Establishment of a new powerhouse (2009–2015)
Once the club established its foothold, Hà Nội T&T began to rapidly emerge as a strong contender and experienced success in its debut season in the top league. Although the club missed out on winning the 2009 season, they found joy the following year by clinching their first-ever league title in the 2010 season.
AFC Cup debut (2011)
In the 2011 AFC Cup, Hà Nội T&T made their debut in continental competition after winning the 2010 league title. Drawn in Group G alongside Thailand club Muangthong United, Singaporean club Tampines Rovers and Maldives club Victory SC, the club began its campaign with a 4–0 defeat to Muangthong United. Hà Nội T&T subsequently recorded a 2–0 home victory over Victory SC and drew 1–1 with Tampines Rovers. Despite later defeats to Tampines Rovers and a goalless draw against Muangthong United, the team concluded the group stage with a 1–0 away win over Victory SC. Hà Nội T&T finished third in the group with two wins, two draws and two defeats, accumulating eight points and failing to qualify for the knockout stage.
In the 2012 V-League season, Hà Nội T&T finished as runners-up. Their final league match against Xuân Thành Sài Gòn attracted controversy, with allegations that Hanoi T&T had played defensively to benefit SHB Đà Nẵng, another club owned by the same individual. Xuân Thành Sài Gòn's owner subsequently announced the club's dissolution.
Hà Nội T&T returned to the top of the league in the 2013 season, securing the 2013 V.League 1 league title with one round remaining after defeating Đồng Tâm Long An with 2–1 scoreline. Argentinian Gonzalo Marronkle and Hoàng Vũ Samson scored 28 goals combined and shared the league's top-scorer award for that season.
Hà Nội T&T finished as runners-up in the 2014 V.League 1, behind champions Becamex Bình Dương. The club remained in contention for the title during the season, but ultimately missed out on first place. Their league campaign included a 6–4 victory over Than Quảng Ninh on 22 June 2012 and a 5–2 win against Thanh Hóa on the final matchday on 10 August 2014. Striker Hoàng Vũ Samson scored 23 goals to finish as the league's top scorer. Despite their strong attacking performances, Hà Nội T&T finished second in the standings and qualified for the following season's AFC Cup. Hà Nội T&T competed in the 2014 AFC Cup after being eliminated in the qualifying rounds of the 2014 AFC Champions League. The club was drawn in Group F alongside Indonesian club Arema, Malaysian club Selangor and the Maldivian club Maziya. Hà Nội T&T won five of their six group matches, including victories over Maziya, Arema and Selangor, to finish top of the group with 15 points. They scored 14 goals and advanced to the knockout stage as group winners. In the round of 16, Hà Nội T&T defeated Myanmar club Nay Pyi Taw 5–0 at home on 14 May, with Hoàng Vũ Samson scoring twice alongside goals from Hughton Hector, Thạch Bảo Khanh and Phạm Thành Lương. The victory sent the Vietnamese side into the quarter-finals, where they faced Iraqi club Erbil. Hà Nội T&T lost the first leg 1–0 at home on 19 August and were beaten 2–0 in the return leg on 26 August, resulting in a 3–0 aggregate defeat. Their campaign therefore ended in the quarter-finals, matching their progress to that stage of the competition.
Domestic dominance (2016–2022)
The 2016 season, which marked the 10th anniversary of the capital club, saw significant changes for Hà Nội T&T, including two coaching changes. The first occurred just a week before the season when coach Phan Thanh Hưng resigned. He was replaced by Phạm Minh Đức, the coach of the Hà Nội T&T U21 team at the time. However, Phạm Minh Đức's tenure began poorly, with the team earning only 1 point from the first 4 matches and sitting at the bottom of the table. On 17 March 2016, the team decided to replace Phạm Minh Đức with assistant coach Chu Đình Nghiêm. This change led to a remarkable improvement in gameplay and results, allowing the team to rise steadily up the table with only 2 rounds remaining. In the penultimate round, needing a win to keep their championship hopes alive, Hà Nội T&T secured all 3 points with a 1–0 victory over Than Quảng Ninh, thanks to a goal from Nguyễn Văn Quyết. This result gave the club the control over their own destiny in the final match. A 2–0 victory over Thanh Hóa, featuring a brace from Gonzalo Marronkle, allowed Hà Nội T&T to win the V-League championship for the third time, finishing just above Hai Phong on goal difference. However, in the 2016 Vietnamese Cup, the team finished as runners-up after a narrow 1–2 lost to Than Quảng Ninh.
