Section 9

In this section the author presents a few useful and informative primary documents written by people involved in the game related to the encraoching separation of French from 'our' (Viet native/Southern) football.

In March 1931 Bac Ky Sports (No.19) published an important letter from Mr. Tu Son of the Lac Long Football Association, Hanoi about the overall Northern football scene:

Greetings! Within the North region we have many clubs, but there is no real Committee. Unfortunately because of this, there’s little competition between clubs, and no official referees. Although the French have formed a Committee for their own Annam club, it seems that local-run clubs are not welcomed.

At the urging of many, I would like to invite you to a meeting to discuss regards these important issues. There will be several questions:

1. Should we be merged with the French Committee that has our own people operating?

2. Should we establish a separate Annam Committee to control and support multiple Northern clubs?

3. Should we buy land or ask for land to build a football field. Should there be an enclosed stadium in which  to organize pay-to-watch football matches? 

4. Establish a temporary Board of Directors to request permission from the Government.

I would like to respectfully invite you at exactly 9:00 a.m. on Thursday the 19th March 1931 to meet at the office to exchange ideas. For the better future of the nation’s Football culture, I Hope you will be able to make it.

Sincerely, 

Tu Son (41 Rue de...)

Immediately, the Northern football community spoke up to discuss and support the proposal. One of the supporter was the head of Éclair, Mr. Tran Van Quy who wrote:

"... We would like to hold a meeting with the clubs, in order to establish a new football committee for the North region. Through the new Committee, we hope to expand the football industry more and more, day by day. We want to create valuable and strong relationships between clubs and encourage future generations to follow in our footsteps.

To summarise, the Committee has some essential commitment: 

• Establishing a representative team for Northern football 
• Organizing fund-raising competitions to support operational cost of clubs and to award prizes for the first- and second- placed clubs within the Committee’s ambit.
• Create competition rules and select officials to maintain order in competitions and supervise disciplinary procedures.
• Members of the committee will be club officials and players, giving the clubs equal rights in meetings.
• There will be representatives in Hanoi and in the other relevant provinces, reporting activities of the committee and the clubs to appropriate agencies.
• Without such a committee, the games problems will flourish;, fights often happen; some players are rude; the referee is unfair; the rules are not filial; the rules are not correct. A committee would be attentive to this problem.

Developing training facilities is a common goal among members of the committee. Let's work together to build foundations so that we can guide and improve the level of football in the North for the future.

For the common good, we stand up and shout, a great thing that every day sports fans still look forward to from our Council... We will set up an organising body to decide on the Committee's regulations. The Top Cup of Pho Duc Mai and the Second-tier Cup of Trinh Van Bich Tuc will be the anniversary for the establishment of the new Committee.”

Tu Son's second letter recalls:

"I had the idea of ​​founding the National Football League of the South in 1929 when I took over an advisory position in the French National Committee of the General Assembly.    Governor general pasquier promoted interest in exercise through many means such as political and intellectual affairs  in Eastern France. He had an agreement with M. Pesconl, Director of the General Department of Sports (Fédesation Sportive Du Tonkin) that he would provide an area of ​​land to build a Tong Cuc stadium. 

Now, although the French Sporting Department has been approved by the government, our people seem not so welcome. Within that French department, only a few who actually understood their roles (M. Pescoul, Navarre, Sabary, Manmus, Laurent), all decided to resign. If all five of the most important administrators resign, what do you think the department will be able to do? Even I as an outsider am able to know what’s going to happened next. 

Because the French department is so unstable, this year, our football associations did not have the Northern Championships! Feeling sad! I sent the previous letter one day, and the next day I received a replyfrom Mr. Tran Van Quy with the same intention as mine calling for the establishment of the General Department. I was very pleased. Last Sunday, I went to the training ground to meet officials of the Stade Hanoien Association. I expressed my opinion and they were all happy and agreed and wished the General Department to be established quickly. The thing is that Hanoi already has three clubs – Éclair, Stade Hanoien and Lac Long Sport – with the same idea. I am yet to visit Mr. Tao and Thu Quan at the Lance Football Association,  yet, I'm sure the "magic spear" will also join us and  take on important tasks in the General Assembly..."

Section 8

In which the author (bizarrely) narrates the development of Vietnamese football separatism in reverse order.

