The 2-1 triumph was their first success over the Thais in eight matches, having last beaten the reigning champions in June 2019.
In fact, this is just the fourth time the Vietnamese have beaten their neighbours in 30 matches since 1995, having lost 18 of those.
Their hero once again was Rafaelson, the 27-year-old Brazil-born striker who is the tournament's runaway top scorer with seven goals.
His second-half brace set up an intriguing second leg at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on Jan 5.
He said: "I try to score goals in every game because this is my job. The players worked hard today. We'll keep focused for the next game."
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