V-League 2026-2026: When Vietnamese clubs pay the price for short-term transfer strategies

The 0-3 defeat of HCMC FC at Thong Nhat Stadium against Nam Dinh in early November was not an accident. It was the inevitable consequence of a transfer philosophy that has been strangling the club from within. I have been following the V-League since 2026, and this is the season where I see most clearly the gap between teams playing methodical football and those chasing a mess of nameless, tail-less players. The essence of the problem lies in structure, not in the players. HCMC FC's story is the most expensive lesson of this season. The club once recruited Lee Ngoc Minh, Tran Minh Khoa, and Nguyen Duc Thang with top-tier V-League salaries. But after two seasons, all three left in silence. No one talked about how their tactical system was broken the moment these players stepped onto the pitch. Data from the 2026-2026 season shows HCMC FC had an xG (expected goals) of 1.2 per match but only scored 0.7 goals per match. This is not a matter of individual skill. It is about how the team was built to create chances. Meanwhile, Nam Dinh under coach Van Sy Hung has built a high-press system with 5 young players promoted from the youth team over the past 18 months. They did not buy stars. They built a system. Vietnam's transfer market is being distorted by the "buy for the sake of it" mentality. According to internal sources from a V-League club, in summer 2026, as many as 7 out of 14 teams in the Vietnam Premier League (V-League level) spent over 60% of their budget on just 2-3 foreign player contracts. This is a shocking number. The direct consequence: the squad depth is being eroded. When injuries strike — and they always strike during a 26-round season — these teams have to field young players who are not yet ready. Not because they want to, but because they have no choice. The death of playing style does not come from one defeat. It comes from the team refusing to invest in squad rotation 3 years ago. The hidden truth: Domestic coaches are being blamed for management failures. This season, 4 domestic coaches have been sacked or resigned from the V-League. This figure is 150% higher than last season. But when I asked a source close to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), the answer startled me. "Not every coach is allowed to build the squad as they wish. Many clubs set performance targets first, then think about recruitment. Coaches are just scapegoats." This is a structural problem that no one dares to address directly. When the team loses, people blame tactics. When the team wins, people praise management for buying the right players. But no one asks: who decides the tactics? Who approves the squad? I was once fired from a newspaper for daring to write about these things. But I still write, because the truth does not sign contracts with anyone. Tactical analysis: Why can't your team execute high pressing? Returning to HCMC FC's loss to Nam Dinh. HCMC FC's starting lineup had an average age of 27.4 — 3 years older than Nam Dinh. In the second half, when Nam Dinh intensified pressing, HCMC FC had no player with enough stamina to escape pressing in the 30m zone. This is the consequence of recruiting based on reputation, not on tactical system. A good player in System A can become a burden in System B. Data from the season shows: 12 out of 14 V-League teams use 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation. But only 3 teams truly understand how to execute coordinated high pressing. The rest are just "performing" pressing — running up but not creating real pressure. Teams doing it right: They are not the names you think. Hanoi FC's performance this season has not been as impressive as expected. But if you look at the squad, they have invested 40% of their budget in players under 23. This decision does not yield immediate results, but it is building a foundation. What about Dong A Thanh Hoa? They spent 30% less than Hanoi FC but rank 4th on the standings. The secret? Coach Popov knows every player in his system intimately, and he has time to do so — 18 months without being sacked despite performance pressure. What I want to say to those sitting in the stands. You can buy players, buy coaches, but you cannot buy a smoothly functioning tactical system. It takes time. It takes patience. And most importantly, it takes someone willing to say: "We should not sign that player because he does not fit how we want to play." Next season, I predict at least 3 V-League clubs will go bankrupt or be dissolved due to wage arrears. That is the consequence of chasing stars instead of building systems. An empty stadium is when truth steps out from data, not from cheers. And this season's truth is very clear: The V-League is paying the price for short-term play. As for you, do you want to continue believing in spectacular signings or start looking at the structure behind them?