Hưng Yên FC enters V-League promotion race: Dream rises from ashes of PVF CAND

On the afternoon of January 14, at Hung Yen Stadium, coach Bui Doan Quang Huy stepped forward to address the first crowd of fans of the newly established club. He wore a black vest, stood beside executive director Nguyen Hai Bien, holding a microphone at just the right distance to hide the slight trembling. The speech lasted four minutes. His final words were: "This season, we will not be relegated. We are going to the V-League." That was the moment Hung Yen FC faced its first truth: they had officially entered the promotion race with a squad built from the ashes of PVF CAND – the team that finished sixth in the 2026/26 First Division. The birth of Hung Yen FC is not a story starting from scratch. It is a sports project sponsored by billionaire businessman Dang Thanh Tam – someone who has backed numerous high-profile transfer deals in Vietnam. Director Bien, at the club's launch press conference on January 10, did not hide his ambition: "We aim for a top-3 finish in the 2026/27 First Division. That is not a dream. That is a plan." With the upcoming First Division season featuring two V-League promotion spots, Bien's statement positioned Hung Yen FC as a serious contender – not a passive observer, but one ready to leap. The first thing that drew experts' attention to Hung Yen FC was not money, but the driver. Coach Bui Doan Quang Huy is no stranger to Vietnamese football. He led Binh Dinh to a V-League runners-up finish in 2026/24 – the best result in the club's history. Binh Dinh's playing style under Huy was evaluated by analysts as "intelligent central control, sharp counter-attacks when opponents pushed high." This philosophy fits the First Division context, where teams typically play moderate pressing, leaving gaps behind their defense when losing possession. If Huy successfully applies this model at Hung Yen, the club will have a distinct tactical advantage over most opponents in the league. However, tactics are only half the story. The other half is personnel. Hung Yen FC did not build their squad by purchasing established stars. Instead, they recruited players with professional playing experience from the PVF CAND system. Most notable is goalkeeper Huynh Tuan Linh – a key figure for Vietnam U23 at SEA Games 2026. Alongside him are midfielder Le Minh Binh, defender Mac Duc Viet Anh, foreign striker Khalio, and particularly young forward Duc Vu – a member of the national U20 team. While not household names, these players have been tempered in First Division football and possess certain tactical cohesion. This is an advantage that many newly established clubs lack: they don't need a "test run" period for their squad, already having a solid foundation from PVF CAND. But Hung Yen FC does not face weak opponents. The 2026/27 First Division brings together numerous teams that have played in the V-League, including CAND FC, Becamex TPHCM, and Quy Nhon United. These are clubs with infrastructure and experience at the highest level of Vietnamese football, and they will not easily surrender promotion spots to a newcomer. Hung Yen FC's opening match against Thep Can Tho on January 20 will be the first real test – not about results, but about how the team expresses its tactical identity under genuine pressure. The second notable point is the youth development strategy. Alongside the senior team, Hung Yen FC announced plans to build a youth academy from U13 to U21, with the goal of developing players for the national team. Many experts praise this model, as it creates a sustainable talent pipeline rather than depending on the transfer market. However, this plan also raises questions: will investment in the academy affect the senior team's budget in its first season? And more importantly, when will the first U13 cohort be mature enough to contribute to the senior team – three or five years from now? These are questions the club's management must answer if they want to avoid criticism of "burying their head in the sand" before immediate performance pressure. Returning to the January 14 speech, coach Huy added a line few noticed: "We are grateful for this jersey. And we will not betray it." In the context of Vietnamese football continuously witnessing transfer deals collapsing at the last minute, promises broken by those who once swore loyalty, this sounded like a reminder: this season, Hung Yen FC fights not just for three points. They fight for their own reputation. The opening match against Thep Can Tho will be the practical answer to all theories laid out on paper. If Hung Yen FC displays the possession-based style from their Binh Dinh days, if the PVF CAND players quickly integrate with coach Huy's philosophy, and if the defense led by goalkeeper Tuan Linh stands firm under pressure – then the top-3 target is not a dream. Conversely, if everything falls apart from the first round, the "promotion to V-League" story will quickly become a burden rather than motivation. Observers will watch closely. Because for a newcomer with grand ambitions like Hung Yen FC, every match is not just three points – it is testimony to the entire project.