The Democratic Republic of Vietnam national football team (Vietnamese: Đội tuyển bóng đá quốc gia Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa) was the national team of the Communist-controlled Democratic Republic of Vietnam (known as "North Vietnam") from 1956 to 1976. It existed side by side with a separate South Vietnam team, which represented the capitalist-oriented southern portion of Vietnam. Unlike South Vietnam (which was a member of both FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation), North Vietnam's lack of diplomatic recognition on the part of many other states prevented it from ever joining either FIFA or the AFC. Due to its lack of membership in major football bodies, North Vietnam never participated in qualification for the FIFA World Cup or the AFC Asian Cup (unlike its southern counterpart, which participated in both). Because of North Vietnam's international isolation, its national team mostly played against other Communist and Communist-sympathizing countries during its relatively short-lived existence.[1]
The North Vietnam football team played its last game in 1970 and ceased to exist with the unification of North and South Vietnam into the newly created Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976, after the end of the Vietnam War. Even though the North emerged victorious in the war, the current Vietnam national football team is considered a successor to the South Vietnam team (not the North Vietnam team), since unified Vietnam inherited South Vietnam's membership of FIFA and the AFC.[2]
History
North Vietnam team in 1956
North Vietnam's first international match was against China in 1956. Their head coach, Truong Tan Buu, played a 3-2-5 (WM) formation but the game ended in a 3–5 defeat. The team recorded their first victory in 1960 with a 3–1 win against Mongolia.
North Vietnam team at the 1966 GANEFO Asia Cup in Cambodia
Since North Vietnam was not a member of international federations such as FIFA, the AFC, or the International Olympic Committee, its football team participated in very few international competitions. Their most notorious international participations were in the football tournament of the Games of the New Emerging Forces (GANEFO). North Vietnam proved to be a relatively strong side in the GANEFO competition, finishing fourth in the 1963 edition and third in the 1966 edition. They also earned third place in the football-only GANEFO event that took place in 1965.[3]
After Vietnamese reunification, both the North- and South Vietnam teams were superseded by the Vietnam national football team, which represents the unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam. With unified Vietnam having taken over South Vietnam's membership of FIFA and the AFC, its historical football record is usually merged with that of South Vietnam, while North Vietnam is most often treated as a separate team.
Kit
The home kit of North Vietnam was similar to the kit of the Soviet Union consisting of a red shirt, with the legend "VIET NAM DCCH" ("Democratic Republic of Vietnam") across the front in white, white shorts and white-red socks. The away kit was a white shirt with "VIET NAM DCCH" across the chest in red, red shorts and red-white socks.
The goalkeeper's kit was a black shirt with a white collar, black shorts and socks.
^Erik Garin; Tom Lewis; Neil Morrison (12 November 2012). "Games of the New Emerging Forces (GANEFO) 1963-1966". ytyz.8u8.com, The Pyongyang Times, Realités Cambodgiennes, The Straits Times, La Stampa and Tanaka (Roon Ba). RSSSF. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
For teams that have undergone name changes but no border alterations see here For teams that have undergone border changes but no name alterations see here
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