The First Division witnesses a dramatic comeback after 13 years.

A foreign player reclaims the top spot in the First Division's goal-scoring list after 13 years, in the debut season after organizers permitted clubs to sign foreign players once more.

Following a 13-year wait, the National First Division's Golden Boot award once again goes to a foreign player. The reintroduction of foreign players in the 2025/26 season not only injects new life into Vietnam's second division but also rapidly makes a strong impression on the goal-scoring rankings.

In the very first season after the organizers permitted clubs to re-register one foreign player, Quy Nhơn United's Brazilian forward Thaileon Santos demonstrated his value. The striker, born in 1997, finished the campaign with 14 goals in 22 rounds, securing the Golden Boot and becoming the first foreigner to claim this honor in the First Division since 2013.

Foreign forwards did not just dominate through Thaileon Santos; they claimed several top spots on the goal-scoring list. Following the Quy Nhơn United striker are two fellow Brazilians – Bruno Cunha (Bắc Ninh) and Alex Sandro (Đồng Nai) – each with 10 goals. Moreover, Jermie Lynch (TP.HCM), Joseph Khalio (Trẻ PVF-CAND), and Sales Da Silva Victor (Thanh niên TP.HCM) also made significant impressions in the scoring battle.

Foreign players' dominance is not new. When the First Division first allowed foreign players in the early 2000s, numerous overseas forwards consistently claimed the Golden Boot due to their superior physique, combativeness, and finishing. From 2002 to 2013, foreign players topped the scoring charts in eight different seasons.

However, from the 2015 season onward, foreign player rules were abolished to make the First Division a domestic-only competition. Over the following decade, all major attacking individual awards went to Vietnamese forwards. This context makes Thaileon Santos's achievement this season even more noteworthy.

The immediate reclaiming of the Golden Boot by a foreign player upon their return partly indicates a shift in the competitive level of the First Division. While Dong Nai and Bac Ninh were the most successful clubs in the promotion battle,, from a personal perspective, the 2025/26 season will be recalled as a landmark that highlights the remarkable comeback of foreign forwards, who had been missing from the top of the goal-scoring chart for 13 years.