Ahead of the clash at Binh Duong Stadium on Wednesday, Hanoi’s Nguyen Quang Hai believes the clubs have been presented with the opportunity to bring the trophy back to Southeast Asia for just the second time, after Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim claimed Continental glory in 2015.

The game marks the first time teams from Vietnam have gone head to head in the tournament since Binh Duong played SHB Da Nang in 2010, and the winners will progress to an Inter-Zone semi-final date against Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr.

The two-legged tie, with the return clash coming a week later, will crown the club kings of Southeast Asia as well as the opponents of Turkmenisan's Altyn Asyr in the Inter-Zone semi-finals on August 20.

The hugely anticipated clash sees Vietnamese sides face off in the AFC Cup for the first time since 2010 after Binh Duong overcame Indonesia’s PSM Makassar and Hanoi defeated Ceres Negros of the Philippines in the ASEAN Zonal semi-finals in June.

Hanoi arrive at Binh Duong Stadium as the competition’s top scorers with 26 goals, although no team in the ASEAN Zone has conceded fewer than Binh Duong and Tan Tai believes the hosts have what it takes to record another shutout.

The two finalists are breaking new ground for Vietnamese football with the pair their nation's first clubsides to reach this stage.

To explain the numbers behind the story, we've delved into the statistics to show how they got there with new ASEAN Zonal champions set to be crowned following the two legged match-up on July 31 and August 7.

The-AFC.com spoke to two regional specialists to preview the tie which will see the V.League sides clash on the Continental stage for the first time.

Between them, the teams have won eight of the past 12 V.League titles (four each) and over the years there have been numerous classic encounters that have featured goals galore.

To whet the appetite ahead of the first leg in Thu Dau Mot City on Wednesday, the-AFC.com has picked out three matches which will live long in the memory.

Although the Malaysian league season has now concluded, there were key matches across Southeast Asia with the race for the respective national club championships continuing to thrill and intrigue in equal measure.