During the 1930s, the Bac Ky Football Federation (North Region) not only selected the top team from their region to travel to compete in the Dong Duong Championship, they also participated in some very significant competition such as the First-tier Football Championship (1ère Série Pho Duc Mai) and the Second-tier Football Championship - “2ème Série” ; the Trinh Van Bich Printing House (38 Hang Tre street, Hanoi) Cup; and many other football tournaments that were continuously held all year round.

From 1935 to 1939, before World War II broke out, football in the Indochina region developed rapidly. According to the handwritten notes of Mr. Tran Van Quy, as of August 1939, the North region had up to 300 first and second-tier football teams. Many top football teams participated in the Toan Quyen Championship; the Hanoi Ambassador Championship; and the Cup of Western and Local merchants of the nation.

Northern sportsmen gathered to establish their own Vietnamese Round Ball Tournament, hosted by Mr. Tran Van Quy. Chaired by Éclair, the meeting took place on a Sunday evening in April 1934 at 27 Rue Ronbony Street. The Northern Football Federation of Vietnam founded with all the apparatus and executive board as prescribed by the Law of the French government. However, the French refused to recognised it, leading to the merger of the North Football Federation of Vietnam and the Northern Sports General Departments, supervised and operated by the French people's government two years later. As it turned out, through the establishment of the Northern Football Association of Vietnam, the Vietnamese people sounded the warning bell that the French government could not ignore and overlook the spirit of the Northern sports fan community, especially the national culture of the Vietnamese people in general, and of Uncle Ho's compatriots in particular.

In the winter of 1931, during a Manzin Stadium match between Le Duong Number 9 Regiment (REI 9) and Stade Hanoien (all Vietnamese players), a watershed transformative incident occurred. Stade Hanoien players were much more technical and organised; in comparison with Le Duong’s players who were short-tempered and violent. Stade Hanoien were reluctant to give up, so they responded tit-for-tat, resulting in a brawl between players. The match was cancelled. Immediately, the President of Hanoi issued a decree banning of all matches between French and Vietnamese teams. This incident, and the act of "pouring fuel on the fire" by the government personnel, led to the separation of Vietnamese footballers from the French-managed Northern Football Federation. Subsequently, the Vietnamese players established a separate organization to manage and operate the native football teams across the whole of Vietnam.

Section 7

More details about the developing organisation in the North and the beginnings of North-South, intra and international football.

At the Hanoi stadium, Éclair met Lac Long again to compete for the championship title of the Jeanne D'Arc football tournament.

On the Hai Duong football field, Mr. Pham Thong, a significant figure in the East region of Tonkin, organised a tournament for the local clubs, limited to only four Hai Duong club: Junior, Phi Dinh, Aiglon and Fleche d'or.

On Sunday, 3 May 1931, a series of matches ended the season. In Hanoi, at Nha Dau Stadium, two consecutive matches under the title of Sunday Football Ba Mai 1931 covered extensively in Bac Ky the Sports newspaper (No. 26 on May 5, with a detailed report on pages 10 and 11).

Even though not as intense as the on field action, the off-field activity was meaningful.  Some teams opened congresses to elect new leaders and approve the player list for the following season. The spotlight focused on the Hong Bang Football Association, which held its annual general meeting in 1931 to prepare the program for the upcoming football season. After a day of arguing and debating, the Hong Bang Association finally had a new leadership team: President - Vu Dinh Tuong; Vice President - Pham Dinh Ky; Secretary - Vu Trong Hoan; Treasurer - Ha Duc Dinh; Captain - Trinh Phong. Similarly, the Jeunesse Tonkinoise Association also held an Annual General Meeting to strengthen and create new opportunities for the football team.

On Sunday, 17 May 1931, members of the Etincelle Sportive Hanoiennees Football Association, the former Le Dard Association, opened an annual meeting at Mr. Bui Dinh Thu's private house in Luong Yen village (now Thanh Luong ward, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi). Th ecommittee for the 1931 football season was: President - M. Bui Dinh Thu; Vice President - M. Nguyen Huu My; Treasurer - M. Nguyen Vinh Tac; 

Secretaries - M. Nguyen Van Sung, Nguyen Van Tinh, Le Van Tai.

In Thanh Hoa, Cadastre Sport defeated Ecole Sport 1-0.

