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."