Rookie Pham Gia Hung: Expected to follow in the footsteps of his senior Tien Linh in the Vietnam national team

The Vietnamese team gathered with only 3 strikers including Tuan Hai, Tien Linh and the one expected to follow in his footsteps, Pham Gia Hung.

Pham Gia Hung scored on his V-League debut, going straight to the Vietnam national team

Photo: Minh Tu

Pham Gia Hung: V-League rookie steps up to Vietnam national team

During the FIFA Days training session in September, the Vietnamese team will take advantage of two friendly matches with Nam Dinh Club (September 4) and Hanoi Police Club (September 7) to give opportunities to new players.

Among the 10/24 players who have rarely or never been called up to the Vietnamese national team by coach Kim Sang-sik, the name Pham Gia Hung is probably still quite unfamiliar to most fans.

But the fact that Mr. Kim only called up 3 strikers, with this striker born in 2000 standing next to Tien Linh and Tuan Hai, is a very special message, as the player who grew up in the PVF academy possesses qualities that can help him become a candidate to follow in Tien Linh's footsteps in the Vietnam national team.

Possessing an impressive physique (1.82 m tall), Pham Gia Hung is a young striker who receives a lot of expectations, but it took him several years of experience in first-class teams to reach maturity and step into the light at the age of 25.

Pham Gia Hung was continuously used by Ninh Binh FC in the second half.

Photo: Ninh Binh FC

The biggest turning point in Pham Gia Hung's career was joining Ninh Binh FC and meeting the "right teacher": Coach Nguyen Viet Thang, a former striker of the Vietnamese team that won the 2008 AFF Cup.

Pham Gia Hung gradually gained confidence through the advice and guidance of Coach Viet Thang, helping him become wiser and more effective in his movements. In addition to improving his strength to take advantage of his good physique to withstand impacts, Gia Hung gradually won Mr. Thang's trust.

Right after recovering from a shoulder injury in the middle of the first leg, Gia Hung was assigned by coach Viet Thang to play as a striker with senior Dinh Thanh Binh playing wide to support. In response, the Dak Lak native continuously scored to become the team's top scorer with 6 goals (3 assists), helping Ninh Binh FC to be promoted early.

In his first time stepping onto the V-League field, although coach Viet Thang is no longer in charge, Gia Hung was still given the opportunity by coach Gerard Albadalejo with substitutions in the second half, in all 3 recent matches of the 2025 - 2026 season.

Pham Gia Hung has qualities that make coach Kim Sang-sik pay attention

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

Just a few minutes after entering the field in the opening match of the V-League, Gia Hung scored his first goal in the V-League with a skillful lob to seal a 3-1 victory for Ninh Binh FC, thereby catching the attention of coach Kim Sang-sik.

Increase the competitiveness of the national team's attack

Coach Nguyen Viet Thang praised his former student: "Pham Gia Hung possesses all the qualities needed for a typical striker, with good physique, strength, speed and good ball playing technique.

The goal in the debut match of V-League brought great encouragement. If Gia Hung takes advantage of the opportunities to play for Ninh Binh FC in V-League, he will be able to improve himself to become a top striker in Vietnam."

Gia Hung has the potential to follow in Tien Linh's footsteps.

Photo: Kha Hoa

After only 3 V-League matches with a total of 26 minutes of play and 1 goal, Pham Gia Hung has advanced straight to the Vietnam national team, to compete with 2 seniors Tien Linh and Tuan Hai for the 2 upcoming friendly matches.

Everything is happening too fast, too smoothly for the young man who was still stuck in the first-class playground a few years ago. Obviously, this is both an opportunity and a challenge, requiring Pham Gia Hung to overcome the psychological pressure to show himself.

Hopefully, with interim coach Dinh Hong Vinh and his assistant, who is also an expert in discovering "rough gems" Nguyen Thanh Cong, the striker born in 2000 will be able to create quality competition, breathing new life into the Vietnamese team's attack.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tan-binh-pham-gia-hung-ky-vong-tiep-buoc-dan-anh-tien-linh-o-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-185250830183214939.htm