Vietnam team called up 2 brand new players

Striker Xuan Son returns to the Vietnam national team after 8 months of injury.

To prepare for the match with Laos on November 18, coach Kim Sang-sik announced the list of 26 players for the Vietnamese team.

Besides the key players who contributed greatly to the journey to win the ASEAN Cup 2024, the team welcomed new names such as Khong Minh Gia Bao, Nguyen Tran Viet Cuong, and the return of Le Van Do and Tran Bao Toan.

This is considered an important testing step for the Korean coach to diversify the playing style and prepare for the key stage of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Khong Minh Gia Bao, born in 2000, is a player who is joining the national team for the first time. The central defender, who is currently playing for the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club, has an ideal physique, a strong playing style, and good tracking ability. He grew up at the People's Police training center, and played for Phu Dong Ninh Binh and Quang Nam before joining the Ho Chi Minh City Police in August 2025.

Another notable face is Nguyen Tran Viet Cuong - a striker born in 2000 who grew up at Becamex Ho Chi Minh City Club. He possesses speed, technique and diverse finishing ability, having scored 26 goals for the team in the 2024/25 season. Viet Cuong used to play for the U16 and U23 Vietnam youth teams, and now has the opportunity to be called up to the national team for the first time.

Meanwhile, the return of Le Van Do also attracted attention. The player from Quang Nam is playing outstandingly for the Hanoi Police Club. Coach Kim Sang-sik's call-up of Van Do shows that he wants to move towards a faster, more modern playing style.

Notably, this time the training list also welcomes the return of striker Nguyen Xuan Son after nearly a year off due to injury. The player, who belongs to Nam Dinh Club, has fully recovered, but this time he will likely only be on the team to get used to the national team environment again.

List of Vietnam team preparing to play against Laos.

According to plan, the Vietnamese team will gather from November 10 in Viet Tri (Phu Tho) and move to Laos on November 15 to prepare for the second leg of the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

This training session took place at the same time as the U22 Vietnam team's gathering period to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games, so some young faces were given priority for the U22 team. However, coach Kim Sang-sik still maintained stability in the squad, while giving opportunities to new factors to show themselves.

With a combination of experience and youth, the Vietnamese team aims to win all 3 points against Laos to consolidate its position in the race for a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup finals.

Source: https://znews.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-cho-goi-2-cau-thu-moi-toanh-post1600531.html