Even in the remote mountainous region of Lai Chau, the sporting spirit preavailed. The community asked the government to inaugurate a Board of Directors for sports and also to approvethe establishment of Tay Bac football club.

In October 1932, after accepting the invitation from the Southern Association of Football Clubs, the Thanh Nien Bac Ky Football Team, based in Hai Phong, toured the Southern region all month long and had three decent matches on the major stadiums around Saigon.

Responding to the longings of football fans outside North Vietnam, on 11 February 1934, the Victoria Vo Dich Nam ky Football Team visited Hanoi. Having just arrived in Hanoi after arranging food and accommodation, the Victoria football players had their first match in the afternoon of the same day at the Eclair Football Association stadium (Chop Nhoang, Nha Dau Stadium, Wood Factory area at 42 Chuong Duong, Chuong Duong district, Hoan Kiem district today).  Vo Dich Nam ky prepared to face the Northern Championship winner, Eclair owned by Mr. Tran Van Quy and headquartered at 27 Rue Rondony street (now Hang Thung street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi). Although the professional training session of the Southern team was not widely announced, word of mouth assured it was attended by those who love to admire the famous Southern football players as well as their style of play. A full grandstand looked down at the soccer field and admired the skillful ball passages and tackles of Saigon's players.

Preparing for the match to welcome the talented men from the South, Éclair and Stade Hanoien included stars players from Hanoi and the North: Louis, Tam A, Nghiem, Tam B, Duc, Nhuan, Trung, Ty, Vien, Bièng, Thai, Quy, Nhan, Soni, Kinh, Tri Ke, Duc, Gip, Ba, Luu and Thai.

In 1936, on the occasion of the inauguration of the rolling road through Bong Duong, the French government in the area of ​​Dong Duong organised the first Indochina Football Championship. The representative clubs were: Can Tho (Southern region), Hoa Xa Khanh Hoa (Central region), Sud Indofer (Cambodia) and Cotonkin Nam Dinh (Bac Ky). Contonkin won the first Indochina Football Championship, and the people of Nam Dinh joyfully held a celebration party. The competition was organized into a large traditional sports tournament every year after then, with five representative teams: three regions of Vietnam, along with Laos and Cambodia.

Section 6

By the 1930s, Northern football had a new form. Besides the teams born in the 20s, dozens of new football stadiums attached to familiar teams were built: Racing Club Hanoi, Eclair, Noi Chau, Cotonkin Nam Dinh. Such provinces as Son Tay, Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang, Bac Giang, Lang Son, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An also worked together to build football fields and stadiums.

After the beginning of the football season of Tan Mui year (in the second week of April 1931), Ha Noi authorities organised a special first tier championship to contribute to the Jeanne D'Arc festival. The four finalist were: Stade Hanoien, La Lance, ÉClair and Lac Long Sport. Simultaneously, the Hanoi football world opened the second tier Championship, sponsored by businessman Pham Quoc Huan. In the knockout matches on 26 March 1931, Etoile Nam Dinh won 2-0 against Collége Sportif and Soleil won 1-0 against Thanh Long. On Sunday, May 3, when the Pham Quoc Huan Cup was won, Soleil met Etoile Nam Dinh. Football lovers from the South, excitedly pulled up to Hanoi among dozens of passenger buses.

The Hanoi fans generated a heightened football atmosphere leading up to the matches for the student championship in 1930-1931. The championship final between Albert Sarraut's team and the Guardian School produced a result of 3-0 to Albert Sarraut's team. Thousands of Hanoi spectators came to the sporting ground of A. Sarraut High School (the area of ​​Ba Dinh Sports Club, Hoang Van Thu - Hoang Dieu today) to watch the match.

The new Year of the Goat football season included first and second tier championships, organized for audiences who love sports in Hanoi. A student football tournament was also organised. In Hai Duong, the Union Sportive Haiduong invited Lac Long Sport Hanoi to compete in the opening match. On Sunday, 8 September 8, 1931, Hai Duong suffered from heavy downpours and the football pitch was flooded. This field was originally agricultural land which judge Bui Dinh Tinh and football fans agreed to transform into a soccer field. Although it hads the shape of a football field, many lumpy rocks and bricks remained that unfortunately made many football players reluctant to enter the field. Despite this, Mr. Bui Dinh Tinh organised for the opening match of the tournament to be held here and an exciting atmosphere was created. 

