It was the home side’s turn to put the ball in the back of the net in the 61st minute but Shawal’s finish was deemed offside after he was played through by the energetic Hami Syahin.
Singapore came agonisingly close minutes later but the fingertips of the Vietnamese goalkeeper Nguyen Dinh Trieu denied substitute Taufik Suparno.
Vietnam were not without threat though, as a superb chip from Nguyen Tien Linh beat Izwan but flew just wide.
There was drama in the last 10 minutes of regular time, as substitute Faris Ramli was tackled in the penalty box, but no penalty was given after a lengthy VAR check.
It was Vietnam’s turn to feel aggrieved next as Nguyen Xuan Son hammered a brilliant volley into the back of the net, but was adjudged to have handled the ball.
Then came the moment which changed the game as substitute Shakir Hamzah was harshly judged to have handled in the box after falling over.
Nguyen Tien Linh held his nerve to tuck his spot kick home and silence the crowd. And with the capacity crowd stunned, Nguyen Xuan Son made the game safe with his goal.