At the end of 2016, shortly after winning the V-League title, T&T Group decided to dedicate the club to the people of Hanoi, withdrawing its stake and officially renaming the club Hanoi Football Club. The City Council also decided to grant Hàng Đẫy Stadium to the club as a tribute, allowing the team to use and improve the facilities.
The 2017 V.League 1 season ended disappointingly for Hà Nội , as they finished third despite remaining in contention for the title until the final round. After defeating Quảng Nam 1–0 in the penultimate round, the club drew 4–4 with Than Quảng Ninh in their final match, allowing Quảng Nam to secure the league title. In the 2017 Vietnamese Cup, Hà Nội were eliminated in the round of 16 by Sông Lam Nghệ An. In the 2017 AFC Cup, Hà Nội were drawn in Group G alongside Philippines club Ceres–Negros, Singaporean club Tampines Rovers and Malaysian club Felda United. They opened their campaign with a 1–1 draw against Ceres–Negros before drawing 1–1 with Felda United. Hà Nội subsequently recorded consecutive victories over Tampines Rovers, winning 4–0 at home and 2–1 away, before defeating Felda United 4–1. These results left the club in contention for qualification ahead of their final group match against Ceres–Negros. However, Hà Nội suffered a 6–2 defeat away to Ceres–Negros on 19 April. The match saw the Vietnamese side struggle defensively, while striker Hoàng Vũ Samson was sent off after the interval. Hà Nội finished the group stage with three wins, two draws and one defeat, collecting 11 points from six matches. Although they finished level on points with Ceres–Negros, they were placed second on the head-to-head tiebreaker and failed to advance to the ASEAN zonal semi-finals.
In the 2018 season, the success of the Vietnam U23 team in the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship, where Hà Nội players played a crucial role, significantly boosted interest in the club. The team began with a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Haiphong at Hang Day Stadium and then won 5–0 against Hoang Anh Gia Lai in a match that reached the stadium's audience limit of 25,000. Hà Nội secured the championship with 64 points and 72 goals scored, clinching the title with 5 rounds to spare. However, the season ended on a disappointing note when the team missed the opportunity to reach the 2018 Vietnamese Cup final after a goalless draw against Becamex Binh Duong at Gò Đậu Stadium. With an aggregate score of 3–3, Hà Nội was eliminated due to the away goals rule.
Back to back league champions and domestic double (2019)
In 2019, Hà Nội began their continental campaign in the qualifying rounds of the AFC Champions League, defeating Thailand club Bangkok United 1–0 before losing 4–1 to China club Shandong Luneng in the play-off round. The club subsequently entered the 2019 AFC Cup, where they topped Group F with 13 points from six matches. They recorded victories over Cambodian club Nagaworld and Singaporean club Tampines Rovers, alongside a win and a defeat against Myanmar club Yangon United, to advance to the knockout stage. In the ASEAN zonal semi-finals, Hà Nội faced Philippines club Ceres–Negros, drawing 1–1 away before winning 2–1 at home to progress 3–2 on aggregate. They then defeated fellow Vietnamese club Becamex Bình Dương 1–0 in both legs of the ASEAN zonal final, securing a 2–0 aggregate victory and the ASEAN zonal title. In the inter-zone play-off semi-finals, Hà Nội faced Turkmenistan club Altyn Asyr, winning the first leg 3–2 before drawing 2–2 away in the second leg to advance 5–4 on aggregate. Their campaign ended in the inter-zone play-off final against North Korea club April 25 SC. After a 2–2 draw in the first leg in Hanoi, the second leg in Pyongyang ended goalless. The tie finished 2–2 on aggregate, with April 25 advancing to the final on the away-goals rule.
Domestically, Hà Nội won the 2019 V.League 1 title with two rounds remaining, finishing ahead of their challengers after a strong season. They also won the 2019 Vietnamese Cup, defeating Hồ Chí Minh City 3–0 in the semi-finals before beating Quảng Nam in the final. The cup victory completed the club's collection of major domestic trophies.
