One option unavailable to Phú Thọ

The official disciplinary table links Văn Thủy to match 17, Thép Cần Thơ versus Xuân Thiện Phú Thọ, on 17 October. VPF's fixture calendar gives Cần Thơ Stadium as the venue and 17:00 as kickoff. The notice therefore concerns Phú Thọ's away assignment in the second-tier competition. It states the red-card reason without retelling the incident. For round-three preparations, the confirmed consequence is the absence of the named number seven from that specified fixture.

Both teams enter on one point

VPF's standings, checked on 15 October, put both clubs on one point after two matches. Cần Thơ are twelfth with a goal difference of minus three; Phú Thọ are thirteenth with minus seven. The round opens in Bà Rịa at 17:00 on 16 October. Saturday's sequence is Đà Lạt at 15:30, Cần Thơ at 17:00 and PVF Stadium at 18:00. Sunday's games are scheduled in Long An at 15:30, Bà Rịa at 17:00 and Thái Nguyên at 18:00. The Cần Thơ meeting therefore sits in the middle of the weekend programme, with lineups and the result still ahead.