Thể Công–Viettel FC
Vietnamese military club with 19 national titles.
Thể Công–Viettel FC is a Vietnamese professional football club based in Hanoi, operated by Viettel Sports Center, an affiliate of Viettel Group, and competes in the V.League 1. The club is the modern incarnation of Thể Công, historically the most successful club in Vietnamese football with 19 national titles. Its traditional red colour has earned it the nickname 'Cơn lốc đỏ' (Red Tornado).
Quick Facts
- Clubname
- Thể Công–Viettel
- Fullname
- Câu lạc bộ bóng đá Thể Công – Viettel (Thể Công–Viettel Football Club)
- Short name
- TCVT
- Nickname
- Cơn lốc đỏ (The Red Tornado), Đội bóng áo lính (The Soldiers)
- Founded
- 23 September 1954
- Ground
- Mỹ Đình Stadium
- Capacity
- 40,200
- Owntitle
- Owner
Facts from the source article.
History
On 23 September 1954, General Nguyễn Chí Thanh, Director of the General Department of Politics, ordered the establishment of Đoàn công tác Thể dục Thể thao Quân đội (Thể Công), managed by the Ministry of Defence. The first team comprised 23 cadres from The Army Officer College No1, divided into football, basketball, and volleyball squads, with a reserve player, Lý Đức Kim, skilled in all three sports and logistics. The football lineup included captain Nguyễn Văn Bưởi and player-coach Nguyễn Thông; later, Nguyễn Văn Thành (known as Tí Bồ) joined. On 25 October 1954, Thể Công played its first match at Hàng Đẫy Stadium against Trần Hưng Đạo University, winning 1–0 with a goal by Bưởi. In 1955, both the main and reserve teams won the A and B class championships of the Hoà Bình League in Haiphong. In 1956, ten Thể Công players, including 38-year-old Tí Bồ, were selected for the first North Vietnam national team, making him the oldest Vietnamese national player.
Stadium
From 1956 to 1998, Thể Công played at the 6,000-capacity Cột Cờ Stadium, built in the 1940s as Mangin Stadium by French authorities and located within the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long. After the Việt Minh took over Hanoi in 1954, it was renamed Cột Cờ Stadium and placed under the Ministry of National Defence. In the 1990s, the club moved to Hàng Đẫy Stadium, using Cột Cờ for training until 2004, when the Ministry ended its sporting use. Since the 2025–26 season, Thể Công–Viettel has used Mỹ Đình National Stadium; in 2026, management of the entire complex was transferred to the Ministry of National Defence.
Rivalries
In the 20th century, the derby between Thể Công and Công An Hà Nội was a major fixture in Vietnam, representing the army versus the police. On 14 February 2023, Viettel defeated Công An Hà Nội 2–1 in the 2023 V.League 1, their first top-flight meeting in 21 years. A newer rivalry developed with Hà Nội FC, established in 2006; their first official match was in the 2008 Vietnamese Cup, and they first met in V.League 1 in 2009. The 2020 Hanoi Derby featured two red cards. In 23 encounters, Hà Nội FC leads with 10 wins, 6 draws, and 7 losses.
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