2013 V.League 1

Team changes

The following teams have changed division since the 2012 season.

Relegated

Rule changes

After a 5-year absence, the AFC announced that the V.League 1 champions would be allowed to compete in the 2014 AFC Champions League playoff stage.

Teams

Number of participating clubs in the 2013 campaign is 12.

Vicem Hải Phòng's relegation to the 2013 Vietnamese First Division season was confirmed on 29 July 2012. However, the club returned to the V.League for the 2013 season to replace Khatoco Khánh Hòa, who were dissolved on 8 December 2012.

TĐCS Đồng Tháp were relegated after rivals Khatoco Khánh Hòa defeated Sông Lam Nghệ An 1–0 on 19 August 2012.

Đồng Tâm Long An (as Champions) and Hà Nội T&T Youth (as runners-up) secured direct promotion to the V.League from the 2012 Vietnamese First Division. Đồng Tâm Long An returned to the V.League after a one season absence. However, Hà Nội T&T Youth remained in the second tier of Vietnamese football due to league rules about clubs with the same owners competing in the same division.

Hà Nội was dissolved on 27 November 2012 when club officials could not secure a new sponsor after the earlier arrest of Chairman Nguyen Duc Kien caused all sponsorship from his assets to be blocked. Navibank Sài Gòn was sold on 22 October 2012 after the title sponsor of the club announced the a move away from sports, but the new owners announced on 5 December 2012 that the club would be dissolved before the start of the 2013 campaign., finally this club was dissloved.

On 8 December 2012, the VPF had stated that the Vietnam U22 team would be added to the V.League to gain experience ahead of the 2013 Southeast Asian Games and to bring the participating number of clubs to 12. However, the Vietnam Football Federation announced on December 13, 2012 that 2012 Vietnamese First Division second runner ups Đồng Nai would be the twelfth club in the 2013 campaign.

Controversy

After Xuân Thành Sài Gòn was docked points for what the VFF deemed the club unsportsmanlike conduct when the club fielded a noncompetitive squad for their Matchdat 20 meeting with Sông Lam Nghệ An, club officials announced that the club would withdraw from the league. On August 22, 2013, the VFF approved Xuân Thành Sài Gòn's withdrawal request. Matches where the club was involved were vacated. The VFF is still debating if the last place club will still be relegated to V.League 2, though the league charter states that the club in 12th place would be the only club relegated in the 2013 campaign.

Personnel and kits

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Nokia

Foreign players

Note:
¹Those players who were born and started their professional career abroad but have since gained Vietnamese Residency;
²Foreign residents who have chosen to represent Vietnam national team;
³Vietnamese residents who have chosen to represent another national team

League table

XM Xuân Thành Sài Gòn withdraw V League 2013 after round 20.

Updated to games played on 31 August 2013.
Source: [1]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

Summary

Updated to games played on 31 August 2013.
Source: Eximbank V-League
1 ^{^} The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.