A key player of the national Vietnamese football team will be out for at least one year as he suffered a leg break following a nasty tackle in a league game on Tuesday, according to his club’s doctors.

Do Hung Dung, a midfielder of Hanoi FC and the national team, had a broken right leg after he was tackled by Ho Chi Minh City FC's midfielder Ngo Hoang Thinh in their V-League 1 game, Nguyen Quoc Hoi, chairman of Hanoi FC, said the same day, citing a report from club doctors.

“Doctors said Dung would undergo a surgery on Wednesday morning,” Hoi said.

“He will probably be out for at least one year.”

Dung’s leg was seen clearly bending in a slow-motion video of the challenge taking place 27 minutes into the game at Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City.

Hanoi FC's skipper Nguyen Van Quyet passed a ball from the right flank before Dung took a heavy touch following a rebound from a Ho Chi Minh City FC defender’s header.

Thinh then recklessly thrust both his legs at Dung’s right leg in a horror challenge, leading to him being sent off the pitch.

Dung was seen lying in agony on the field, surrounded by anxious players from both sides.

Medical staff immediately rushed to the pitch, gave him first aid for a few minutes, and took him to a nearby hospital.

Hanoi FC scored the opener in the ensuing free-kick and went on to win 3-0 eventually.

The Capital Team rank second after Hai Phong FC on the 14-club V-League 1 table, having earned nine points from five games.

Ho Chi Minh City FC are down at 12th with six points from five matches.

Dung is an ace in midfield so this serious injury is believed to jeopardize Vietnam's hope in their critical FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Indonesia, Malaysia, and hosts the United Arab Emirates in June.

Vietnam are leading Group G with 11 points, followed by Malaysia with nine, Thailand with eight, the UAE with six, and Indonesia with zero.

The group winners and runners-up will advance to the third qualification round.