Before 1997, the club's kit always used home colors black-white which were similar to
Juventus. It originates from name
Namha Youths, so during the 1980-1990s they were called as "
Vietnamese Juventus" by the media. However, after some changing times due to sponsor replacements, it was fixed as the yellow, then added lime-red. Hà Nam Ninh won the A1 National Football Champions (now
V.League) in
1985 with their star player
Nguyễn Văn Dũng.
Overcoming difficulties to survive In 2001, Nam Định took second place in the National Championships, losing to
Bình Định. In 2007, the Nam Định football team changed its name to
Đạm Phú Mỹ Nam Định and won its first
National Cup under its new name. In 2009 the Nam Định Football team changed its name to
Megastar Nam Định and failed in standing on V.League to 1st level tournament 2010. In 2011, the team changed its name back to
Mikado Nam Định and was relegated to the second division after only one year. In 2012, Mikado Nam Định failed to win promotion to the first division after losing on penalties to the
Khánh Hòa youth team in the semi-finals. In 2014, Nam Định won a place in the
2015 First Division after defeating
Vĩnh Long 4–0 in the
Second Division final at
Tam Kỳ Stadium,
Quảng Nam. In 2016, the team finished third overall and took part in the play-off of the
2016 National First Division but failed to win promotion to the
V.League. The following season, the team won the 2017 First Division championship and won the only place to play in the
2018 V.League. In 2019, the team introduced a new sponsor, Nam Ha Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, and changed its name to
Dược Nam Hà Nam Định to compete in the
V.League 2019. In 2021, the team changed its name back to
Nam Định Football Club after the end of the contract with Nam Ha Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company. in a
V.League 1 match on 28 July 2019.However, this was still a period when
financial difficulties always threaten the existence of the club. Typically, the times are continuously slow or out of the
budget, even have to accept relegation because they cannot find a worthy funding. There are seasons that the team leaders have to pray for help from the fan association.
Back-to-back league champions After many poor seasons and even nearing relegation, since 2023, under the guidance of head coach
Vũ Hồng Việt, Nam Định has continuously been in the top 5 strongest teams in
V-League. On 25 June 2024, Nam Định officially won the
2023–24 V.League 1 title after a 5–1 victory against
Khánh Hòa in the final league match. It was the club's first top-flight league title after 39 years since their last win in 1985. Following the title, the club qualified for the inaugural
2024–25 AFC Champions League Two group stage, making their return to the intercontinental tournament since the
2008 AFC Champions League. On 18 September 2024, Nam Định played against Hong Kong club
Lee Man at the
Mong Kok Stadium.
Rafaelson and
Lucas Silva scored a goal to secured a 2–0 win over the Hong Kong club. Nam Định finished in second place in the group stage, thus seeing the team advance to the round of 16 facing against Japanese club
Sanfreece Hiroshima. However, Nam Định was hammered 7–0 by the
J1 League club, resulting in elimination. Head coach
Vũ Hồng Việt then helmed the club to successfully retain their league title, thus winning the
2024–25 V.League 1 title, and being granted qualification to the
2025–26 AFC Champions League Two and also the regional
2025–26 ASEAN Club Championship. In the ASEAN Club Championship, Nam Định was drawn into group B with
Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C.,
Bangkok United F.C.,
Lion City Sailors FC, runners-up of the
2024–25 AFC Champions League Two and
PKR Svay Rieng, runners-up of the
2024–25 AFC Challenge League. == Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors ==