# 2020 V.League 1

The 2020 V.League 1 season (or LS V.League 1 2020 for sponsorship reasons) was the 37th season of the V.League 1, the highest division of Vietnamese football and the 20th as a professional league.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the schedule had been changed to begin on 7 March instead of 21 February as originally planned. All matches in matchdays 1 and 2 were played behind closed doors due to the same reason. Following the stabilizing situation, the league resumed in June, and also became the first league to allow fans into the stadium post-COVID-19 outbreak. On 26 July 2020, the league was suspended again due to another surge in COVID-19 cases.

## Changes from last season
### Team changes

The following teams have changed division since the 2019 season.

### Rules changes

In the 2020 season, each team could register 3+1 foreign players (3 foreign + 1 naturalized Vietnamese). The teams that participated in ASEAN Club Championship and AFC Cup (Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Than Quang Ninh) could register 3+1+1 foreign players (3 foreign + 1 naturalized Vietnamese + 1 AFC player)
On 13 May 2020, the format had been slightly changed, including:
* The 1st leg will remain unchanged.
* After the 1st leg, teams will be split into 2 groups:
** Championship group (Group A) will include the top 8 teams in the 1st leg.
** Relegation group (Group B) will include the bottom 6 teams in the 1st leg.
* Each group will play another single round-robin format. After the end of season:
** The champions will qualify for the 2021 AFC Champions League group stage.
** The runners-up and the cup winners, Hanoi (or the league 3rd-placers if Hanoi qualified for AFC Club Competitions through league performance) will qualify for the 2021 AFC Cup group stage.
** The 14th-ranked team will be relegated to 2021 V.League 2. There's no relegation playoff for this season. and the 13th-ranked team will stay in V.League 1 2021.

## Teams

| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Previous season rank |
| Becamex Binh Duong | Binh Duong | Go Dau | 13,035 | VL1 (4th) |
| SHB Danang | Danang | Hoa Xuan | 20,000 | VL1 (10th) |
| Hoang Anh Gia Lai | Gia Lai | Pleiku | 12,000 | VL1 (8th) |
| Haiphong FC | Haiphong | Lach Tray | 25,000 | VL1 (12th) |
| Hanoi FC | Hanoi | Hang Day | 22,500 | VL1 (1st) |
| Viettel | Hanoi | Hang Day | 22,500 | VL1 (6th) |
| Hong Linh Ha Tinh | Ha Tinh | Ha Tinh | 20,000 | VL2 (1st) |
| Ho Chi Minh City FC | Ho Chi Minh City | Thong Nhat | 16,000 | VL1 (2nd) |
| Saigon FC | Ho Chi Minh City | Thong Nhat | 16,000 | VL1 (5th) |
| Nam Dinh FC | Nam Dinh | Thien Truong | 30,000 | VL1 (11th) |
| Song Lam Nghe An | Nghe An | Vinh | 18,000 | VL1 (7th) |
| Quang Nam | Quang Nam | Tam Ky | 15,000 | VL1 (9th) |
| Than Quang Ninh | Quang Ninh | Cam Pha | 20,000 | VL1 (3rd) |
| Dong A Thanh Hoa | Thanh Hoa | Thanh Hoa | 12,000 | VL1 (13th) |

