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.

Section 2

 With the initiative of Hoi Saigon-Sport’s president, Mr. Saint-pol, local federations as well as football clubs united in 1932, to operate under the one management of the General Football Federation (Southern Football Federation model).

The Southern football movement evolved rapidly in Vietnam during the 30s. It welcomed British sailors from HMS Kent and Cumberland, and a Netherlands battleship which visited Saigon,  holding friendly matches with them as well as matches with Nam Hoa Football club (Hong Kong) and Islington Corinthians (England). This engagement enabled players in Saigon to accumulate experience against International competition. South Vietnam football during the 1938-39 period was believed to provide the best competition and playing fields in all of South East Asia.

In the country, tournaments were also often organized including national/regional teams: the North, the Central, the South, Laos, Cambodia, etc. As a result, Vietnamese football constantly developed. 

Saigon held multiple competitions during this period:

• Southern Championship
• Southern Soccer
• LAMBERT Cambodia - Southern region championship
• Tournament between Hong Kong and Saigon

In 1949, Saigon had 27 football teams playing in boots, and 700 barefoot players. [return to this and clarify]

Football (first half of the 20th century, commonly called round football, if there is more football, it is called Hoi), can be calculated to run from 1905 to September 1954. 

A number of available sources exist: newspapers in general, and sports newspapers in particular, which appeared in Hanoi before 1945; documents and personal notes of a number of senior sports officials from 1946 to shortly after the end of the 9-year resistance war against the French colonialists (1946-1954) and the American war (1955-1975); officials such as Tran Van Quy (1914-1973), Phan Nguon Dang (1920-2009), journalist Le Bach, Nguyen The Hao, former Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper The Duc The Thao since its establishment in 1957; Vi Chu Quang, former head of the Sport and Health department in Hai Phong; the memoirs/biographies of players, Truong Tan Buu, Tong Viet Khanh, Nguyen Thong, Ho Quang Quoi, Ngo Xuan Quynh and others. According to sports experts, some dedicated journalists said: "Football emerged in Vietnam in the early years of the 20th century. At first, football was called round ball, distinguishing it from rugby. About ten years later, football reached Tonkin (the North’s earlier name before the August Revolution in 1945)."

The Tonkin Future newspaper, dated December 22, 1909 in Hanoi, reported about a football match between Le Duong Dap Cau from Bac Ninh region and the Olympique Hai Phong Division team.

The article read: "The match was flexible, both sides played well.  Dap Cau’s strikers are better, but the Hai Phong team is more tactical. The two teams played peacefully; no one screamed or cursed, that's rare! The referee should be commended, very fair. Result, Hai Phong won 2-1."