After more than five years as head coach, Chu Đình Nghiêm left Hà Nội by mutual agreement on 4 April 2021, following a difficult start to the 2021 V.League 1 season. During his tenure, he led the club to three V.League 1 titles in 2016, 2018 and 2019, two Vietnamese Cup titles in 2019 and 2020, and three Vietnamese Super Cup titles in 2018, 2019 and 2020. He was replaced on an interim basis by Hoàng Văn Phúc.
In 2022, under the management of Korean head coach Chun Jae-ho, Hà Nội won the 2022 V.League 1, marking their sixth title and tying them with The Cong-Viettel for the most V.League titles since the league began in 1980. They also won the 2022 Vietnamese Cup, which qualified them for the 2023–24 AFC Champions League group stage.
Recent seasons (2023–present)
In 2023, under Montenegrin head coach Božidar Bandović, Hà Nội began the season by winning the 2023 Vietnamese Super Cup, defeating Hải Phòng 2–0. In the 2023 V.League 1, the club finished as runners-up with 38 points, behind city rivals Công An Hà Nội. However, they were eliminated in the round of 16 of the 2023 Vietnamese Cup, losing 2–1 to Viettel.
AFC Champions League debut (2023–2024)
Having won the 2022 V.League 1 title, Hà Nội qualified directly for the group stage of the 2023–24 AFC Champions League, marking their debut in the competition's group stage. Drawn in Group J alongside South Korean club Pohang Steelers, Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds and China club Wuhan Three Towns, the club played its home matches at Mỹ Đình National Stadium. Hà Nội began the campaign with a 4–2 defeat to Pohang Steelers before suffering a 6–0 lost away to Urawa Red Diamonds. Their third match ended in a 2–1 defeat to Wuhan Three Towns, during which both sides had a player sent off. Following three consecutive defeats, Božidar Bandović was dismissed in October 2023 and was replaced by assistant coach Lê Đức Tuấn. Hà Nội subsequently recorded their first group-stage victory by defeating Wuhan Three Towns 2–1 at home, with Phạm Tuấn Hải scoring both goals. They then lost 2–0 away to Pohang Steelers before concluding their campaign with a 2–1 victory over defending champions Urawa Red Diamonds on 6 December. The result eliminated Urawa Red Diamonds from the competition, as they were unable to qualify for the knockout stage. Hà Nội finished third in Group J with six points from six matches and did not advance to the next stage. In the domestic 2023–24 V.League 1 season, Hà Nội finished third with 43 points and reached the final of the 2023–24 Vietnamese Cup, where they drew 0–0 with Thanh Hóa before losing 9–8 in the penalty shoot-out.
In the 2024–25 V.League 1, Hà Nội finished second with 49 points from 26 matches, behind champions Thép Xanh Nam Định. The team remained among the leading sides throughout the season but was unable to overtake Nam Định in the title race. Their Vietnamese Cup campaign ended in the round of 16, where they drew 0–0 with second-tier side Đồng Tháp before losing 4–3 in the penalty shoot-out. Although Hà Nội remained competitive in domestic football, they ended the season without adding another major trophy to their honours.
Hà Nội began the 2025–26 V.League 1 season under Japanese head coach Makoto Teguramori. After a difficult start to the campaign, the club appointed former Australian international Harry Kewell as head coach on 4 October 2025. Kewell had previously managed clubs in Australia, Scotland and Japan, including Yokohama F. Marinos. Under his leadership in his first season, Hà Nội finished fourth in V.League 1 with 46 points from 26 matches. Their Vietnamese Cup campaign ended in the qualifying round, where they lost 1–0 to Viettel on 14 September 2025.
Hà Nội continued under Harry Kewell into the 2026–27 season as they sought to return to the top of Vietnamese domestic football. Their Vietnamese Cup campaign ended in the first round after a 2–1 defeat to SHB Đà Nẵng following extra time and a penalty shoot-out. On 8 June 2026, the club celebrated the twentieth anniversary of its establishment in 2006 at a ceremony in Hanoi. The event commemorated the club's rise from the third division to becoming one of Vietnam's leading football teams and included the presentation of the Second-Class Labour Order in recognition of its contributions to Vietnamese football.
