Vietnam has a long history of football, as a result of the sport being introduced by the French in the 19th century. However, due to various conflicts that occurred in the country throughout the 20th century, the development of Vietnamese football was significantly hampered during these times. While Vietnam was split into North and South Vietnam in 1954, two national teams existed and both were controlled by separate governing bodies. After the two countries unified in 1976, the separate governing bodies were combined and renamed to the Vietnam Football Federation.