Thailand scored twice in the first half before Viet Nam mounted an extraordinary comeback with two goals after the break, equalising and forcing the match into extra time.
Viet Nam’s Thanh Nhan struck the decisive goal in the 96th minute, sending Vietnamese fans at Rajamangala Stadium into raptures.
With home advantage, Thailand quickly stepped up the tempo as the final began, piling pressure on Viet Nam.
The hosts took the lead in the 19th minute when Viet Nam conceded from a direct free-kick. From the set piece, after Quoc Cuong brought down Kakana from around 30 metres out, Yotsakon curled a fine effort towards the Vietnamese goal.
Although goalkeeper Kien Trung dived the right way and got a hand to the ball, he was unable to keep it out.
Viet Nam continued to struggle when, just over ten minutes later, Kakana played a precise diagonal pass that sent Saksan bursting clear of his marker down the left flank, before finishing calmly across goal to double Thailand’s lead.
As the match entered the second half, Dinh Bac raced through at pace, forcing the Thailand goalkeeper to foul him inside the penalty area.
From the spot, the Viet Nam forward converted confidently to reduce the deficit and reignite his side’s hopes.
In the 60th minute, Vietnamese players capitalised on a corner to score the equaliser, levelling the match at 2-2. The scoreline remained unchanged until full time, sending the game into extra time.
In the 95th minute, after a series of slick passing moves by his team-mates, Van Thuan struck a low shot. Thailand goalkeeper Sorawat pushed the ball away, but Thanh Nhan reacted quickest to finish from close range, sealing a dramatic 3-2 victory.
