The defeat means the Harimau Muda will have to wait longer to end their 11-year gold medal drought at the SEA Games after their last triumph in 2011 in Indonesia.

After both teams failed to break the deadlock in regulation time, Vietnam finally got the all-important goal in the 111th minute through striker Nguyen Tien Linh, sparking huge celebrations of about 18,000 home supporters in the stands.

The Vietnam team, trained by South Korean Park Hang Seo, dominated the first 45 minutes, with Tien Linh nearly putting his team ahead with a grounder in the 27th minute.

The Malaysian defence was breached again in the 42nd minute, but goalkeeper Azri Ghani did well to push out Tien Linh’s attempt to keep the score 0-0.

Malaysia’s best chance to seal victory in regulation time came towards the end of the 90 minutes but unmarked defender Safwan Mazlan failed to get his header on target off a freekick.

In extra-time, Vietnam looked fresher, more energetic and, with the vociferous support of their fans, more determined to get the winning goal.

It was no surprise when the Harimau Muda, who are coached by Brad Maloney, were finally beaten by Tien Linh’s header off a corner kick in the 111th minute.

In Sunday’s final at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam will take on Thailand, who also scored a 1-0 win over Indonesia in the other semifinal.

Malaysia will meet Indonesia in the bronze medal playoff on the same day.