Vietnam pro basketball league to return next month

By Dang Khoa September 27, 2020 | 07:19 pm PT

Saigon Heat (in red) and Cantho Catfish during the VBA final on September 17, 2019. Photo courtesy of VBA.

The Vietnam Basketball Association announced that this year’s national league will be played at one venue, HCMC, starting October 15.

It will be divided into three phases - qualifiers (regular season), semi-finals (playoffs) and finals.

Seven teams - Hanoi Buffaloes, Thang Long Warriors, Danang Dragons, Nha Trang Dolphins, Saigon Heat, Ho Chi Minh City Wings, and Cantho Catfish - will play 49 to 53 matches, which will be shown live online and on television.

The VBA said a decision on allowing spectators would be based on the Covid-19 situation at that time.

Foreign coaches, athletes, supervisors, and referees will be quarantined for 14 days at a centralized venue in Can Gio District.

The league is normally played from May to September in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Da Nang, and Khanh Hoa Province.

This year it will be played at Studio S4 - Zoo Media in Saigon's District 12.

Last year Saigon Heat won the title by beating Cantho Catfish in the finals.