LPBank Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: LPBank Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh), simply known as LPBank HCMC, or recognized by Vietnam Professional Football as Trẻ Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh (Ho Chi Minh City Youth FC) is a Vietnamese football club based in Ho Chi Minh City. The club is playing its home matches at the 15,000-capacity Thống Nhất Stadium. They currently play in the V.League 2, after winning the promotion play-off game in the 2024 Vietnamese Second Division.
History
The team was established in 2019 as the reserves team of V.League 1 side Ho Chi Minh City FC to compete in the Vietnamese Third Division, the fourth tier of Vietnamese football system.[1] In the first season at the Third Division, club finished first in their group, thus gain a promotion to be 2020 Vietnamese Second Division.[2]
In 2024, Vietnamese retail bank LPBank became the main sponsor of the club and rebranded the club name into the current LPBank Ho Chi Minh City FC but failed to register the name changed before the deadline set by Vietnam Football Federation. Consequently, they competed under the old name Ho Chi Minh City FC Youth during the season.[3][4][5] The team managed to finish second in their group in the Second Division, gaining them a qualification to the promotion play-off game. There, they defeated Bắc Ninh in the penalty shootout (after a 2–2 draw) and promoted to the 2024–25 V.League 2.[6] Before the beginning of the season, the owner of the team decided to swap the entire squad and staff members of LPBank HCMC with Phù Đổng Ninh Bình, another team belonging to LPBank.[7]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
