Truong Tuoi Dong Nai to debut in National Cup

This afternoon, September 12, the 2025-2026 National Cup will kick off between Ho Chi Minh City Club (HCMC FC) and Dong Thap at Ba Ria Stadium. Meanwhile, Truong Tuoi Dong Nai will host Becamex Ho Chi Minh City on September 14.

Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc Club ( Truong Tuoi Dong Nai now) almost caused an upset against HAGL in the 2024-2025 National Cup. Photo VPF

Quarter-final milestone for "The Green Warriors"

Truong Tuoi Dong Nai, formerly Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc, has participated in all 10 National Cup seasons since becoming professional in 2015. In their first appearance, the team passed the qualifying round with a 1-0 victory over Phu Yen, before being eliminated in the round of 16 with a 0-5 loss to Long An. In the next 2 seasons, the team from the Southeast region could not advance past the round of 16.

History turned a new page in the 2018 campaign. After defeating host Tay Ninh in Round 1, Binh Phuoc returned home to beat Nam Dinh 2-0, advancing to the quarter-finals for the first time. There, the home side fell to eventual runners-up Thanh Hoa with an aggregate score of 1-3.

In the next two seasons, "The Green Warriors" reached the round of 16. Skipping the 2021 season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in the 2022 season, Binh Phuoc eliminated V.League representative SLNA in the first round with a 2-1 victory. Building on that momentum, the team won 3-0 in the next match against Quang Nam. Unfortunately, in the quarter-finals, the team faced a very strong opponent, Hanoi FC, and lost 0-5. After that, Hanoi FC went straight to the championship after defeating HAGL in the semi-finals and Binh Dinh in the final.

In the last 3 seasons, "The Green Warriors" have not been able to repeat their quarter-final achievement. There was a slight regret in the 2024-2025 campaign when the team played a rather good match against HAGL in the round of 16 right in Pleiku. Nguyen Cong Phuong scored against his former team after Dung Quang Nho's opening goal, forcing the two teams to go to a penalty shootout. At this point, HAGL won 4-3 to enter the quarter-finals. Notably, the player who took the decisive penalty for HAGL was midfielder Tran Minh Vuong, who now plays for Truong Tuoi Dong Nai. In addition, the player who started that match for HAGL, defender Le Van Son, is also playing for "The Green Warriors".

Historic bronze medal

As for the former Dong Nai team, they participated in every National Cup season during their time in professional football. Their most notable achievement came in the 2013 season. After receiving a first-round bye, Dong Nai hosted Binh Dinh in the second round and won 3-1. In the quarter-finals, despite playing away at Thanh Hoa, Dong Nai still secured a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from Huu Thang. In the semi-finals, Dong Nai and SHB Da Nang produced a thrilling eight-goal showdown. The match ended in a 4-4 draw, and in the penalty shootout, the home side lost 3-4, sharing the bronze medal with Long An. SHB Da Nang advanced to the final, where they lost to Ninh Binh in another shootout.

Two seasons later, Dong Nai Club also left its mark by successively defeating Hanoi FC and Can Tho with the same score of 3-1, before losing to Long An 2-4 in the quarter-finals.

Thus, combining the results of the former Binh Phuoc and Dong Nai clubs, the bronze medal remains the highest achievement either team has earned in the National Cup. This season, with a strong squad, Truong Tuoi Dong Nai has every chance to make a deep run in the tournament, alongside the more important goal of securing promotion to the V.League.

By: Huyen Linh

Translated by: Mai Nga - Minho