### 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 |
| Becamex Binh Duong | Nguyễn Thanh Sơn | Tô Văn Vũ | Kamito |
| SHB Da Nang | Lê Huỳnh Đức | Hà Đức Chinh | Kamito |
| Hoang Anh Gia Lai | Dương Minh Ninh Nguyễn Văn Đàn | Nguyễn Tuấn Anh | Mizuno |
| Haiphong | Phạm Anh Tuấn | Doãn Ngọc Tân | Jogarbola |
| Hanoi | Chu Đình Nghiêm | Nguyễn Văn Quyết | Kappa |
| Viettel | Trương Việt Hoàng | Bùi Tiến Dũng | FBT |
| Hong Linh Ha Tinh | Phạm Minh Đức | Lê Tấn Tài | Kelme |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Jung Hae-seong | Trần Phi Sơn | Kappa |
| Saigon | Vũ Tiến Thành | Nguyễn Ngọc Duy | Zaicro |
| Duoc Nam Ha Nam Dinh | Phạm Hồng Phú | Đinh Xuân Việt | Kelme |
| Song Lam Nghe An | Ngô Quang Trường | Hoàng Văn Khánh | Mitre |
| Quang Nam | Đào Quang Hùng | Đinh Thanh Trung | Jogarbola |
| Than Quang Ninh | Phan Thanh Hùng | Huỳnh Tuấn Linh | Joma |
| Thanh Hoa | Mai Xuân Hợp | Lê Văn Thắng | Jogarbola |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Becamex Binh Duong | Nguyễn Thanh Sơn | Interim over | 24 October 2019 | Pre-season | Carlos Oliveira | 27 November 2019 |
| Haiphong | Trương Việt Hoàng | Resigned | 24 October 2019 | Pre-season | Phạm Anh Tuấn | 16 November 2019 |
| Saigon | Nguyễn Thành Công | Resigned | 24 October 2019 | Pre-season | Hoàng Văn Phúc | 22 November 2019 |
| Thanh Hoa | Mai Xuân Hợp | Interim over | 24 October 2019 | Pre-season | Fabio Lopez | 22 November 2019 |
| Viettel | Nguyễn Hải Biên | Interim over | 24 October 2019 | Pre-season | Trương Việt Hoàng | 12 November 2019 |
| Song Lam Nghe An | Nguyễn Đức Thắng | Promoted to Technical Director | 16 December 2019 | Pre-season | Ngô Quang Trường | 16 December 2019 |
| Becamex Binh Duong | Carlos Oliveira | Sacked | 16 February 2020 | Pre-season | Nguyễn Thanh Sơn | 16 February 2020 |
| Saigon | Hoàng Văn Phúc | Resigned | 13 March 2020 | 8th | Vũ Tiến Thành | 13 March 2020 |
| Thanh Hoa FC | Fabio Lopez | Sacked | 8 June 2020 | 13th | Nguyễn Thành Công | 9 June 2020 |
| Duoc Nam Ha Nam Dinh | Nguyễn Văn Sỹ | Promoted to Technical Director | 24 June 2020 | 14th | Phạm Hồng Phú | 24 June 2020 |
| Quang Nam | Vũ Hồng Việt | Resigned | 29 June 2020 | 13th | Đào Quang Hùng | 29 June 2020 |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Jung Hae-seong | Resigned | 25 July 2020 | 5th | Nguyễn Hữu Thắng | 25 July 2020 |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Nguyễn Hữu Thắng | Redeployed | 25 July 2020 | 5th | Jung Hae-seong | 13 August 2020 |
| Thanh Hoa FC | Nguyễn Thành Công | Resigned | 11 September 2020 | 8th | Mai Xuân Hợp | 12 September 2020 |
| Hoang Anh Gia Lai | Lee Tae-hoon | Promoted to Technical Director | 28 September 2020 | 7th | Duong Minh Ninh Nguyễn Văn Đàn | 28 September 2020 |
| Quang Nam FC | Đào Quang Hùng | Sacked | 12 October 2020 | 14th | Nguyễn Thành Công | 12 October 2020 |

