Yesterday’s win came after Kim Sang-sik’s side had defeated the defending champions 2-1 in the final’s first leg in Viet Tri on Thursday (Jan 2) to seal a 5-3 aggregate victory.
A second-half brace from Brazil-born Nguyen Xuan Son handed Vietnam a slight advantage in front of a full house crowd at Viet Tri Stadium in the first leg.
However, the Golden Star Warriors left it late yesterday, needing an 82nd minute own goal from Thailand’s Pansa Hemviboon and a stoppage time effort from Nguyen Hai Long to secure the win.
This came after Pham Tuan Hai had given his side the lead in the 8th minute after the Thai defence failed to deal with Pham Xuan Manh’s free kick into the penalty area.
The home side levelled on 28 minutes when Ben Davis capitalised on Doan Ngoc Tan’s error to bend a strike past Nguyen Dinh Trieu into the bottom corner.
The War Elephants took the lead through a sumptuous 25-yard strike from Supachok Sarachat in the 64th minute before Weerathep Pomphun was sent off 10 minutes later for a second bookable offence after a cynical foul on Vu Van Thanh.
It proved to be the game’s turning point as substitute Nguyen Quang Hai fed Tuan Hai whose shot took a deflection to beat goalkeeper Patiwat Khammai.
The War Elephants rallied and hit the crossbar late on through Suphanan Bureerat as the defending champions fought for extra time.
However, with the Thais chasing the game, Hai Long’s stoppage time effort from long range ensured his team were assured victory.
The aggregate win marked the third time in Vietnam’s history that they have won the regional championship and the first time since 2018. It also saw them avenge defeat against the War Elephants in the previous final in 2022.