The unbelievable decay of the stadium that was once western Vietnam’s ‘cauldron’

Long An Stadium was once known as western Vietnam’s football cauldron, with packed stands during Đồng Tâm Long An’s two consecutive V.League titles. Today, cracked surfaces, peeling concrete and warning signs mark the decline of one of the region’s most famous sporting venues.

The 7.5-hectare complex sits in the centre of Tân An urban area. It opened in 1984 and reached its sporting peak after Đồng Tâm Long An finished third in the V.League in 2004, then won the league and the National Cup in 2005 before retaining the league title in 2006. The team included well-known players such as Phan Văn Tài Em and Nguyễn Minh Phương.

From 2003 to 2008, matches regularly filled the stadium, especially the intense “Gạch-Gỗ” derbies against Hoàng Anh Gia Lai. The atmosphere began to fade after coach Calisto left the team in 2008. Long An were relegated to the first division in 2017, and the stadium grew increasingly quiet. Shops and food stalls appeared across the complex, while major sporting events became rare.

A Thanh Niên reporter who visited on 7 September found a venue in severe disrepair. The running track was cracked, stained and peeling. At Stand B, a red sign warned that the area was dangerous and prohibited entry. Support columns were stained and leaning, exposed concrete had fallen away in layers, and rooms beneath the stands contained abandoned wooden beds, plastic chairs and sections of collapsed ceiling.

Stand A still displayed a “Long An FC” banner and sponsor logos, but the seats below had faded and developed moss stains. More than 200 coaches and athletes who had been living at the stadium site were moved temporarily elsewhere by Tây Ninh’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Under the stands, a phở shop displayed directions to its new location. Amid the decay, the stadium is waiting for a change.