## Foreign players

Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 5 (Naturalized Vietnamese player) | Former Player |
| Becamex Binh Duong | Hedipo | Ali Rabo | Youssouf Touré | → Nguyễn Trung Đại Dương | |
| SHB Da Nang | Igor Jelić | Grace Tanda | Ismahil Akinade | | Philippe Nsiah |
| Hoang Anh Gia Lai | Chevaughn Walsh | Kester Oahimijie | Damir Memović | | |
| Haiphong | Diego | Andre Fagan | Joseph Mpande | → Adriano Schmidt → Andrey Nguyen → Martin Lo | Claudecir Junior |
| Hanoi | Rimario Gordon | Pape Omar Faye | Moses Oloya | | Papa Ibou Kébé |
| Viettel | Bruno Cantanhede | Caíque | Luizão | | |
| Hong Linh Ha Tinh | Bruno Henrique | Janclesio | Victor Mansaray | | Pina |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Papé Diakité | José Guillermo Ortiz | Ariel Rodríguez | | Viktor Prodell Alex Lima Amido Baldé Seo Yong Duk |
| Saigon | Geovane | Pedro Paulo | Ahn Byung-keon | | |
| Duoc Nam Ha Nam Dinh | Rafaelson | Thiago Papel | Emmanuel Agbaji | → Đỗ Merlo | Valentin Zoungrana |
| Song Lam Nghe An | Gustavo | Felipe Martins | Peter Onyekachi | | Alagie Sosseh |
| Quang Nam | Rodrigo Dias | Zé Paulo | Papa Ibou Kébé | → Hoàng Vissai | Lucas Rocha |
| Than Quang Ninh | Claudecir Junior | Jermie Lynch | Neven Laštro | → Nguyễn Trung Hiếu | Andre Fagan |
| Thanh Hoa | Louis Ewonde | Aimé Gassissou | Josip Balić | → Hoàng Vũ Samson | Grace Tanda Philippe Nsiah |
* ^1 Naturalized players whose parents or grandparents were born in Vietnam, thus are regarded as local players.

## Phase 1 League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Saigon | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 19 | 7 | +12 | 24 | Qualified to Championship group |
| 2 | Viettel | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 20 | 15 | +5 | 22 | Qualified to Championship group |
| 3 | Than Quang Ninh | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 21 | Qualified to Championship group |
| 4 | Hanoi | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 13 | +7 | 20 | Qualified to Championship group |
| 5 | Ho Chi Minh City | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 17 | +6 | 20 | Qualified to Championship group |
| 6 | Becamex Binh Duong | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 17 | 11 | +6 | 20 | Qualified to Championship group |
| 7 | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 20 | Qualified to Championship group |
| 8 | Hong Linh Ha Tinh | 13 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 18 | Qualified to Championship group |
| 9 | SHB Da Nang | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 19 | 15 | +4 | 16 | Qualified to Relegation group |
| 10 | Thanh Hoa | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 15 | Qualified to Relegation group |
| 11 | Song Lam Nghe An | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 16 | −6 | 15 | Qualified to Relegation group |
| 12 | Duoc Nam Ha Nam Dinh | 13 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 23 | −9 | 13 | Qualified to Relegation group |
| 13 | Haiphong | 13 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 17 | −9 | 13 | Qualified to Relegation group |
| 14 | Quang Nam | 13 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 32 | −15 | 9 | Qualified to Relegation group |

## Phase 2 League Table
### Championship Group

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Viettel (C) | 20 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 29 | 16 | +13 | 41 | Qualification for AFC Champions League Group stage |
| 2 | Hanoi (Q) | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 37 | 16 | +21 | 39 | Qualification for AFC Cup Group stage |
| 3 | Saigon (Q) | 20 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 30 | 19 | +11 | 34 | Qualification for AFC Cup Group stage |
| 4 | Than Quang Ninh | 20 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 27 | 26 | +1 | 31 | |
| 5 | Ho Chi Minh City | 20 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 29 | 25 | +4 | 28 | |
| 6 | Becamex Binh Duong | 20 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 28 | |
| 7 | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 27 | 36 | −9 | 23 | |
| 8 | Hong Linh Ha Tinh | 20 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 19 | 24 | −5 | 20 | |
* ↑ Hanoi FC is qualified for the 2021 AFC Cup Group stage as 2020 Vietnamese Cup winners.