That day, the Union Hai Duong team wore crimson shirts and black shorts, while the Lac Long Sport team came down from Hanoi, wearing yellow shirts with red stripes, white shorts and blue socks. M.Trong, an associate of Jeunesse Tonkinoise Hai Phong, was invited to referee this match. The home team lost 1-2.

In Hai Phong, La Jeunesse Tonkinoise held a fairly large sports festival (Fete Sportive) on Song Lap side on May 10, 1931. At two o'clock in the afternoon, the football community gathered in large numbers to compete in the Port City tournament.

On April 15, many other Northern football matches took place at Hai Phong, Hanoi, Hai Duong, Phu Tho, Bac Ninh, Thanh Hoa,... Notably, USAGA club came to Phu Tho Stadium to compete for the Pho Duc Mai Cup against the home team, S.R.M. Phu Tho. That day was truly a day of great physical activity thanks to the hard work and care of Mr. Nguyen Quy Toan, former principal of Hanoi Physical Education School (EDEP). In the end, USAGA Hanoi had a very peaceful and fun time playing and beating Phu Tho 2-1.

Section 5

The author goes into the complexities of Ha Noi football in the 1930s outlining what he sees as the big 4 clubs.

With this dynamic, Vietnamese players in Hanoi founded a number of football clubs which were popularised and loved by football fans. They were called the famous four: Hanoi Club (Stade Hanoien), Ánh Chớp club (Éclair), Ngọn Giáo Thần club (La Lance) and Lạc Long club. They all had a comparable strength and always attracted many spectators.

Hanoi Club was established in 1921–previously named EDEP, because of Hanoi Sports School. Later, with the support of Mr. Hoàng Hữu Huy, president and editor of Ngọ báo and Tam Kỳ Tạp Chí Hà Nội, and also a football lover, the club changed its name to Stade Hanoien. Fans prefered the more familiar nicknamed, Xì-tạch club. The first class of Xì-tạch’s players included Nhuận, Vịnh, Chấm, Hai, Xuân, Sự, Uyên, and Trung, all workers, students, or Hanoi youth. The team often wore black shirts, white shorts, and red socks, which made spectators consider Xì-Tạch to be the "Red Eldest Brother" of the capital's big four at the time. On the field, they always played with great spirit, and were fast and fierce. The heart and soul of the Xì-tạch football club was the club captain Ngô Trì Viễn, an elite civil servant at the Department of Land Administration. He entered the football scene with his captaincy of Cuồng Phong club (Rafale). After Cuồng Phong club disbanded, Mr. Viễn transfered his leadership to Xì-tạch. A young man with intelligence, decoration and simple minded, Ngo Tri Vien was nonetheless a very solid defender. In addition to his skill in playing football, he was also a model professional, who motivated  fellow players when they encounter difficulties, taking care of them when injured. Other important figures in the Xì-tạch line up included keeper Nhuận, striker kế, striker Nghiêm and his younger brother Uyên. Some Xì-tạch players such as Vịnh, Chấm, and Trung later went to the South to play football for famous Saigon teams, notably Văn Đức Vinh, a player lauded in the Southern press with such epithets as "Vietnam's number one football talent" and the “Zhao Zilong of the field".

Of the big four of Hanoi at the time, Ánh Chớp club (Éclair) had a reputation for very simplistic gamestyle, but being adored by its crowd. They were known as "Purple Shirt Boys of Rondony" because of their headquarters located in Rondony Street (Now named Hàng Thùng street) and their kit was a purple shirt with blue collar. This team was established in the early 20th century, after the initiative of Mr. Trần Văn Quý, a reputable person with a great ability to organize and persuade others. He was particularly knowledgeable about football and had excellent financial ability. Mr. Quý was appointed by the founders to be the councilor and club captain. Right from the establishment of the Ánh Chớp club (Éclair), Mr. Quý coined the motto: "we will play a technical style of football, for the joy of sport and for the spirit of friendship with other teams". And the beauty of this saying persists. At that time, most football clubs in the capital were without their own fields; they often practiced along the side of Hồng River. Mr. Trần Văn Quý requested the city government to grant a large piece of land to be renovated into a football field for the home team to practice and compete. The French officials wanted to please the local people so they agreed. Nhà Dầu football field (English translation: oil house, because it is located next to Shell's gas depot) was built, the first official football field for a Vietnamese football team in Hanoi. The period 1930-1937 was the most prosperous time for the Ánh Chớp club (Éclair). The ideal line-up from the period would be: Chung (GK), Lương - Tâm - Sinh(Quy) (DF), Tùng - Thảo (MF), Thược - Ba - Hựu - Bình - Tín (FW) . In the 1932-1933 football season, Ánh Chớp rose to become one of the strongest teams in Hanoi; With the famous, Tonic, one of the best goalkeepers of that time, the front three of 

