Vietnam Workers' and Civil Servants' Football Tournament 2025: If only the number of participating teams could be increased

It is a regret of union and football workers in Ho Chi Minh City that the Southern region qualifying round could not increase the number of participating teams in this year's tournament.

The joy of Sacombank Binh Duong team at the 2024 Vietnam Workers and Civil Servants Football Tournament - Photo: QUANG THINH

This regret comes from the fact that the number of participating teams was agreed to be 24 and could not be increased by more than 3 teams for the Ho Chi Minh City Trade Union to ensure fairness. At the same time, after the merger, the new Ho Chi Minh City with a larger scale of industrial zones also needs to have more participating teams.

Binh Duong workers football is very bustling

Together with Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Ho Chi Minh City (old) form an industrial quadrangle in the Southeast region, attracting many investment projects. Economic development has created jobs for many workers, especially migrant workers. For example, in Binh Duong, there are about 1.2 million migrant workers living and working. Of which, about 70% are direct workers in factories and enterprises.

With a large workforce, these are also places where sports movements are developed, with many football teams being established. At first, it was just playing football to stay healthy and relax after tiring and stressful working hours.

Then gradually became a regular activity in many companies and factories. In particular, Binh Duong is the place with a very strong workers' football movement and many tournaments for workers to compete.

For example, the 2024 Binh Duong Province Workers, Civil Servants and Laborers Football Tournament has the participation of 24 men's teams and 13 women's teams. Shyang Hung Cheng Co., Ltd. - the champion team - has a scale of about 7,300 workers, regularly organizing sports events with volleyball, football, tug of war and sack jumping as a way to take care of the cultural and spiritual life of workers.

The movement is widespread and strongly developed, so Binh Duong also has 5/8 teams winning tickets to the quarterfinals of the qualifying round of the Vietnam Workers and Civil Servants Football Tournament 2024. And then won all 4 tickets to the final round in Hanoi with the teams Binh Duong Post Insurance, An Nguyen Bao, Binh Duong 2 Trade Union and Sacombank Binh Duong. Sacombank Binh Duong even won the national runner-up position after losing to Quang Ninh Trade Union in the penalty shootout.

The 2025 Vietnam Workers' and Civil Servants' Football Tournament is being awaited by workers - Photo: TTO

The regret of many football teams

After the merger of provinces and cities, Ho Chi Minh City Labor Union was only allowed to have 3 teams participating in the Southern qualifying round of the Vietnam Workers and Civil Servants Football Tournament 2025. Of which, Binh Duong only had one representative selected, Thanh Thang Thang Long Joint Stock Company, under the name Ho Chi Minh City Labor Union 2. This made other strong workers' football teams here inevitably sad because they were familiar with the tournament for the past two seasons and were looking forward to continuing to participate for a chance to make it to the final round.

Not only many teams in Binh Duong regret, teams in Ho Chi Minh City or Ba Ria - Vung Tau also have the same feeling. Especially in the old Ho Chi Minh City area, where there is a large workforce and also a developing workers' football movement. Last year Ho Chi Minh City had 3 teams participating in the qualifying round, but this year only 1 representative was selected, Pouyuen Vietnam Co., Ltd.

This is a company with a very large number of workers (about 40 thousand people) and takes good care of the cultural and spiritual life of the workers. The company has a football field for workers to compete after work, so it was not difficult to select the best players to participate in last year's tournament and now continue to participate in this year's tournament under the name of Ho Chi Minh City Trade Union 1. The remaining representative is Uy Viet Shoe Manufacturing Company Limited (Ba Ria - Vung Tau) under the name of Ho Chi Minh City Trade Union 3.

Launching the identity set of the Vietnam Workers and Civil Servants Football Tournament 2025 - Photo: QUANG DINH

There should be more playgrounds for women.

As the former President of the Labor Federation of Binh Duong Province and now Vice President of the Labor Federation of Ho Chi Minh City, Ms. Nguyen Kim Loan clearly understands the development of the movement in Binh Duong and expressed regret that the new Ho Chi Minh City after the merger could not have more football teams participating.

She said: "The number of workers in the new Ho Chi Minh City is very large, and the workers' football movement is also developing very strongly. So limiting the number of representative teams to only 3 is too small compared to the wishes of the teams and workers in Binh Duong, Ho Chi Minh City or the old Ba Ria - Vung Tau."

"The football movement of workers and civil servants in the old Binh Duong is very developed. They are excited to follow and if they have the conditions, they will actively participate. This is because this is a playground that not only improves health but also serves as spiritual food to spread the spirit of sportsmanship in labor to increase production.

"The organizers should allow more teams to participate in the next tournament and expand the number of female workers. This is also necessary to give female workers the opportunity to both exercise and relieve stress after tiring working hours," Ms. Loan suggested.

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NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/giai-bong-da-cong-nhan-vien-chuc-viet-nam-2025-gia-nhu-tang-so-doi-tham-du-20250923102409071.htm