The Course: A One-Year Stop in Bac Lieu
The 2025 race was the first after Ca Mau and Bac Lieu provinces merged, and the first held in the former Bac Lieu province [1]. It was based at Hung Vuong Square in Bac Lieu ward, and the marathon started at 3am and ran through Bac Lieu and Hiep Thanh wards, including a stretch of sea dike and the wind-farm fields [2]. Before the race the organisers said racing would run from 3am to 11am, on roads that also took in Vinh Hau commune [3].
PetroTimes, the magazine of title sponsor Petrovietnam, described tree-lined roads looking out towards the Cao Van Lau theatre and the Bac Lieu wind farm, with the shorter distances crossing canal-side streets and small bridges [4]. The timing mats on the marathon were at 1.64 km, 7.61 km, 12 km, 22.5 km and 41.63 km [5].
Runners interviewed by PetroTimes spoke well of it. One half marathoner, 47, said the course was clearly better than in earlier years, with open roads, a good surface and friendly local support [6].
The Weather: No Station Nearby
No airport near Bac Lieu reports hourly weather, and the Ca Mau airport archive has no observations for race morning [7], so there is no measured record of the conditions. PetroTimes wrote that a cool south-westerly breeze on the coastal section helped runners hold their pace [6]. The third-placed half marathoner said southern races are usually hot, which makes personal bests hard, but that this was the runner's fastest race in the south [6]. With the marathon starting at 3am, a four-and-a-half-hour runner finished around 7.30am.
Organisation and Safety
The provincial culture department's deputy director said at the closing ceremony that no serious incidents were recorded and that minor problems were dealt with promptly [8]. The official also said that moving to a completely new venue and course after four earlier editions had needed a great deal of planning [8].
The organiser and every report put the field at more than 6,000 runners, the largest the race had drawn [1][9]. The timing company's results list 4,989 entries: 311 in the marathon, 1,130 in the half, 1,141 in the 10 km, 1,561 in the 5 km and 846 in the kids' run [5]. Petrovietnam's gas company alone brought about 300 to 400 runners [6].
How Fast the Field Is
The marathon was a small race with a thin field. Pham Ngoc Phan won in 2:31:18, almost nine minutes clear of Quang Thang Ha in 2:40:13 and Hillary Kimutai Kipchumba in 2:40:28. Tenth place was 2:58:58 [5]. The winner went through 22.5 km in 1:19:11 and slowed from 3:22 to 3:27 per km over the first 12 km to 3:41 per km over the last 19 km [5].
Only 33 women finished the marathon. Le Thi Ha won in 3:03:28, from Nguyen Thi Thu Thao in 3:18:22 and Quach Thi Bich Thuy in 3:20:58, and tenth was 4:07:49 [5]. Of the 274 finishers, 85 broke four hours, and the median finish was 4:30:58 [5]. The slowest finisher came in at 6:28:40 on chip time, which points to the same 6 hour 30 limit that the 2026 rules set [5][10].
The half marathon was bigger, with 964 finishers. Nguyen Thanh Dat won in 1:14:07 and Nguyen Ngoc Lan in 1:31:52; tenth place was 1:24:26 for men and 1:50:02 for women, and the median was 2:28:14 [5]. The slowest half-marathon finisher ran 3:27:59, again consistent with a 3 hour 30 limit [5][10]. The third-placed man ran 1:19:28 in a first half marathon [5][6].
Race Kit and Entry
The 2025 kit included an event shirt, bib and bag, with a finisher medal for every distance on a colour-coded ribbon, from purple for the 2 km to red for the 42 km, and a separate finisher tee for the 21 km and the 42 km. Insurance, on-course nutrition and an e-certificate were also included [11]. The kids' run was free [4].
For 2026 the organiser lists fees of 668,000 VND (super early bird) to 1,068,000 VND (regular) for the marathon, and 368,000 to 568,000 VND for the 5 km; the 2 km is free [12], and fees are not refunded [10].
Should You Enter the 2026 Race?
Yes, if you want an unhurried Mekong Delta race with a festival around it, where a man running under three hours in the marathon, or about 1:24 in the half, could finish in the top ten.
Think twice if you want a certified fast course or a deep field to race against, or if you expect the 2025 sea-dike route: the 2026 race moves to the provincial convention centre in Ca Mau city's An Xuyen ward, with the marathon listed for 3.30am on Sunday 15 November [12]. The 2024 race was also based at the provincial convention centre in Ca Mau [13], so 2026 returns to Ca Mau city rather than repeating the Bac Lieu course. The 2026 route map had not been published when this was written.
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the official results, the organiser's site, provincial and national reporting in Vietnamese, and interviews with runners in the sponsor's magazine.