Vietnam U23s set a unique record in Vietnamese football history

Vietnam U23 defender Pham Ly Duc went through an unusual situation: he was part of a V.League title-winning squad while also suffering relegation with another club in the very same campaign.

Football is full of paradoxical stories, and the case of center-back Pham Ly Duc is a clear example. Within just one season, the Vietnam U23 international experienced two completely opposite emotions: becoming a member of the V.League champion team while also receiving a relegation ticket with a different club.

At the start of the 2025/26 season, Pham Ly Duc left HAGL to join CAHN. However, amid the quality squad of the police team, the 2003-born center-back did not have many opportunities to shine. To gain experience and get more playing time, he was loaned to PVF-CAND in the second phase of the season.

His new destination allowed Ly Duc to have more playing time and become a key figure in PVF-CAND's defense. Yet, while the young center-back worked hard to help his new team achieve promotion, CAHN on the other side showed overwhelming strength in the V.League title race. At the end of the season, Ly Duc's parent club won the championship convincingly.

The joy did not last long, as Ly Duc then faced a harsh reality with PVF-CAND. The team had to enter a decisive play-off match for a spot in next season's V.League against Bac Ninh. In that do-or-die game, PVF-CAND failed to secure victory and officially dropped to the First Division starting from the 2026/27 season.

That result made Pham Ly Duc one of the few players in Vietnamese football who both enjoyed the joy of winning the title and tasted the sorrow of relegation in the same season. Before him, midfielder Pham Duc Huy went through a similar situation in the 2024/25 season. At that time, Duc Huy started the season with Nam Dinh before moving to Quy Nhon Binh Dinh and watched his new club fail to stay up.

Nevertheless, Pham Ly Duc's story has its own unique character. The year 2026 saw the young center-back continuously make his mark in the Vietnam U23 jersey while experiencing contrasting emotions at the club level. From the peak of championship glory to the disappointment of relegation, it all happened within just a few short months, creating one of the most remarkable paradoxes in Vietnamese football in recent years.