–2 | 2–0 | | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 |
| Haiphong FC | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | | 4–2 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 |
| Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | | 3–2 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 5–2 |
| Long An FC | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–5 | 2–5 | 1–3 | | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 2–1 |
| QNK Quang Nam | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 6–2 | | 3–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 |
| Saigon FC | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–3 | 3–3 | 0–5 | 3–1 | 0–0 | | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 4–0 |
| Sanna Khanh Hoa BVN | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Song Lam Nghe An | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 1–2 | | 0–2 | 4–0 | 4–2 | 3–0 |
| SHB Danang | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 3–4 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 |
| Than Quang Ninh | 2–1 | 2–4 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 3–2 | | 2–1 | 4–0 |
| XSKT Cantho | 0–0 | 5–2 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | | 4–1 |
| Dong Thap FC | 1–2 | 2–4 | 2–5 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–2 | |

### Play-off match

The team finishing 13th faced the winner of 2016 V.League 2 play-off II match.
Long An FC won the match and would remain in the 2017 V.League 1.

## Positions by round

| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Becamex Binh Duong | 3 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| FLC Thanh Hoa | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Hanoi T&T | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Haiphong FC | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Long An FC | 7 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| QNK Quang Nam | 10 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Saigon FC | 14 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 7 |
| Sanna Khanh Hoa BVN | 6 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 |
| Song Lam Nghe An | 11 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 9 |
| SHB Danang | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Than Quang Ninh | 9 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| XSKT Cantho | 12 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| Dong Thap FC | 8 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
* Winner; Champions League
* Relegated to V.League 2

## Season statistics

    As of 20 September 2016

### Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Gastón Merlo | SHB Danang | 24 |
| 2 | Hoàng Vũ Samson | Hanoi T&T | 15 |
| 3 | Uche Iheruome | Sanna Khanh Hoa BVN | 14 |
| 4 | Pape Omar Faye | FLC Thanh Hoa | 13 |
| 5 | Rod Dyachenko | Than Quang Ninh | 12 |
| 6 | Claudecir | QNK Quang Nam | 11 |
| 6 | Lê Văn Thắng | Haiphong FC | 11 |
| 6 | Gonzalo Marronkle | Hanoi T&T | 11 |
| 6 | Vũ Minh Tuấn | Than Quang Ninh | 11 |
| 10 | Oseni Ganiyu Bolaji | XSKT Cantho | 10 |
| 10 | Odah Marshal | Song Lam Nghe An | 10 |
| 10 | Nguyễn Anh Đức | Becamex Binh Duong | 10 |
| 10 | Nguyễn Đình Bảo | Haiphong FC | 10 |
| 10 | Errol Stevens | Haiphong FC | 10 |
| 10 | Patiyo Tambwe | XSKT Cantho | 10 |

### Own goals

| Player | Club | Against | Round |
| Nguyễn Trung Sơn | Dong Thap FC | Hanoi T&T | 2 |
| Hồ Trường Khang | Dong Thap FC | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 4 |
| Nguyễn Tiến Duy | Than Quang Ninh | SHB Danang | 5 |
| Diệp Hoài Xuân | Dong Thap FC | XSKT Cantho | 5 |
| Franklin Clovis Anzité | Long An | SHB Danang | 11 |

### Hattrick

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Errol Stevens | Haiphong FC | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 4–2 | 10 April 2016 (2016-04-10) |
| Hoàng Vũ Samson | Hanoi T&T | Dong Thap FC | 5–2 | 24 April 2016 (2016-04-24) |
| Claudecir | QNK Quang Nam | FLC Thanh Hoa | 4–4 | 10 July 2016 (2016-07-10) |
| Trần Minh Vương | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | Becamex Binh Duong | 3–1 | 13 August 2016 (2016-08-13) |
| Nguyễn Anh Đức | Becamex Binh Duong | Dong Thap FC | 3–0 | 17 August 2016 (2016-08-17) |
| Nguyễn Đình Bảo | Haiphong FC | Long An | 5–2 | 11 September 2016 (2016-09-11) |
| Gastón Merlo | SHB Danang | Dong Thap FC | 4–0 | 18 September 2016 (2016-09-18) |
| Claudecir | QNK Quang Nam | Long An | 6–2 | 18 September 2016 (2016-09-18) |

## Awards
### Monthly awards

| Month | Club of the Month | Coach of the Month | Coach of the Month | Player of the Month | Player of the Month |
| Month | Club of the Month | Coach | Club | Player | Club |
| February March | Haiphong FC | Trương Việt Hoàng | Haiphong FC | Gastón Merlo | SHB Danang |
| April | Haiphong FC | Trương Việt Hoàng | Haiphong FC | Hoàng Vũ Samson | Hanoi T&T |
| May June | Than Quang Ninh | Chu Đình Nghiêm | Hanoi T&T | Hoàng Vũ Samson | Hanoi T&T |
| July | SHB Danang | Lê Huỳnh Đức | SHB Danang | Hoàng Vũ Samson | Hanoi T&T |
| August | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | Nguyễn Quốc Tuấn | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | Gastón Merlo | SHB Danang |
| September | Hanoi T&T | Chu Đình Nghiêm | Hanoi T&T | Gastón Merlo | SHB Danang |

### Annual awards
#### Manager of the Season

Chu Đình Nghiêm (Hanoi T&T)

#### Best player of the Season

Gastón Merlo (SHB Danang)

#### Best young player of the Season

Vũ Văn Thanh (Hoang Anh Gia Lai)

#### Dream Team

| Goalkeepers | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
| Huỳnh Tuấn Linh (Than Quang Ninh) | Sầm Ngọc Đức (Hanoi T&T) Quế Ngọc Hải (Song Lam Nghe An) Lê Văn Phú (Haiphong FC) Trần Văn Vũ (Sanna Khanh Hoa BVN) | Lê Văn Thắng (Haiphong FC) Pape Omar Faye (FLC Thanh Hoa) Nghiêm Xuân Tú (Than Quang Ninh) Đinh Thanh Trung (QNK Quang Nam) | Gastón Merlo (SHB Danang) Uche Iheruome (Sanna Khanh Hoa BVN) |