Striker Nguyễn Xuân Son has made history in Vietnamese football by becoming the first naturalised player to score for the national team in an official tournament.
In addition to Việt Nam, India also improved their ranking in Asia, rising from 127th to 126th. Conversely, Indonesia fell two spots to 127th after losing 1.7 points.
Sitting at the top of the ranking, Kim and his players need only one point to go through to the next stage, and are determined to win at the Việt Trì Stadium in Phú Thọ Province.
Kim Sang-sik and Albert Capellas Herms were in different moods after Việt Nam and the Philippines'' 1-1 draw in Group B of the ASEAN Cup on December 18 in Manila.
In the Asian context, Việt Nam stand sixth, behind leading teams such as Japan in first place, North Korea in second, Australia in third, China in fourth and South Korea in fifth.
Việt Nam has won the championship twice, in 2008 and 2018, and now aims to secure its third title under the guidance of new head coach Kim Sang-sik from South Korea.
Việt Nam will be playing in what is considered an easy group, Group F, in the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers following an official draw by the continental football governing body in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on December 9.