The Course: Beachfront, River, Bay and One Big Bridge
The marathon starts and finishes at East Sea Park on Vo Nguyen Giap Street, beside My Khe Beach [1][2]. It first runs south along the seafront to a U-turn near Minh Mang Street, comes back north and cuts west on Nguyen Van Thoai Street to cross Tran Thi Ly Bridge at about 12 km. It then heads north along Bach Dang Street on the Han River, past Dragon Bridge and Han River Bridge, to Nhu Nguyet Street [1].
The middle of the race is a long out-and-back on Nguyen Tat Thanh Street along the bay, from about 20 km to a U-turn near Nguyen Sinh Sac Street and back to 28 km. At about 33 km runners climb Thuan Phuoc Bridge, then follow Le Duc Tho Street and Man Quang Bridge to Hoang Sa Street, past Son Tra Beach at around 40 km, before the last stretch south on Vo Nguyen Giap to the finish [1].
The official elevation profile sits close to sea level for almost the whole race. The exceptions are a small rise at Tran Thi Ly Bridge and one climb to just over 30 m on Thuan Phuoc Bridge [1]. On the half marathon the same bridge comes at about 12 to 14 km [3]. One runner summed it up as not fully flat, with one big uphill and downhill on the big bridge, and the last kilometres along the beach [4]. The 2026 maps carry a World Athletics and AIMS certified measured course mark [1][3].
The Weather: Warm and Saturated Until Sunrise
Da Nang International Airport, about 5 km west of East Sea Park, recorded 24°C at 3am, when the marathon started, with a dew point of 23°C, 94% humidity and a 4-knot wind [5]. Those numbers did not move until 6.30am. It reached 25°C at 7am, 26°C with 79% humidity at 8.30am when the half marathon closed, and 27°C with a dew point of 22°C and 74% humidity at 10am, the marathon cut-off [5].
The organiser describes March as the most pleasant weather of the year in Da Nang [2]. The airport data shows why runners still found it hard: a dew point of 23°C means sweat barely evaporates, so the first hours feel heavier than 24°C suggests. One runner's advice was to be prepared for hot and humid conditions [4]. Another found the first 11 km warm, then got a cooling wind from the bridge crossing and a coastal breeze to the finish [4].
Aid Stations and Cut-offs
The organiser put stations every 2 km with water, electrolyte drinks, fruit and aid supplies, with drinks in paper cups and large bottles for refilling your own [2]. The maps show portable toilets at every station [1], and the organiser listed ten medical stations, including the main one at East Sea Park [2]. Hydration bottles and fuel belts are allowed [6]. At the finish there were drinks, food and tanks of ice for cooling legs [4].
The overall limits are seven hours for the marathon, four for the half and an hour and a half for the 5 km, measured on gun time [2][6]. The marathon also has four intermediate cut-offs: 13.8 km at the Tran Thi Ly Bridge junction by 5.30am, 25.6 km on Nguyen Tat Thanh Street by 7.20am, 33 km under Thuan Phuoc Bridge by 8.30am and 39 km on Hoang Sa Street by 9.30am [2]. Each works out at roughly 10 to 11 minutes per kilometre from the start, so a runner on pace for seven hours meets them all. Half marathoners must pass 6.3 km by 5.30am, an hour after their start, which asks for a quicker pace than the four-hour finish limit [2]. Runners who miss a cut-off are stopped, and a shuttle for runners who drop out ran only from 7.30am [2].
The results bear the limits out. The slowest marathon finisher crossed the line at 6:59:20 on the gun clock, and the slowest half marathoner at 3:58:53 [7][8]. The marathon results also list 38 runners who did not finish and 38 who were disqualified [7]. One disqualified runner had a finish time faster than the women's winner but no readings at four of the eight timing points; the rules say runners with missing or irregular split times can be disqualified [7][6].
How Fast the Field Is
Edsel Moral of the Philippines won the marathon in 2:30:42, ahead of Tomoki Tezuka of Japan in 2:36:18 and Cronie Melliza of the Philippines in 2:38:50. Vu Khanh Linh of Vietnam won the women's race in 3:01:20, from Nomoto Yukiko of Japan in 3:02:59 and Aleksandra Simakova in 3:07:37 [7]. Moral, a 29-year-old factory worker, averaged 3:34 per kilometre [9]; Vu Khanh Linh, 30, from Ho Chi Minh City, only took up the marathon in 2023 [10].
Behind the podium the field thins fast. Tenth place was 2:57:25 for men and 3:28:12 for women, and only 12 runners broke three hours [7]. Of 1,269 finishers, 293 ran under four hours, and the median finish was 4:42:30 [7]. The half marathon was won in 1:12:09 by Takemaru Yamasaki and in 1:22:56 by Trieu Thi Binh; tenth place was 1:17:52 and 1:35:46, and the median of 2,731 finishers was 2:25:35 [8]. The men's 5 km was won by less than a second [10], in 15:31 [11].
About 80 professional athletes took part, according to local newspapers [12][13]. Prize money goes three deep: 20,000,000 VND for the marathon winners and 10,000,000 VND for the half-marathon winners, with age-group awards and a "Ronny Dragon" award for the top 15 in each distance [14].
The field is genuinely international. Of the 1,349 marathon runners in the results, 430 are listed as Vietnamese, 181 as Japanese and 129 as Korean, with Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and China next [7]. Người Lao Động reported nearly 3,200 international entries, 18% up on 2025 and the most in the race's history [13].
Race Weekend Logistics
Race kits were collected at East Sea Park on Friday 20 March, 9am to 7pm, and Saturday 21 March, 9am to 6pm; there was no collection on race morning [15]. The kit was a singlet, a tote bag and the bib with its timing chip [2]. The organiser also ran guided course tours on the Friday afternoon and Saturday morning [2]. Bag drop at the start opened from 2am to 10am on race day, and closed early if it filled up [2].
The marathon cost 1,100,000 VND for Vietnamese residents and 1,980,000 VND for foreigners at the normal rate, rising to 1,485,000 VND and 2,200,000 VND from 24 November 2025; the half marathon was 968,000 VND to 1,980,000 VND [16]. Foreigners with Vietnamese residence cards pay the resident rate [15]. Entries are not refundable, but before a deadline in January 2026 you could transfer once, for 300,000 VND, or change distance for 100,000 VND [15][6]. The minimum age is 18 for the marathon and 16 for the half [6].
Marathon and half-marathon runners who finish inside the gun-time cut-off get a medal and a finisher T-shirt [15][16]; 5 km runners get a medal but no finisher T-shirt [17]. In 2026 the queue for finisher shirts was long enough that one runner gave up on it, and the same runner called the fee expensive [4].
Should You Enter the 2027 Race?
Yes, if you want a certified, well-supported marathon with a large international field, water every 2 km and a seven-hour limit, in a beach city worth a holiday. The half marathon gives you the bridges and the river in a shorter race.
Think twice if you need cool air for a personal best, if you cannot hold about 10 minutes per kilometre, the pace the marathon checkpoints require, or if you want a small field to yourself at the front: in 2026 a 2:57 was tenth.
The 2027 race is on Sunday 21 March, from East Sea Park [18]. The organiser's 2027 schedule keeps the 3am marathon and 4.30am half-marathon starts and replaces the 5 km with a 10 km at 5.30am, with an 8am cut-off [18]. Check the intermediate cut-offs on the 2027 maps when they appear.
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the organiser's race information, rules and route maps, the full results, airport weather records, Vietnamese and Filipino news reports, and two runners' own reviews.