Ho Chi Minh City has two football teams playing in the V-League.

With a 0-0 draw away at Viettel today, July 30th, Ho Chi Minh City FC secured the 2016 First Division championship title three rounds early and earned promotion to the V-League 2017.

The joy of promotion for the Ho Chi Minh City players.

In the two early matches, Nam Dinh and Dong Nai both failed to win against Hue and Phu Yen respectively. With these results, Ho Chi Minh City FC only needed a draw at Hang Day Stadium to secure the National First Division championship and a ticket to play in the V-League next season three rounds early.

Ho Chi Minh City also had a bit of luck in achieving their goal early. Viettel, with the return of coach Dinh The Nam - who had just led the Vietnam U16 team to a second-place finish in the Southeast Asian U16 Championship - played better, creating many good scoring opportunities. However, the team, descendants of The Cong, failed to beat the opposing goalkeeper when facing him, hit the post, or shot wide when the goal was wide open. The score remained 0-0 until the final whistle.

After 15 rounds, Ho Chi Minh City FC has 36 points. Coach Lu Dinh Tuan's team is nine points ahead of their closest rival, Nam Dinh, with three rounds remaining. Due to a better head-to-head record, Ho Chi Minh City FC has already secured the championship and a direct promotion to the V-League next season.

Viettel (in red) missed several good scoring opportunities and therefore couldn't secure the victory.

"Ho Chi Minh City FC had a clear roadmap, setting a four-year goal to play in the V-League. And today, we have achieved that roadmap. The happiest thing is that the team brought joy to the fans of Ho Chi Minh City. For almost 10 years, we haven't had a real team from the city playing in the V-League," Coach Lu Dinh Tuan shared with VnExpress with a radiant look in his eyes.

Ho Chi Minh City currently has Saigon FC playing in the V-League 2016. However, this team only changed its name from Hanoi FC to Saigon FC and relocated its stadium last April.

Coach Lu Dinh Tuan said that Ho Chi Minh City FC will soon face a tougher battle than simply staying in the V-League because "this league is much more demanding than the First Division." He believes that the team must start recruiting players and preparing for the next season now.

The championship title and direct promotion to the V-League have been decided, but the battle in the National First Division remains intense as the race for play-off spots continues.

The third and fourth-placed teams will play against each other, with the winner facing the second-placed team. The winner of this match will then play against the second-to-last team in the V-League to qualify for the 2017 national championship. Currently, Nam Dinh is in second place with 26 points, Dong Nai is close behind with 25 points, and Viettel also has 24 points.

According to VNE