Ho Chi Minh City FC (2025)
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| Full name | Ho Chi Minh City Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Ó Biển (Seahawks) | ||
| Founded | 1991 as Ba Ria - Vung Tau 2017 (re-established) 2025 as Ho Chi Minh City | ||
| Ground | Bà Rịa Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 10,000 | ||
| Owner | Ba Ria-Vung Tau Football SJC | ||
| Chairman | Daniel Nguyen | ||
| Manager | Nguyễn Minh Phương | ||
| League | V.League 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | V.League 2, 10th of 11 | ||
| Website | Website | ||
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Ho Chi Minh City Football Club (Vietnamese: Câu lạc bộ Bóng đá Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh), formerly known as Ba Ria-Vung Tau FC, is a professional football club based in Bà Rịa ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The club is currently playing in V.League 2.
History
Founded
Ba Ria - Vung Tau football team was formed in 1991 and competed in the national A2 tournament, but then the provincial football movement went down and was interrupted in the period 1997–2006.
2000s and disbandment
In 2006, the 2006–2009 football project was approved and implemented by the Provincial People's Committee with the goal of training the youth level, creating the expected force and team for the upper line. At that time, the provincial football team was established and played in the Vietnamese Second Division. Through the organization of the entrance exam, the U-15 football team was established, participating in training and coaching under the 4-year program (2006–2009). The team is focused on professional training and cultural learning in Ba Ria town. Due to the lack of resources, the selection of athletes from spontaneous movements is not systematic, so in the process of training and rubbing, the Training Board continues to screen out Typical children's athletes online, enrolling for practice and competition.
In 2007, Ba Ria - Vung Tau football team ranked first in Group D, entered the Vietnamese Second Division in Da Nang but failed. In 2008, the team was sponsored by the Construction Development and Investment Corporation (DIC Group) and renamed the football team DIC Ba Ria - Vung Tau, however, this year the team did not reach the target. In 2009, DIC Ba Ria – Vung Tau performed excellently in the group stage, winning all 5 matches, topping Group C and participating in the knockout stage. With the result of winning against the youth team of Tap doan Cao su Dong Thap, the team has completed the goal of the Project to be promoted to the Vietnamese Second Division.
In 2010, for the first time, DIC Ba Ria - Vung Tau participated in the Vietnamese Second Division. Despite many difficulties, at times it seemed impossible to stay in the league, but in the end, DIC Ba Ria - Vung Tau was successfully stayed in the league.
On November 14, 2012, coach Nguyen Trung Hau of Ba Ria - Vung Tau announced that the team was disbanded and did not participate in the 2013 V.League 2.[1]
Reborn and higher ambitiions
On 15 September 2017, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Club was officially launched to start competing in the Vietnamese Third Division . On this occasion, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Football Joint Stock Company was also established by charter capital of 200 billion VND with the goal of long-term development, bringing football in the coastal city step by step to professional level. The club quickly gained promotion to the 2018 Second Division by topping Group B in the Third Division.[2]
In the subsequent Second Division, the club finished the group stage with first place in Group B, qualifying for the promotion play-off round. In the semi-finals, the team was suddenly eliminated by Phu Dong with a score of 2–3 on the penalty spot (0–0 draw after official time). In the match for third place (the winning team will be promoted to the 2019 V.League 2) against Pho Hien, at the end of the match there was a fight between Ba Ria - Vung Tau players and the referee team. A player of the team was fined VND 25 million and permanently banned from participating in football activities managed by the VFF, and assistant referee Huỳnh Quốc Long was also banned from participating in activities managed by the VFF. organized in 18 months, fined 17.5 million VND. Vung Tau continues to stay in the V.League 3.
On 16 August 2019, Ba Ria – Vung Tau entered the final of the Vietnamese Second Division as the winner of the semi-finals (3–1 against Lam Dong). In this match, the team defeated Hanoi FC B 1-0 and officially won a direct ticket to the 2020 V.League 2.[3] For the first time in the team's history, Ba Ria - Vung Tau attended a domestic professional tournament.
In the Phase 1 of 2020 V.League 2, they have top the league with 24 points after 11 games, but in Phase 2, they only ranked 2nd after Binh Dinh and missed the chance to go to the 2021 V.League 1.
In the 2022 V.League 2, they have been top of the table for the first half, but they dropped points in the second half so they only ranked 4th, give the promotion spot to Cong An Nhan Dan and Khanh Hoa.[4][5]
In 2024, five of the team's players got prosecuted for betting, and suspicions of match fixing during the 1–3 V.League 2 defeat against SHB Da Nang that took place on 23 December 2023.[6]
On 14 May 2024, the club asked the provincial authority to not play in national competitions for the 2024-2025 season, citing financial concerns. However, the team later received a financial guarantee for another year by the province and remained in the league.[7]
On 14 July 2025, the Vietnam Football Federation sent an official dispatch, announcing its approval of the name change request of Ba Ria-Vung Tau to the new name Ho Chi Minh City FC.[8]
Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors
| Stage | T-shirt maker | Sponsor printed on the shirt |
|---|---|---|
| 2017–2018 | none |  SCG
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| 2019 |  Zaicro
| |
| 2020–2022 |  Masu
| |
| 2023 | VNS
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Current squad
- As of 1 February 2026[9]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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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.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Coaching staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Nguyễn Minh Phương
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| Assistant coach | Lý Lâm Huy Nguyễn Hải Anh
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| Goalkeeper coach | Danh Hoàng Tuấn
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| Doctor | Nguyễn Hữu Việt Trung La Chí Kiên
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| Logistics | Trương Hoàng Đoan Huy
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References
- ^ "Đến lượt Bà Rịa Vũng Tàu bỏ giải hạng Nhất?".
- ^ "Công Vinh giúp bóng đá Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu lên chuyên". 9 October 2017.
- ^ "HLV Trần Minh Chiến đưa Vũng Tàu lên hạng Nhất".
- ^ "Giải Hạng nhất quốc gia 2022: Xong giải lại "phủi tay"?". 3 November 2022.
- ^ "CLB Bà Rịa Vũng Tàu chiêu mộ thành công cựu tiền vệ của Hà Nội FC".
- ^ thanhnien.vn (4 February 2024). "CLB Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu chờ tin từ cơ quan điều tra về vụ 5 cầu thủ bị khởi tố". thanhnien.vn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ thanhnien.vn (8 June 2024). "Không kham nổi tài chính, CLB Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu xin dừng đấu mùa giải 2024-2025". thanhnien.vn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "Đội Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu đổi tên thành câu lạc bộ TPHCM". laodong.vn. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ Bả Rịa-Vũng Tàu squad