South Vietnam national football team
| 1949–1975 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Rồng vàng (Golden Dragon) | ||
| Association | Vietnam Football Association | ||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) | ||
| Top scorer | Lê Hữu Đức (9) | ||
| Home stadium | Cộng Hòa Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | VSO | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
| Vietnam 3–3 South Korea (Saigon, French Cochinchina; 16 January 1949) | |||
| Last international | |||
| Malaysia 3–0 South Vietnam (Bangkok, Thailand; 23 March 1975) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
| South Vietnam 10–0 Philippines (Tokyo, Japan; 1 October 1967) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
| South Vietnam 1–9 Indonesia (Seoul, South Korea; 4 May 1971) | |||
| AFC Asian Cup | |||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 1956) | ||
| Best result | Fourth place, 1956, 1960 | ||
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The Republic of Vietnam national football team (Vietnamese: Đội tuyển bóng đá quốc gia Việt Nam Cộng hòa) or the State of Vietnam national football team (Vietnamese: Đội tuyển bóng đá Quốc gia Việt Nam) was the national football team from 1949 to 1975 representing the State of Vietnam and later the Republic of Vietnam, known as "South Vietnam".
The State of Vietnam joined the International Association Football Federation (FIFA) in 1952 and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 1954. The South Vietnamese football association was treated by these bodies as the only legitimate Vietnamese association, as the State of Vietnam and later the Republic of Vietnam claimed sovereignty over all of Vietnam from 1949 to 1975. The team started to play under the State of Vietnam in January 1949, two months before France recognized Vietnamese nominal independence. After the State of Vietnam gained complete independence from France in June 1954 and Vietnam was divided in July, it existed side by side with a separate North Vietnam team, which represented the Communist-controlled northern portion of the country from 1956 to 1976. Unlike its southern counterpart, the latter was never allowed to join FIFA or the AFC. South Vietnam took part in the first two Asian Cups finals (1956 and 1960), finishing last both times. Despite the fierce wars, it was one of strongest teams in Southeast Asia.
The South Vietnam team played their last games at 1976 AFC Asian Cup qualification in March 1975, and ceased to exist after the Fall of Saigon in April, when the Vietnam War ended. The North and South regions combined into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976, with the Vietnam national team replacing both the North and South teams. The unified republic was allowed to keep South Vietnam's membership of FIFA and the AFC, resulting in the South Vietnam team's historical record usually being counted as part of the overall record of the Vietnam national team, while results for the North Vietnam team are not commonly included as part of the record.