Quang Ninh Club officially returns to the First Division - Photo: QUANG NINH CLUB
The victory over Hoai Duc at Cam Pha Stadium on the evening of June 17 went down in the history of Quang Ninh football when their newly re-established team officially marked the milestone of returning to the First Division - one of the professional tournaments of Vietnamese football - after nearly 5 years of absence.
Quang Ninh FC has completed the target of being promoted to 2 divisions without losing any matches. The 16-match unbeaten streak across 2 tournaments (third and second division) is an encouraging number for a team that has only been re-established for 1 year and has received limited investment.
Tragedy...
Since Vietnamese football became professional in 2000, Than Quang Ninh has experienced many ups and downs. The team has been promoted and relegated many times in semi-professional leagues, and it was not until 2014 that they joined the V-League.
Before the dissolution milestone in 2021, Than Quang Ninh Club was a force in the V-League when it was often in the top of the rankings.
The team's peak was winning the National Cup and National Super Cup in 2016, finishing top 3 in V-League 2019 and reaching the knockout round of AFC Cup 2020.
In the 2020 - 2021 period, Than Quang Ninh even had players in the sights of coach Park Hang Seo in the national teams.
Than Quang Ninh is proud to represent a locality with a long history (established in 1956), with a large number of spectators and fans, not inferior to other provinces with rich football traditions such as Hai Phong , Song Lam Nghe An or Thanh Hoa.
But at the peak of its prosperity, Than Quang Ninh received a shock when the owner no longer had enough financial resources to maintain the team. In mid-2021, a wave of strikes, demands for unpaid salaries and bonuses and kickbacks broke out among the coaching staff and players.
At the end of that season, the club's management had to ask for help from the province to try to complete the season. From second place in the table, Than Quang Ninh lost the motivation to compete for the championship, so they lost consecutively and dropped to the top 3.
At the end of the season, the club dissolved, liquidating more than 30 players. The name Than Quang Ninh was officially expelled from the football system by FIFA. Many people will never get back the money they owed for their hard work.
Quang Ninh Club's impressive revival - Photo: QUANG NINH CLUB
...And revive
After 3 years of absence from national professional football tournaments, in July 2024, Quang Ninh Club was established under the management of Quang Ninh Football Development Joint Stock Company. And was recognized by the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province and the Department of Culture - Sports of Quang Ninh as the new football team representing the province, introduced to the Department of Physical Training and Sports and the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to participate in football tournaments.
According to regulations, Quang Ninh Club must start its journey back to professionalism from the 2024 National Third Division. With his love for football, Chairman Ha Tuan Dung of Quang Ninh Club decided to build the team based on the core of Quang Ninh players to preserve its identity.
He has summoned many familiar faces of Quang Ninh football such as captain Bui Van Hieu, vice captain Dao Nhat Minh, center back Le Tuan Tu, defender Doan Van Quy and striker Nguyen Van Son to the main frame of the team.
Since it was newly established, the club encountered many difficulties. With a limited budget, the team could not invite quality Quang Ninh players. The players' salaries were only around 10 million VND and there was no signing bonus. The team did not have its own bus and had to rent one. During the journey to the third division, Quang Ninh Club could only stay in a budget hotel that was not even 3 stars.
But under the leadership of coach Nguyen Van Dan, Quang Ninh Club still played impressively to achieve the co-championship of the 2024 Third Division, before finishing the 2025 Second Division early in the top of the table, and winning the right to be promoted to the 2025 - 2026 First Division.
More impressively, the modest Quang Ninh Club has surpassed the giant Bac Ninh (a team with huge investment, with Coach Park Hang Seo as advisor) to lead Group A of the Second Division. With 1 draw and 1 win, Quang Ninh has proven its level compared to a higher-rated opponent who has played together for 2 years.
Up to now, Quang Ninh Club is still undefeated (16 matches) and continues to aim to win the last match (with PVF Center) as a gift of gratitude to the fans.
Quang Ninh Club will officially return to the First Division at the end of this year. It is not known when the team will be able to move up to the V-League, but the return to the professional football field is a good sign not only for the fans of the mining land but also for Vietnamese football.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/clb-quang-ninh-tu-bi-kich-giai-the-den-hanh-trinh-tro-lai-chuyen-nghiep-20250618103149452.htm
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