Co-hosts Vietnam will hope to emulate the feats of their triumphant 2008 side when they begin their 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup campaign on Saturday by taking on Indonesia at Hanoi's My Dinh Stadium.
The Vietnamese's only Southeast Asian title came six years ago on home soil when they were one of three co-hosts as they beat Thailand in the final.
They enter the tournament on the back of an impressive 3-1 win over Malaysia in their final warm-up friendly last Sunday. But they are likely to face a tough test against Indonesia, who have finished as runners-up on four previous occasions.
Adding further spice to the clash is the fact that Garuda coach Alfred Riedl will be returning to his old hunting ground, having previously taken charge of Vietnam in three separate spells.
Despite having been at the helm for under a year, Riedl has managed to give a plethora of players a chance to prove their worth. That was before deciding on a squad with a good mix of experience and youth, boasting seasoned campaigners like Firman Utina and Boaz Solossa as well as up-and-coming prospects like Kurnia Meiga and Manahati Lestusen.
In contrast, Vietnam boss Toshiya Miura has named a relatively youthful side and selected just five players with over 30 caps to their name, although playmaker Le Tan Tai and winger Pham Thanh Luong are both recognised names at regional level.
In Saturday's other Group A game at the My Dinh Stadium, rising force Philippines will be looking to take the first step towards a third straight semi-final appearance by beating qualifying runners-up Laos.
The Azkals' preparations have been hampered after a rift between coach Thomas Dooley and players Stephan Schrock and Dennis Cagara resulted in the duo making themselves unavailable for international duty in August.
Even though Philippines will also be missing a number of Europe-based stars due to club commitments, they still have the firepower to mount a real challenge, through key men like Phil Younghusband, Chris Greatwich and Patrick Reichelt.
But they would do well not to underestimate a Laos side who were the dominant team in last month's qualifiers until a final-day defeat to Myanmar ultimately saw them pipped for top spot.
Thim Xad's English coach David Booth has bullishly claimed his side have nothing to fear heading into the tournament. They could spring a couple of surprises, as they did in 2012, especially if forwards Soukaphone Vongchiengkham and Khampheng Sayavutthi fire on all cylinders.