Dinh Bac is currently the most highly anticipated star in the Vietnamese national team. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre
The clash between Malaysia and Vietnam is about more than a place in the ASEAN Cup final.
It also offers the two sides another chance to settle a long-standing rivalry.
The teams have met 25 times, with Vietnam winning 17, drawing three and losing five.
Although Malaysia will enjoy home advantage at Kuala Lumpur Stadium, head coach Tan Cheng Hoe faces a serious selection headache.
The hosts are missing several key players because of injuries and the refusal of some clubs to release their players for international duty.
Meanwhile, Vietnam are enjoying an outstanding run of form.
The Golden Star Warriors remain unbeaten and topped Group A in convincing fashion.
The gap between the two teams is also reflected in the FIFA rankings.
Vietnam are currently ranked 99th in the world, well ahead of Malaysia in 136th.
Their squad is also valued at around 6.63 million euros (US$7.7 million) on Transfermarkt, more than double Malaysia's 3.08 million euros ($3.56 million).
Vietnam boast greater depth and several high-quality attacking players capable of frustrating the hosts' ambitions.
Malaysia's midfield has been particularly affected, with Wan Kuzain returning to the United States and Endrick Dos Santos sidelined by a knee injury.
Vietnam, by contrast, have received a boost with the return of naturalized striker Nguyen Xuan Son and the strong physical condition of Nguyen Van Vi.
The pace and youthful energy of Nguyen Dinh Bac could also provide Vietnam with a major attacking threat.
The combination of Hoang Duc and Thanh Long in midfield is expected to help Vietnam control possession and dictate the tempo.
Google's prediction model gives Vietnam a 53-percent chance of winning away from home, compared with 22 percent for Malaysia.
The probability of a draw is 25 percent.
Vietnam are likely to maintain the proactive counter-attacking approach that served them well in their 3-0 group-stage victory over Indonesia.
The pace of Dinh Bac and Xuan Son could prove decisive as head coach Kim's side look to exploit spaces behind the Malaysian defence.
Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper predicts Vietnam will lead 1-0 at half-time and win 2-0 at full-time.
The 2026 ASEAN Championship, Southeast Asia's premier men's international football tournament, runs from July 24 to August 26, featuring 10 teams divided into two groups.
Vietnam competed in Group A alongside Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, and Timor-Leste, while Group B consisted of Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, and Laos.
My Dinh Stadium hosts Vietnam's home matches during the tournament.
The ASEAN Championship semifinals began with Singapore hosting Thailand at Yishun Stadium on Saturday. The visitors beat the hosts 3-1 in this game.
On Sunday, Vietnam are set to face Malaysia at Kuala Lumpur Stadium.
Thailand will host Singapore in the second leg at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on Tuesday.
Vietnam will then welcome Malaysia to My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi for the second leg on Wednesday at 8:00 pm.
As reigning champions, coach Kim's side entered the tournament with the goal of reaching the final and successfully defending their regional title.
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