After Round 12 of the First Division: Coach Park Hang Seo's team missed the chance to compete for the top spot.

Bắc Ninh Club could not continue their winning streak, thereby missing a golden opportunity to reduce the point gap with the leading team, Trường Tươi Đồng Nai. After Round 12, the competition for the top 3 positions is truly exciting, with several clubs reaching the 20-point milestone, ready to intensify the race...

The race among the top teams in the First Division continues to become more intense after Round 12, as Bắc Ninh Club unexpectedly suffered a defeat at home against TP.HCM Club.

Bắc Ninh entered the match with a significant opportunity to narrow the gap with the leading team, Trường Tươi Đồng Nai, while playing at Việt Yên Stadium. The home team started enthusiastically and soon scored the opening goal in the 22nd minute thanks to Trọng Sơn.

However, TP.HCM Club quickly demonstrated their resilience. The visiting team played aggressively and effectively capitalized on opportunities to score two consecutive goals in the first half, thereby turning the game around and leading 2-1 before halftime.

In the second half, Bắc Ninh pushed their formation forward in search of an equalizing goal. The home team's efforts were rewarded in the 69th minute when Trọng Sơn completed a double, bringing the match back to a 2-2 balance. However, when the game seemed destined to end in a draw, TP.HCM Club unexpectedly scored a decisive goal in the final moments of added time. Lê Cảnh Gia Huy was the scorer, securing a 3-2 victory for the visiting team.

This defeat puts Bắc Ninh under considerable pressure. The gap between them and the leading team Trường Tươi Đồng Nai has widened to 6 points (22 compared to 28). Meanwhile, TP.HCM Club also closed in on the second position, trailing by just 1 point (21 compared to 22).

After Round 12, the competition for the top 3 positions is extremely thrilling, with six teams fiercely competing. Leading is Trường Tươi Đồng Nai with 28 points, followed by Bắc Ninh (22 points) and TP.HCM (21 points). The positions behind are also very close, with Quy Nhơn United and Khatoco Khánh Hòa both having 20 points, while Văn Hiến University closely follows with 19 points. With such a small point difference, rankings can completely change after each round.

Meanwhile, Quảng Ninh Club—once considered a contender for promotion—has disappointed by dropping to 9th place on the standings after a series of unsuccessful matches, nearly falling behind in the top competition.

In the bottom group, the situation remains unchanged after Round 12. Long An (10th), Đồng Tháp (11th), and Thanh Niên TP.HCM (12th) all continued to suffer defeats. Notably, Đồng Tháp and Thanh Niên TP.HCM have yet to secure any wins since the start of the season. These two teams will face each directly in Round 13 in a "reverse final" match on April 3.