### Relegation Group

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Relegation |
| 9 | SHB Da Nang | 18 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 26 | 22 | +4 | 23 | |
| 10 | Song Lam Nghe An | 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 17 | 21 | −4 | 23 | |
| 11 | Thanh Hoa | 18 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 22 | −6 | 21 | |
| 12 | Haiphong | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 25 | −10 | 19 | |
| 13 | Duoc Nam Ha Nam Dinh | 18 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 19 | 30 | −11 | 18 | |
| 14 | Quang Nam (R) | 18 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 28 | 41 | −13 | 18 | Relegation to V.League 2 |

## Results

| Home \ Away | BBD | NDI | HAN | HPG | HAG | HHT | QNA | SGN | DNG | SLN | TQN | THH | HCM | VTL |
| Becamex Binh Duong | | | 0–2 | 5–0 | 1–1 | | | 3–1 | 1–0 | | | 0–1 | | 2–0 |
| Duoc Nam Ha Nam Dinh | 1–1 | | | 0–2 | | 2–1 | 1–0 | | 1–0 | 3–0 | | | | 1–2 |
| Hanoi | | 4–2 | | 1–0 | 3–0 | | | 0–1 | | 0–1 | | 1–1 | 2–0 | |
| Haiphong | | | | | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | | 3–1 | 0–1 | | 0–0 | |
| Hoang Anh Gia Lai | | 1–0 | | | | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | | | 1–0 | | 5–2 | |
| Hong Linh Ha Tinh | 1–1 | | 1–1 | | | | 3–2 | | 0–0 | | | | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| Quang Nam | 1–2 | | 2–2 | | | | | 3–3 | | 2–1 | | 2–1 | 1–3 | 0–3 |
| Saigon | 0–0 | 3–0 | | | | 1–1 | | | | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | | |
| SHB Da Nang | | | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | | 6–1 | 1–4 | | | 1–2 | | | |
| Song Lam Nghe An | 1–0 | | | | 2–0 | 1–1 | | | 1–0 | | | | 1–3 | 1–2 |
| Than Quang Ninh | 2–2 | 3–2 | 3–1 | | | 0–2 | 3–1 | | | 2–0 | | | 0–3 | |
| Thanh Hoa | | 1–0 | | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | | | 0–3 | 0–0 | 2–0 | | | |
| Ho Chi Minh City | 1–2 | 5–1 | 0–3 | | | | | 0–1 | 2–2 | | | 1–0 | | 3–0 |
| Viettel | | | 1–1 | 4–0 | 3–3 | | | 1–0 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 1–2 | | |

## Positions by round

This table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve the chronological evolution, any postponed matches are not included to the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for matchday 13, but then postponed and played between days 16 and 17, it will be added to the standings for day 16.
| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| Saigon | 7 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Viettel | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Than Quang Ninh | 11 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Hanoi | 1 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Ho Chi Minh City | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
| Becamex Bình Dương | 5 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 6 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| Hong Linh Ha Tinh | 9 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| SHB Da Nang | 10 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| Thanh Hoa | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 10 |
| Song Lam Nghe An | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 |
| Duoc Nam Ha Nam Dinh | 13 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Haiphong | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Quang Nam | 14 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
* Championship Round
* Relegation Round

## Season progress

| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| Becamex Binh Duong | W | L | D | W | W | L | D | W | D | L | D | D | W | L | W | L | L | D | W | D |
| Duoc Nam Ha Nam Dinh | L | W | L | L | L | L | W | L | W | L | D | L | W | D | W | L | L | D | X | X |
| Hanoi | W | L | W | D | L | W | L | D | D | W | W | D | D | W | W | W | W | D | W | W |
| Haiphong | W | D | D | L | L | W | D | L | L | L | D | L | W | L | L | W | W | L | X | X |
| Hoang Anh Gia Lai | W | D | L | W | D | L | D | W | D | W | D | L | W | L | L | L | L | L | L | W |
| Hong Linh Ha Tinh | L | L | W | D | D | D | D | L | D | W | D | W | W | L | D | L | L | D | L | L |
| Quang Nam | L | D | W | L | L | L | L | W | L | L | D | D | L | L | L | W | W | W | X | X |
| Saigon | D | W | D | W | D | D | W | W | W | W | D | L | D | W | L | D | W | W | L | L |
| SHB Da Nang | L | L | L | W | D | W | D | W | D | L | D | W | L | W | L | W | L | D | X | X |
| Song Lam Nghe An | D | W | W | D | W | L | L | L | D | L | L | W | L | W | W | L | D | D | X | X |
| Than Quang Ninh | L | W | L | D | W | W | L | W | L | W | W | D | D | W | D | W | W | L | L | L |
| Thanh Hoa | L | L | L | D | W | W | W | L | L | W | D | L | D | D | W | L | D | D | X | X |
| Ho Chi Minh City | W | W | D | L | W | W | D | L | W | L | L | W | L | L | L | D | L | W | W | D |
| Viettel | W | D | W | D | L | L | W | D | W | W | D | W | L | W | W | W | W | D | W | W |

