| Season | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 20 February – 18 September |
| Champions | Hanoi T&T 3rd VL1 title 3rd Vietnamese title |
| Relegated | Dong Thap FC |
| Matches played | 182 |
| Goals scored | 548 (3.01 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Gastón Merlo (24 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Haiphong FC 5–0 Long An FC Becamex Binh Duong 5–0 Hoang Anh Gia Lai |
| Biggest away win | Dong Thap FC 0–4 SHB Danang |
| Highest scoring | Becamex Binh Duong 4–5 Hanoi T&T |
| Longest winning run | Haiphong FC (7 matches) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Haiphong FC Than Quang Ninh (8 matches) |
| Longest winless run | Dong Thap FC (23 matches) |
| Longest losing run | Dong Thap FC (9 matches) |
| Highest attendance | 19,000 |
| Lowest attendance | 1,000 |
| Total attendance | 1,147,900 |
| Average attendance | 6,307 |
← 2015 2017 → All statistics correct as of 23 September 2016. | |
The 2016 V.League 1 (known as the Toyota V.League 1 for sponsorship reasons) season was the 33rd season of the V.League 1, the highest division of Vietnamese football and the 16th as a professional league. It began on 20 February 2016 and ended 18 September 2016. [1]
The following teams had changed division since the 2015 season.
To V.League 1Promoted from V.League 2 | From V.League 1Relegated to 2016 V.League 2 |
In season 2016, the club finishing in the 14th position would be relegated to V-League 2. The club that had finished in the 13th position would face the winner of a play-off between the V-League 2's second, third and fourth place clubs for a place in the 2017 V.League 1 season.
| Team | Based | Home stadium | Capacity | Previous season rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Becamex Binh Duong | Binh Duong | Go Dau | 18,250 | VL1 (1st) |
| XSKT Cantho | Cantho | Cantho | 60,000 | VL1 (11th) |
| SHB Danang | Danang | Chi Lang | 28,000 | VL1 (9th) |
| Dong Thap FC | Dong Thap | Cao Lanh | 23,000 | VL1 (12th) |
| Hoang Anh Gia Lai | Gia Lai | Pleiku | 12,000 | VL1 (13th) |
| Haiphong FC | Haiphong | Lach Tray | 28,000 | VL1 (6th) |
| Hanoi T&T | Hanoi | Hàng Đẫy Stadium | 22,000 | VL1 (2nd) |
| Sanna Khanh Hoa BVN | Khanh Hoa | 19 August | 25,000 | VL1 (5th) |
| Long An FC | Long An | Long An | 19,975 | VL1 (10th) |
| Song Lam Nghe An | Nghe An | Vinh | 12,000 | VL1 (7th) |
| QNK Quang Nam | Quang Nam | Tam Ky | 15,624 | VL1 (8th) |
| Than Quang Ninh | Quang Ninh | Cam Pha | 15,000 | VL1 (4th) |
| Saigon FC | Ho Chi Minh City | Thong Nhat | 22,000 | |
| FLC Thanh Hoa | Thanh Hoa | Thanh Hoa | 14,000 | VL1 (3rd) |
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Head Coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Becamex Binh Duong | | | |
| XSKT Cantho | | | |
| SHB Danang | | | Made by club |
| Dong Thap FC | | | |
| Hoang Anh Gia Lai | | | Made by club |
| Haiphong FC | | | |
| Hanoi T&T | | | |
| Saigon FC | | | Made by club |
| Sanna Khanh Hoa BVN | | | Made by club |
| Long An FC | | | |
| Song Lam Nghe An | | | Made by club |
| QNK Quang Nam | | | Made by club |
| Than Quang Ninh | | | |
| FLC Thanh Hoa | | | |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FLC Thanh Hoa | | Demoted [4] | 20 January 2016 | Pre-Season | | 20 January 2016 |
| Hanoi T&T | | Resigned [5] | 13 February 2016 | | 13 February 2016 | |
| Than Quang Ninh | | Resigned [6] | 16 March 2016 | 9th | | 16 March 2016 |
| Hanoi T&T | | Demoted [7] | 17 March 2016 | 14th | | 17 March 2016 |
V.League teams are allowed to use two foreign players and one naturalised player [8]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanoi T&T (C, Q) | 26 | 16 | 2 | 8 | 45 | 28 | +17 | 50 | Qualification to AFC Champions League preliminary round 2 |
| 2 | Haiphong FC | 26 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 47 | 32 | +15 | 50 | |
| 3 | SHB Danang (Q) | 26 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 49 | 33 | +16 | 49 | |
| 4 | Than Quang Ninh (Q) | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 39 | 32 | +7 | 44 | Qualification to AFC Cup group stage [a] |
| 5 | QNK Quang Nam | 26 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 44 | 32 | +12 | 42 | |
| 6 | FLC Thanh Hoa | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 51 | 42 | +9 | 42 | |
| 7 | Saigon FC | 26 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 34 | 32 | +2 | 36 [b] | |
| 8 | Sanna Khanh Hoa BVN | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 34 | 30 | +4 | 36 [b] | |
| 9 | Song Lam Nghe An | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 34 | 36 | −2 | 34 [c] | |
| 10 | Becamex Binh Duong | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 39 | 37 | +2 | 34 [c] | |
| 11 | XSKT Cantho | 26 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 37 | 36 | +1 | 34 [c] | |
| 12 | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 26 | 9 | 3 | 14 | 39 | 50 | −11 | 30 | |
| 13 | Long An FC (O) | 26 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 34 | 62 | −28 | 19 | Relegation Play-off |
| 14 | Dong Thap FC (R) | 26 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 22 | 67 | −45 | 8 | Relegation to V.League 2 |
The team finishing 13th faced the winner of 2016 V.League 2 play-off II match.
Long An FC won the match and would remain in the 2017 V.League 1.
| Long An FC | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Viettel |
|---|---|---|
| Huỳnh Tấn Tài | Report |
| Winner; Champions League | |
| Relegated to V.League 2 |
| Player | Club | Against | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Dong Thap FC | Hanoi T&T | 2 |
| | Dong Thap FC | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 4 |
| | Than Quang Ninh | SHB Danang | 5 |
| | Dong Thap FC | XSKT Cantho | |
| | Long An | SHB Danang | 11 |
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Haiphong FC | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 4–2 | 10 April 2016 |
| | Hanoi T&T | Dong Thap FC | 5–2 | 24 April 2016 |
| | QNK Quang Nam | FLC Thanh Hoa | 4–4 | 10 July 2016 |
| | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | Becamex Binh Duong | 3–1 | 13 August 2016 |
| | Becamex Binh Duong | Dong Thap FC | 3–0 | 17 August 2016 |
| | Haiphong FC | Long An | 5–2 | 11 September 2016 |
| | SHB Danang | Dong Thap FC | 4–0 | 18 September 2016 |
| | QNK Quang Nam | Long An | 6–2 | 18 September 2016 |
| Month | Club of the Month | Coach of the Month | Player of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | Club | Player | Club | ||
| February March | Haiphong FC | | Haiphong FC | | SHB Danang |
| April | Haiphong FC | | Haiphong FC | | Hanoi T&T |
| May June | Than Quang Ninh | | Hanoi T&T | | Hanoi T&T |
| July | SHB Danang | | SHB Danang | | Hanoi T&T |
| August | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | | Hoang Anh Gia Lai | | SHB Danang |
| September | Hanoi T&T | | Hanoi T&T | | SHB Danang |
| Goalkeepers | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | | |