AFC praises Vietnamese club’s unbeaten streak

It put the club on top on its home page with the headline "Saigon go nine unbeaten."

"A third consecutive win saw Saigon maintain their position as early front-runners in Vietnam while Ho Chi Minh City and Viettel emerged as challengers after previously dropping points," it said.

Saigon FC are on top of the table after not losing a single match this season. They have five wins and four draws, including a 3-0 win over Thanh Hoa on Sunday thanks to goals from Ahn Byeong-geon, Huynh Tan Tai and Pedro Paulo.

Ho Chi Minh City have moved to second with Binh Duong dropping points following a 1-1 draw with Hoang Anh Gia Lai.

Binh Duong has dropped to fourth while Viettel who scored a 4-0 defeat of Hai Phong moved into third.

Defending champions Hanoi FC continued to fall down the table, standing at eighth with 12 points after nine games.

They have only one win from their last five matches, and the gap between them and the top team has widened to seven points.

Saigon are considered a dark horse for the V. League 1 title this year.

In the past they often used to struggle in the relegation zone, but everything changed after their coach resigned and the club president Vu Tien Thanh took over temporarily.

They admittedly began the season aiming only for a top eight finish, but how things have changed.