### Schedule

* Details (in Vietnamese): https://vpf.vn/tai-lieu-vleague/vleague-thong-bao/lich-thi-dau-giai-vdqg-ls-2020/

## Attendances
### By club

2020 V.League 1 Attendance :
| Club | Total | Games | Avg. Per Game |
| Becamex Binh Duong | 35,200 | 7 | 5,028 |
| Duoc Nam Ha Nam Dinh | 112,000 | 9 | 12,444 |
| Hanoi | 45,000 | 9 | 5,000 |
| Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 54,500 | 8 | 6,812 |
| Ho Chi Minh City | 51,000 | 8 | 6,375 |
| SHB Da Nang | 44,700 | 8 | 5,587 |
| Song Lam Nghe An | 49,000 | 8 | 6,125 |
| Hong Linh Ha Tinh | 59,000 | 8 | 7,375 |
| Quang Nam | 35,000 | 9 | 3,888 |
| Saigon | 28,500 | 8 | 3,562 |
| Haiphong | 40,000 | 8 | 5,000 |
| Thanh Hoa | 48,000 | 10 | 4,800 |
| Than Quang Ninh | 46,000 | 10 | 4,600 |
| Viettel | 42,500 | 9 | 4,722 |
| Total | 689,400 | 119 | 5,793 |

### By round

2020 V.League 1 Attendance :
| Round | Total | Games | Avg. Per Game |
| Round 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Round 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Round 3 | 50,500 | 7 | 7,214 |
| Round 4 | 56,700 | 7 | 8,100 |
| Round 5 | 50,000 | 7 | 7,142 |
| Round 6 | 66,000 | 7 | 9,429 |
| Round 7 | 48,000 | 7 | 6,857 |
| Round 8 | 58,000 | 7 | 8,285 |
| Round 9 | 73,000 | 7 | 10,429 |
| Round 10 | 52.500 | 7 | 7,500 |
| Round 11 | 63,000 | 7 | 9,000 |
| Round 12 | 22,200 | 7 | 3,171 |
| Round 13 | 35,000 | 7 | 5,000 |
| Group A Round 14 | 15,000 | 4 | 3,750 |
| Group B Round 14 | 11,000 | 3 | 3,667 |
| Group A Round 15 | 16,500 | 4 | 4,125 |
| Group B Round 15 | 11,000 | 3 | 3,667 |
| Group A Round 16 | 14,000 | 4 | 3,500 |
| Group B Round 16 | 9,500 | 3 | 3,167 |
| Group A Round 17 | 16,500 | 4 | 4,125 |
| Group B Round 17 | 21,000 | 3 | 7,000 |
| Group A Round 18 | ? | 4 | ? |
| Group B Round 18 | ? | 3 | ? |
| Group A Round 19 | ? | 4 | ? |
| Group A Round 20 | ? | 4 | ? |
| Total | 689,400 | 119 | 0 |
* Due to concerns about the COVID-19 epidemic, all 14 matches in the first 2 rounds were played without spectators.

## Season statistics
### Top scorers

    As of 6 November 2020.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Rimario Gordon | Hanoi | 12 |
| 1 | Pedro Paulo | Saigon | 12 |
| 3 | Chevaughn Walsh | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 10 |
| 3 | Bruno Henrique | Hong Linh Ha Tinh | 10 |
| 5 | Jermie Lynch | Than Quang Ninh | 8 |
| 5 | Geovane Magno | Saigon | 8 |
| 5 | Bruno Cantanhede | Viettel | 8 |
| 8 | Joseph Mpande | Haiphong | 7 |
| 8 | Ismahil Akinade | SHB Da Nang | 7 |