Thanh Hóa could be about to change head coach. According to Bongda24h, former Vietnam striker Nguyễn Anh Đức watched Công an Hà Nội (CAHN) draw 1-1 with Thanh Hóa in round 5 of the 2026/27 V.League at Hàng Đẫy on the evening of 22 October, sitting in the VIP area with the club's leadership. His presence has fuelled talk that he will take over from Mai Xuân Hợp, who is running the team as interim head coach.

Bongda24h is careful to add that sitting in the stand with the club's leaders does not mean an appointment has been made. When the report was published, Thanh Hóa had made no official announcement about when the head coach position would change.

Why the 60-day limit matters

Under the rules of Vietnamese professional football, V.League head coaches must hold the coaching qualifications required by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF). Before the 2026/27 season, Bongda24h explains, Thanh Hóa registered Mai Xuân Hợp as interim head coach because their permanent staffing was not in place. The VFF accepted this but gave the club a maximum of 60 days to add or replace staff and complete the coaching team's paperwork. That window is now close to running out.

Anh Đức holds an AFC Pro licence, which meets the requirement for a V.League head coach, and is the man Thanh Hóa had previously chosen for the job. If he does take over, Bongda24h says, Mai Xuân Hợp is likely to return to his old role as technical director.

The coaching question comes on top of an off-field problem: Thanh Hóa are under a FIFA ban on registering new players, the same sanction two Malaysian clubs have just received, as covered in our report FIFA bans Kuala Lumpur City and Terengganu from registering players, as with Thanh Hóa.

Thanh Hóa after five rounds

On the pitch there is no crisis. Sportmonks data after the 22 October game puts Thanh Hóa 7th with 7 points from 5 matches (two wins, one draw, two defeats, goal difference -1). They have played a game more than most of the teams around them, so the position can change as the rest of round 5 is played.

PosTeamPlayedW-D-LGDPts
1Công an Hà Nội53-1-1+510
2Ninh Bình43-1-0+510
3Sông Lam Nghệ An42-2-0+48
4Nam Định42-1-1+37
5Công an TP.HCM42-1-1+27
6Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh42-1-1+17
7Thanh Hóa52-1-2-17

Their last three results show an uneven run: a 2-1 win at Hải Phòng's Lạch Tray in round 3, a 0-2 home defeat by Nam Định in round 4 and the 1-1 draw with CAHN. Our match report is here: Đình Bắc scores but CAHN are held 1-1 by Thanh Hóa. The full V.League table is on our league page.

What comes next

Thanh Hóa host Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh at Thanh Hóa stadium at 17:00 ICT on 30 October in round 6. Hà Tĩnh are direct rivals, also on 7 points, and still have their round 5 game against Hải Phòng at 18:00 ICT on 24 October. Who will be in the dugout for that game is still open: so far the club has confirmed no change. Upcoming games are listed under V.League fixtures.