Thơm, Luyến and Ba “Oldhead”, and defender Bình, Ánh Chớp won four consecutive Northern Championship titles. As for Mr. Quý, the president and club captain, he later became a famous journalist specializing in writing about football. In 1940-1941, he became the head editor of the Tin mới Thể thao (New sport) newspaper published in Hanoi. After the French resistance war, Trần Văn Quý was also one of the journalists who founded Thể Dục Thể Thao (Health and Sports) newspaper. With the pen names Tam and Quốc Dũng, he continued to be a reputable and perceptive writer. He died in 1973, at the age of 67.

Hanoi's third star was the Lạc Long football club. Lạc Long's name is associated with its founder, Mr. Nguyễn Văn Tuân (born T Son). An educator by profession, Mr. Tuân was also an active member of the Board of Directors of the Northern Football Association in the 1930s. He was very passionate about sports, especially football.  The Clubhouse of the Lạc Long team was located at Tiên Sinh street (Hanoi), and their yellow (with red) striped kit was inspired by the traditional costume of the Âu Lạc’s dragon symbol. Lạc Long’s achievements did not measure up to Xì-tạch or Ánh Chớp’s successes, but they always offered strong and impressive resistance. A typical example is the match between Lạc Long and Xì-tạch at Long Biên Stadium on November 23, 1930. Although trailing by two early goals, Lạc Long was able to remain composed, and kept on pressing,  controlling the field. Lạc Long's players such as Thiện, Hạp, Bào and Gi took shots in turn, but Xì-tạch’s keeper Nhuận made many excellent saves and only conceded one goal. However, in that episode, the spectators believed that while Lạc Long lost the match, they won the mentality battle. Immediately after that, Mr. Tuân took Lạc Long to beat Nam Định provincial team 2-1, drew 2-2 against Ngọn Giáo Thần (La Lance) and beat Union Sport in Hải Dương province with a score of 2-1 in a tense challenge match. Commenting on his team, Mr. Tuan often said: "Lạc Long is not a financially wealthy football club; in other words, 

we’re poor. But the players know how to play in their own way, for the fun of the sport and for the movement." So, understood in today's language: from the first days of football, Vietnamese-owned football teams preferred to play the game  beautifully according to the spirit of fair-play.

Among Hanoi's big four, Ngọn Giáo Thần football club (La Lance) was the last to be established. In 1926 they became an official shoe-wearing football team in Hainoi. Their predecessor was the Nayret Street football club (Cửa Nam), once the best team of the shoe-less football movement popular in Hanoi. The founders of Ngọn Giáo Thần (la Lance) were Mr. Toàn, Thịnh, Lập and Hiền. Notably, their line-up consisted of three French players, and goalkeeper Jean is considered the soul of the team:  Jean - Sung (Sách) - Hoàn - Thịnh - Hồ - Vinh - Hiển - Tạo- J.Sen - Lautard.

Similar to Lạc Long, Ngọn Giáo's winning record did not match Xì-tạch or Ánh Chớp. But their appearance on the field raised the football culture of Hanoi in particular and the North in general to another level. Many of the performances of Ngọn Giáo Thần were on a par with their opponent. In March 1931, this team excelled in overcoming the ferocity of all other Northern opponents to win the Phó Đức Mai Championship.

Section 4

Translation getting murkier and murkier but the substance of the book is starting to emerge.

When the country was at war [post ww2?], all sports activities in general were limited to a minimum. However, sports still had their place. In the areas temporarily occupied by the French army, a number of Sports clubs restored and developed football teams. Areas controlled by the Resistance Government, especially in 12 resistance zones from North to the Red River Delta provinces, Inter-zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Central Highlands... South Central Department, Control point D, Control point Dong Thap Muoi... our people maintained the sports movement which included football. Soldiers, militia, guerrillas, youth volunteers, young people, students... practice and compete, mainly as a form of "physical training". Moreover, because of the need to avoid enemy aerial attack, the conditions for gathering in large numbers were not existent.

