The Democratic Republic of Vietnam national football team (Vietnamese: Đội tuyển bóng đá quốc gia Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa) was the national team of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (commonly known as North Vietnam) from 1954 to 1976. It existed side by side with a separate South Vietnam team, which represented the French-controlled southern portion of Vietnam. Unlike South Vietnam (which was a member of both FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation), North Vietnam's lack of diplomatic recognition on the part of many other states prevented it from ever joining either FIFA or the AFC. Due to its lack of membership in major football bodies, North Vietnam never participated in qualification for the FIFA World Cup or the AFC Asian Cup (unlike its southern counterpart, which participated in both). Because of North Vietnam's international isolation, its national team mostly played against other Communist and Communist-sympathizing countries during its relatively brief existence.[1]
1954–1976 | |||
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Association | Vietnam Football Association | ||
Top scorer | Nguyễn Thế Anh Phan Văn Mỵ Nguyễn Viết Cầu (1) | ||
Home stadium | Various | ||
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First international | |||
![]() ![]() (Beijing, China, 4 October 1956) | |||
Last international | |||
![]() ![]() (Hanoi, North Vietnam, 20 September 1970) | |||
Biggest win | |||
![]() ![]() (Phnom Penh, Cambodia; 15 November 1966) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
![]() ![]() (Hanoi, North Vietnam, 22 November 1959) ![]() ![]() (Pyongyang, North Korea, 22 October 1959) |
The North Vietnam football team ceased to exist with the unification of North and South Vietnam into the newly-created Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976, after the end of the Vietnam War. Even though the North emerged victorious in the war, the current Vietnam national football team is considered a successor to the South Vietnam team (not the North Vietnam team), since unified Vietnam inherited South Vietnam's membership of FIFA and the AFC.[2]
North Vietnam's first international match was against China in 1956. North Vietnam's head coach, Truong Tan Buu, played a 3-2-5 (WM) formation but the game ended in a 3-5 defeat. The team recorded their first victory in 1960 with a 3-1 win against Mongolia.
Since the North Vietnam football team was not recognized by international federations such as FIFA, the AFC, or the International Olympic Committee, the only international competition it ever took part in was the football tournament of the Games of the New Emerging Forces (GANEFO), whose organizing body was friendlier toward the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. North Vietnam proved to be a relatively strong side in the GANEFO competition, finishing fourth in the 1963 edition and third in the 1966 edition. It also earned third place in the football-only GANEFO event that took place in 1965.[3]
Immediately after Vietnamese reunification in 1976, both the North and South Vietnam teams ceased to exist. The now unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam inherited former South Vietnam's place in FIFA and the AFC, but Vietnam would not field an international football team again until the 1990s.
The home kit of North Vietnam was similar to the kit of the Soviet Union consisting of a red shirt with "VIET NAM DCCH" across the front, white shorts and white-red socks.
The goalkeeper's kit was a black shirt with a white collar, black shorts and socks.
AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup qualification record | ||||||||||||||
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Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | |
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Not member of AFC | Not member of AFC | |||||||||||||
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Total | — | 0/6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
GANEFO record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
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Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | |
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Fourth place | 4th | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | |
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Third place | 3rd | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 8 | No qualification | ||||||
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Third place | 3rd | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 7 | |||||||
Total | Third place | 3/3 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 45 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | |
The list shown below shows the North Vietnam national football team all-time international record against opposing nations.[4] [5]
Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | -5 |
![]() | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 17 | -8 |
![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
![]() | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 |
![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
![]() | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
![]() | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 |
![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 8 |
![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
![]() | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 17 | -15 |
![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
Total | 25 | 7 | 3 | 15 | 44 | 55 | -11 |
This is a list of the North Vietnam national football team results.[6][7]
1956 | ||||||||
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Date | Opponent | Score* | Venue | Competition | North Vietnam scores | |||
4 October | ![]() |
3–5 | Xiannongtan Stadium, Beijing (A) | 1956 Communist Tournament | ||||
10 October | ![]() |
0–3 | Xiannongtan Stadium, Beijing (A) | 1956 Communist Tournament | ||||
1959 | ||||||||
22 October | ![]() |
0–5 | Pyongyang, North Korea (A) | 1959 Communist Tournament | ||||
28 October | ![]() |
0–2 | Pyongyang, North Korea (A) | 1959 Communist Tournament | ||||
22 November | ![]() |
0–5 | North Vietnam (H) | Friendly | ||||
1960 | ||||||||
3 October | ![]() |
3–1 | Hanoi, North Vietnam (H) | 1960 Communist Tournament | ||||
8 October | ![]() |
1–3 | Hanoi, North Vietnam (H) | 1960 Communist Tournament | ||||
11 October | ![]() |
3–4 | Hanoi, North Vietnam (H) | 1960 Communist Tournament | ||||
1963 | ||||||||
April | ![]() |
0–1 | Indonesia (A) | 1963 GANEFO qualification[8] | ||||
April | ![]() |
3–2 | Indonesia (A) | 1963 GANEFO qualification[9] | ||||
April | ![]() |
1–3 | Indonesia (A) | 1963 GANEFO qualification | ||||
November | ![]() |
1–4 | Indonesia (A) | 1963 GANEFO | ||||
November | ![]() |
9–1 | Indonesia (A) | 1963 GANEFO | ||||
November | ![]() |
4–2 | Indonesia (A) | 1963 GANEFO | ||||
November | ![]() |
6–1 | Indonesia (A) | 1963 GANEFO | ||||
November | ![]() |
0–2 | Indonesia (A) | 1963 GANEFO | ||||
November | ![]() |
2–2 | Indonesia (A) | 1963 GANEFO | ||||
1965 | ||||||||
August | ![]() |
0–1 | North Korea (A) | 1965 GANEFO | ||||
August | ![]() |
3–3 | North Korea (A) | 1965 GANEFO | ||||
August | ![]() |
2–1 | North Korea (A) | 1965 GANEFO | ||||
August | ![]() |
1–2 | North Korea (A) | 1965 GANEFO | ||||
August | ![]() |
1–1 | North Korea (A) | 1965 GANEFO | ||||
1966 | ||||||||
August | ![]() |
1–3 | Cambodia (A) | 1966 GANEFO | ||||
August | ![]() |
0–2 | Cambodia (A) | 1966 GANEFO | ||||
August | ![]() |
2–2 | Cambodia (A) | 1966 GANEFO | ||||
August | ![]() |
4–0 | Cambodia (A) | 1966 GANEFO | ||||
15 November | ![]() |
9–0 | Cambodia (A) | 1966 GANEFO | ||||
1970 | ||||||||
20 September | ![]() |
3–2 [10] | Hanoi, North Vietnam (H) | Friendly | Thế Anh ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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General | |
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Statistics |
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Players |
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AFC Asian Cup Finals |
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AFF Cup Finals |
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Goals |
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Friendly tournaments |
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Other competitions |
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Rivalries | |
Awards |
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Matches |
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Other teams |
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Culture |
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Defunct and altered national football teams | |
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Recognised as defunct by FIFA | |
Teams whose names and borders both differ from the present | |
Defunct but unrecognised by FIFA | |
For teams that have undergone name changes but no border alterations see here For teams that have undergone border changes but no name alterations see here |
National men's football teams of Asia (AFC) | |
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AFC Asian Cup | |
West Asia (WAFF) | |
Central Asia (CAFA) | |
South Asia (SAFF) | |
East Asia (EAFF) | |
Southeast Asia (AFF) | |
Defunct | |
Former |
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1 Not a member of FIFA |