Phố Hiến FC - Vietnam V.League 2 History, Seasons and Records

Phố Hiến FC was founded in 2018 and became part of Vietnam's professional football system, later continuing its history under the PVF-CAND name.

Club history at a glance

Formation in 2018

The history of Phố Hiến FC began in April 2018. Before the club was established, graduates of the PVF Football Academy were regularly sent to different professional clubs in Vietnam. The arrangement gave the players professional opportunities, but it could also make the transition from academy football to senior football difficult.

Phố Hiến was created to solve that problem by giving PVF graduates a club where they could continue playing together at senior level. The team was based at the PVF Football Academy training centre in Hưng Yên, with PVF Stadium becoming its home ground. The club officially launched on 24 April 2018.

2018: First season in the Second League

Phố Hiến entered the Vietnamese National Football Second League in 2018, its first competitive season. The club immediately showed its potential and went through a long unbeaten run during the campaign.

After reaching the promotion stage, Phố Hiến faced Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu in the promotion play-off. The new club won the play-off and secured promotion to V.League 2 for the 2019 season.

The promotion was an important early achievement because it took the club into the second level of Vietnamese professional football only a few months after its creation.

2019: V.League 2 runners-up

Phố Hiến made its V.League 2 debut in 2019. The team had one of the youngest squads in the competition but competed strongly throughout the season.

They finished second with 40 points from 22 matches. The record was 11 wins, 7 draws and 4 defeats, with 37 goals scored and 22 conceded.

The second-place finish was the club's best result under the Phố Hiến name in its first season at this level.

2020: Another season in V.League 2

Phố Hiến remained in V.League 2 for the 2020 season. The campaign was shorter than the previous year, but the club remained competitive and finished fourth.

They collected 26 points from 16 matches after recording 7 wins, 5 draws and 4 defeats. The team scored 19 goals and conceded 11.

2021: Season affected by COVID-19

The 2021 V.League 2 season was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and was eventually abandoned. Phố Hiến had played six matches before the competition was stopped.

The club had recorded 3 draws and 3 defeats, scoring 2 goals and conceding 6. Because the season was abandoned, there was no normal final league campaign.

2022: Return to a full V.League 2 season

Phố Hiến returned to a full V.League 2 campaign in 2022. The team finished fifth after collecting 38 points from 22 matches.

The record included 10 wins, 8 draws and 4 defeats. Phố Hiến scored 40 goals and conceded 22, showing that the club remained one of the competitive sides in Vietnam's second tier.

2023: Final season as Phố Hiến

The 2023 season became the final campaign for Phố Hiến FC under its original name. The club again challenged near the top of V.League 2 and finished second.

Phố Hiến collected 37 points from 18 matches, winning 11, drawing 4 and losing 3. The team scored 30 goals and conceded 14.

The season also brought a major change away from the pitch. Phố Hiến FC was renamed PVF-CAND, ending the club's five-year period under the Phố Hiến name.

From Phố Hiến FC to PVF-CAND

The 2023 name change did not mark the end of the club. Instead, the football structure developed by Phố Hiến continued under the PVF-CAND name.

PVF-CAND remained in V.League 2 and continued to compete for promotion. In the 2023-24 season, the club finished second with 37 points from 20 matches, recording 9 wins, 10 draws and only 1 defeat.

In the 2024-25 V.League 2 season, PVF-CAND finished third with 43 points from 20 matches. The team recorded 13 wins, 4 draws and 3 defeats.

Promotion to V.League 1

PVF-CAND's third-place finish in the 2024-25 V.League 2 season eventually led to the club's first appearance in V.League 1.

After Quảng Nam withdrew from the 2025-26 V.League 1 season, PVF-CAND was selected to replace the club after another V.League 2 side declined the opportunity. This meant that the team descended from the history of Phố Hiến FC would enter Vietnam's top division for the first time.

League record

Home stadium

Phố Hiến played its home matches at PVF Stadium in Hưng Yên. The stadium is located within the PVF Football Academy training centre and has a capacity of around 4,500 spectators. The ground remains associated with the club after its transition to PVF-CAND.

Club identity and development

One of the most important parts of Phố Hiến's history was its connection with youth development. Rather than being established as an ordinary new professional club, it was created around players coming through the PVF academy system.

This approach helped the club move quickly through the Vietnamese football pyramid. Within its first season, Phố Hiến had earned promotion to V.League 2, and within its second season it had finished as runner-up in the country's second tier.

Phố Hiến FC legacy

Phố Hiến FC existed under its original name from 2018 to 2022, but the club's football history continued after the 2023 transition to PVF-CAND. Its rise from the Vietnamese National Football Second League to V.League 2 and eventually the country's top division is the central story of the club's development.

The club's early success also established a pathway between academy football and senior professional football in Vietnam. Its history is therefore closely connected with the wider development of PVF and the players produced through its academy system.