The Course: Thu Thiem First, Then the Saigon River
The 2025 race, on Sunday 5 October, was the first Garmin Run Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City; the 2024 edition had been part of the Long Bien Marathon in Hanoi [1]. The half marathon started and finished at the M2 lot in the Sala urban area, in An Khanh ward [2]. The first 10 km stayed in Thu Thiem: a loop through Sala's residential streets, then out along Bui Thien Ngo and Tran Bach Dang to a U-turn near the Saigon River tunnel, and back along Nguyen Thien Thanh and Bui Thien Ngo [2]. After that the route joined Mai Chi Tho, ran along Tran Quy Kien beside the Saigon River, looped through the streets around Thanh My Loi park, with the 16 km marker on Street 96, and came back the same way to the finish [2].
A runner who lives near the course described it as mostly flat, with slight uphills at three bridges [1]. Timing mats sat at 5.2, 7.4, 9.8, 15.8 and 20 km [3], and a runner who misses a checkpoint can be removed from the results [2].
For 2026 the start moves to Saigon Riverside Park, about 2 km from the Sala site, because of a change in how the old site's land is managed. The organiser says only the sections linked to the new start and finish change [4].
The Weather: 27°C and Saturated Before Dawn
Tan Son Nhat airport, about 9 km north-west of the start, recorded 27°C at the 4.30am start, with a dew point of 25°C, 89% humidity and a 2-knot wind [5]. It stayed at 26°C to 27°C until 6.30am, then rose to 28°C at 7am and 29°C at 8am and at the 8.30am cut-off, with the dew point at 26°C [5]. By 9am it was 30°C [5].
A dew point of 25°C to 26°C means sweat barely evaporates, whatever the thermometer says. The runner quoted above found it cooler than their usual night runs, but said it was still a sweaty run due to the humidity [1]. The median half marathoner took 2:23:29 by gun time [3], so finished just before 7am, when the airport recorded 28°C and 89% humidity [5]. Pace for the air, not for the flat course.
Aid Stations and Cut-offs
The half-marathon map shows eight stations, all with water and toilets, most with an electrolyte drink and food, and medical teams at five of them as well as at the start and finish [2]. On the day, one runner found a station every 2 to 3 km with water, Pocari Sweat, watermelon and bananas, and portable toilets beside the stations [1].
The limits were four hours for the half marathon (course closed at 8.30am), two and a half hours for the 10 km (8am) and 90 minutes for the 5 km (7.30am) [2]. Results are by gun time, and runners who do not finish inside the limit get no finisher kit [2]. Four hours was generous for this field: the slowest of the 1,942 half-marathon finishers took 3:56:15, 1,638 finished inside three hours, and 20 did not finish [3].
The Roads: Closed Lanes, Some Dark Stretches
The main roads were partly closed. The runner quoted above noted closed lanes on Mai Chi Tho and part of Tran Quy Kien, with runners taking one to two full lanes and no need to stop at stoplights [1].
The weak point was light. The same runner said the stretch towards Empire City in Thu Thiem was pitch black, that solar lights on parts of the course were not enough, and that they heard people tripping and falling on raised areas [1]. That stretch is around the 6 km mark on the map, in the first hour after the 4.30am start [2], so carry a light or stay close to other runners there.
The last kilometre was crowded, because 10 km and half-marathon runners merged on Mai Chi Tho [1]. Apart from volunteers at the water stations, nobody was out cheering [1]. For 2026 the organiser says it is adding water, medical, photo and cheering stations along the course [4].
How Fast the Field Is
Phạm Ngọc Phan won the half marathon in 1:13:46, from Lê Văn Tuấn in 1:14:18. Lê Thị Hà won the women's race in 1:27:09, more than 15 minutes clear of Eleanor Bolger in 1:42:21 [3]. Tenth place was 1:27:19 for men and 1:51:14 for women, and only 17 runners broke 1:30; in the women's race, 1:45:31 was fifth [3].
The 10 km was won by Đỗ Duy Thắng and Vòng Vành Long, who finished together in 32:59, and by Nguyễn Khánh Ly in 37:55 [3][6]. Cash prizes went three deep in each race: 10 million, 8 million and 5 million VND in the half marathon, plus Garmin watches [2].
Behind the front the field was broad. The results list 1,942 finishers in the half marathon, 1,666 in the 10 km, 1,279 in the 5 km and 262 in the couple 10 km, 5,149 in all; the organiser's own figure is nearly 6,000 runners [3][6]. The median half-marathon time was 2:23:29 by gun time, and 454 of the 1,942 finishers broke two hours [3]. Men made up 1,517 of the half-marathon finishers [3], though the organiser says women were nearly 40% of all runners across the distances [6]. Garmin Running Club pacers ran with the field, and the organiser says hundreds of international runners took part, from South Korea, China, Taiwan and the United States among others [6].
Race Weekend Logistics
Race kits were collected at the Sala site on Saturday 4 October only, from 9am to 7pm, with the QR code from the confirmation email and a passport or ID card [2][1]. Someone else could collect a kit with a copy or photo of the runner's ID and the confirmation email [2]. On race morning the event area was open to runners and staff only [2].
Bag drop opened at 3.30am and bags had to be collected by 9am; valuables and electronics were not accepted, and the organiser could refuse bags once it was full [2]. Parking was at lot M1 on Street 8, off Hoang The Thien, for 10,000 VND a motorbike and 50,000 VND a car, and space was limited [2].
The half marathon cost 790,000 VND at super early bird, a tier that sold out in one day, then 990,000, 1,250,000 and 1,490,000 VND in the later tiers; payment went through Yootickets [1]. Half marathoners got a singlet and a finisher tee, while 5 km and 10 km runners got a technical tee [1]. Every finisher got a medal, an e-certificate and race photos [2], and the photos were free to download [1]. At the finish there was Pocari Sweat, water, watermelon and bananas, and results and e-certificates were online by 11am [1].
Two things went wrong for the runner quoted above. They finished in 2 hours 20 minutes to find Small finisher tees gone, with only X-Small or Medium left, and two emails to the organiser, Pulse Active, asking to change a singlet size got no reply [1].
Should You Enter the 2026 Race?
Yes, if you want a mid-sized, mostly flat half marathon or 10 km in the city, with good aid and a four-hour half-marathon limit that suits slower runners. The 5 km, with a 90-minute limit, suits beginners.
Think twice if you want crowds along the course, if you are unsteady running in the dark, or if heavy, saturated air slows you badly.
The 2026 race is on Sunday 18 October, with the expo on Saturday 17 October, at Saigon Riverside Park in An Khanh ward [4]. The half marathon starts earlier, at 4am, and closes at 8am [4]. Entry fees are not refunded except for force majeure, which the organiser says includes weather, and a transfer costs 300,000 VND [4]. Check the 2026 route map for the changed start and finish.
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the organiser's race guide and 2026 race rules, the official results, airport weather records, the organiser's post-race report and one runner's own account.