"I was very surprised to know that I was called up by coach Kim Sang Sik to the Vietnam national team to prepare for the match against Laos in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

After the match againstSHB Da Nang in V-League, when the HCM City Police team was moving to the airport, Tien Linh texted that someone from the Federation asked for his phone number. At first, I thought it was a joke, but then I found out it was true, I was very happy. The first person I told the news was my father. My parents just smiled and congratulated me, that was enough," Khong Minh Gia Bao shared his feelings when he first wore the Vietnamese national team shirt.

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Gia Bao is a new face in the Vietnamese national team's defense.

Gia Bao is one of two new recruits of the Vietnamese team in this training session (along with striker Viet Cuong). The player was born in 2000 and grew up from the training center of CAND. He spent his years playing in the First Division, wearing the Ninh Binh shirt before joining Quang Nam in the 2024/25 season, playing 20 matches. After Quang Nam was dissolved, Gia Bao was recruited by coach Le Huynh Duc to wear the CA TP.HCM shirt this season.

"I thank coach Van Sy Son very much. When I moved to Quang Nam Club, coach Son gave me the opportunity to play as a starter. That was the springboard that helped me get into the national team today. My goal is to have the opportunity to show myself as much as possible," Gia Bao said.

The 1m75 tall center back revealed that he idolizes Dinh Trong because he is not a player with a good physique but is famous as a "foreigner hunting expert". As for the current Vietnamese team, Gia Bao highly rates Nguyen Xuan Son.

"It is clear that Xuan Son is a classy player, proven in the V-League or when he joined the Vietnam national team. Although he has just returned, his form may not be at its best, but training with Xuan Son helps me learn a lot," Gia Bao affirmed.

On the afternoon of January 16, the Vietnamese team had their first training session in Laos, preparing for the match against the home team at 7 p.m. on November 19 at the Laos National Stadium. In the first leg, coach Kim Sang Sik and his team won 5-0.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/gia-bao-biet-duoc-len-tuyen-viet-nam-tu-tin-nhan-cua-tien-linh-2463288.html