Down one with 11.4 seconds to go, Choo Wei Hong buried the go-ahead jumper to give Malaysia the lead, 86-85, and left four seconds on the clock.
With Vietnam looking to respond, Ting Chung Hong then preserved the Malaysian victory by coming up with a clutch block on Ngoc Tu Le as the final buzzer sounded.
Malaysia looked like it was on its way to victory in regulation after a 10-0 run gave them a 72-68 lead. However, Vietnam would come through late to force the first overtime session of the 2017 SEABA joust.
MALAYSIA vs VIETNAM
EVENTS: 2017 SEABA - FIBA QUALIFYING
Aside from coming up with the game-saving block, Ting Chung Hong led Malaysia in scoring after pouring a game-high 28 points on top of four assists, two steals, and two rejections.
Choo Wei Hong added 20 points as the Malaysians improved to 2-3 after a 0-3 start.
Limping off to a 1-3 mark, Vietnam got 20 points from Han Minh Trieu.
The Final Scoreboard Result:
MALAYSIA 86 – Ting 28, Choo 20, Heng 12, Chan 7, Mak 7, Ang 6, Teo 2, Ong 2, Choong 2, Liaw 0, Chin 0, Liew 0
VIETNAM 85 – Trieu 20, Nguyen V 16, Le N 14, To 12, Le P 9, Tran 7, Dang 5, Nguyen H 2, Nguyen T 0
Quarterscores: 15-15, 30-35, 50-54, 76-76, 86-85 (OT)