In the North, a number of football teams of French expeditionary soldiers played in Hanoi, Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Kien An, Dap Cau, Son Tay, Ninh Binh, and Nam Dinh. The French teams, played friendlies–from casual to competitive, from self-organised to official–a process named "Doi Bong”. 

Many of the teams were named after Le Duong regiments (REI) and they adopted regimental colours–for example: REI 5, REI 7, REI 9, REI 12. They were littered all over the country, especially in North Vietnam in the early 20th century. A joyful atmosphere accompanied games in places such as: Đồn Thủy, Ha Noi kingdom (Hanoi), Thị Cầu (Đáp Cầu, Bắc Ninh province), Ninh Giang (Hải Dương province), Uông Bí (Quảng Yên province, now called Quảng Ninh), Phùng (Hà Đông province), Phủ Lý (Hà Nam province), Tông (Sơn Tây province, now Hanoi), Việt Trì (Phú Thọ province).

Between 1908 and 1909 the press reported the founding of a number of football club. One was the Round Ball Club of Hanoi (Cercle Sporit Hanoi) which gathered the Vietnamese and French players, notably Bonardi, Bernard, Mesgy…

The Le Duong French 19th Regiment’s team had players such as Luer, Beye, Marinelli, Lauroix,... who fought in World War I. Many French expeditionary regiments based in Indochina, especially the central regions, were sent back to the homeland to fight in Europe. The number of football teams composed of members of the French Army decreased for that reason. Moreover, a few Vietnamese people were drafted to France for the war. Football communities in the North temporarily subsided, with only working people and young people, playing informally on available spaces or on designated soccer fields in labor areas in Hà Nội, Hải Phòng, and a number of smaller provinces such as Hải Dương, Kiên An, Bắc Ninh, Sơn Tây, Ninh Bình, Phủ Lý, Nam Định, Thái Bình,...

In the third and fourth decades of the 20th century, our country's football was born and developed continuously, broad and strong. The birth of Southern football teams in Saigon such as Victoria, Khanh Hoi, Paul Bert, Port de Commerce... along with the original teams created an exciting environment for sports lovers, attracting the passion of "trendy" people in the Central and North region-ers who "have to do something”. While the Northerners were still trying to develop football, the South Vietnamese football community already had a "four heroes" group: Cercle Sportif Saigonnais, Saigon Sport, Stade Militaire and Etoile de Giadinh (Gia Dinh Star). 

This group organised tournaments such as: Coupe de L’Est (Eastern Football Championship), and Coupe de L'Ouest (Western Football Championship), with the presence of dozens of football teams from the six provinces of the Southern region, creating even more opportunities to promote football.

section 3

In this section a structural problem emerges. The author seems to be reintroducing the book. We will have to see if we can squeeze the offending paragraph into the beginning. Moreover he is introducing theoretical/historiographical concepts in a very clunky way.

The narrative starts here with the return match at Hai Phong.

The epic return match was played at 3:30 p.m, on 10 January 1910 at Stade Haiphonais. The same newspaper carried the news: "Hoi Dap Cau won 8-1 against Hai Phong after trailing 0-1".

Even though this information is relatively minor, the important point is that it comes from a transparent journalistic source. Such sources generally represent a collection of information about sports in general, football/soccer - in particular.

It is certain that football appeared in our country in the last few years of the 19th century, because Westerners came to Indochina and Vietnam to trade. But better military tools, modern sports (among them, football) were brought by the French spirit to invade and occupy Vietnam. Football was brought by the entertainment needs of French soldiers.

In the 20th century, Indochinese countries became French colonies. They were divided into administrative units to be governed; bringing about the birth of regionally defined populations: Cochinchina, Trung Ky, Tonkin, Ai Lao, and Cambodia. Football was loved and admired by everyone in these populations and was rapidly developing across Vietnam. The first area of influence was the Six provinces of the Southern region. 

Football activities were introduced into Vietnam by sailors of European ships at Saigon port. While unloading or loading cargo onto ships, sailors tended to play football as a form of entertainment. The sailors first played football against each other. Subsequently they organised games with the French military soccer team stationed in Saigon. Initially they brought the sport of football to show off and entertain.