Burns set up three goals in six minutes and brought the 13,802-strong crowd alive after a sloppy, scoreless first half.

Lucas Pantelis and Travis Dodd (two goals) were the benefactors of Burns' slick, attacking work and gave their side a commanding lead.

The Vietnamese side hit back with a nimble effort from Minh Duc Pham but the three points were in the Reds' keeping when Diego kicked the team's fourth midway through the second half.

His score ended a frenetic period of play that saw five goals scored in 20 minutes.

United now has three wins and a draw and have skipped two points clear of Changchun Yatai who drew 2-2 with the Pohang Steelers.

A frustrated Adelaide displayed poor finishing skills in the first half and was under siege after the break against a more enthusiastic Binh Duong.

But the curtain went up on Burns' show which changed the complexion of the contest.

At the 56th minute, Burns dodged and weaved his way past two players in the midfield and threaded a precise ball through to an unattended Pantelis.

The fleet-footed Pantelis charged towards goal and passed the Binh Duong keeper's right hand at ground level.

Two minutes later Burns made his charge closer to goal. He managed to evade traffic near the penalty pox and cross the ball to Travis Dodd who pushed the ball across the goal line from close range.

The duo combined in a similar fashion just four minutes later with Burns flicking the ball to Dodd who nodded his second goal home.

United had all the momentum but Binh Duong ensured the game remained interesting with a brilliant individual effort by Pham.

Pham baulked a couple of times before shooting the ball past the left hand of Adelaide goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic.

United continued to attack and a blunder by the visitors' defence opened up a scoring opportunity for Diego.

A sloppy effort by Binh Duong's keeper allowed the Brazilian to dribble the ball home.

Earlier, Adelaide dominated the first half but was frustrated by a dogged Binh Duong defence and its own poor execution.

The Reds had most of the possession, earned corners, made numerous crosses and had men in good attacking positions but their final ball went anywhere but on target.

Kristian Sarkies, in his first game in four months, Travis Dodd and Diego all had handy touches during the half. However they were all guilty of squandering opportunities.

In contrast, Binh Duong took a defensive mindset into the game and was happy for United to knock the ball around in the midfield. Their strategy wasn't inspiring but effective with the side still in the contest at that stage of the game.

The visitors were more positive after the break and earned a corner a minute into the second half.

And seconds later Binh Duong's skipper Tran struck a beautiful ball from 20 metres only to see it cannon into the right hand goal post.

Their lift in intensity jolted the home side with some Burns magic breaking the deadlock.

Adelaide United 4 (Pantelis 56, Dodd 58, 62, Diego 76)
Binh Duong 1 (Pham 65)
at Hindmarsh Stadium
Crowd: 13,802