The Course: Flat, Past the Citadel and Over Four Bridges
The start and finish were on Le Duan street, beside the Flag Tower (Ky Dai) and near the Nghenh Luong Dinh pavilion [1]. Runners began gathering there from 2.30am, in the square in front of Phu Van Lau [2].
The half and full marathons cross four bridges: Da Vien, the 125-year-old Truong Tien, the new and wide Nguyen Hoang, and Phu Xuan [2][1]. Marathoners passed the Imperial City at around 3am [2]. The route also went past Thien Mu Pagoda, where the women's marathon winner fell and got up to keep running [2], and across the square in front of Ngo Mon [2].
Tien Phong describes the course as almost flat, with the bridges as the only real test; runners told it that none of the ramps is high, but crossing them again and again wears you down [1]. No route map, aid-station plan or elevation profile was published on the registration page or in the reporting, so check the organiser's channels for the next edition's map before race day.
The Weather: Hot and Dry, Not Cool
Phu Bai airport, about 15 km south-east of the Citadel, recorded 31°C at 2.30am on race morning, with a dew point of 20°C, 52% humidity and a 7-knot wind [3]. It never cooled: 32°C at 4am, when the half marathon started, 31°C through dawn, and 33°C with 47% humidity at 8am and 9am, when the marathon limit ran out [3].
The post-race report described cool weather and a breeze off the Perfume River [2]. The airport numbers do not support that. A dew point of 20°C is dry for central Vietnam in summer, so sweat evaporates well and the air feels less heavy than the temperature suggests, but the whole marathon was run in 31°C to 33°C air. Pace and drink for heat from the start.
Start Times and Cut-offs
The limits are six and a half hours for the marathon, three and a half hours for the half, two hours for the 10 km and an hour and a quarter for the 5 km [4][5]. The results timing points to starts at 2.30am for the marathon, 4am for the half, 4.45am for the 10 km and 5.30am for the 5 km [6]; the report also put the half-marathon start at 4am [2]. That makes the marathon limit 9am and the half 7.30am. Six and a half hours is about 9:15 per km.
Aid stations close when the course closes, and anyone more than 15 minutes late for their start is not allowed to race [5]. Finishers outside the limit get no finisher items [5]. The slowest marathon finisher in the results came in at 6:26:28; the half-marathon results still list 11 runners over three and a half hours [6].
How Fast the Field Is
Japan's Shohei Miyamoto won the men's marathon in 2:44:28, ahead of Nguyen Mai Trung in 2:46:09 and Nguyen Tien Toan in 2:55:38. Le Thi Phuong won the women's race in 3:04:37, from Doan Thi Oanh in 3:07:01 and Hoang Huong Thuy in 3:29:59 [6]. The day before, Le Thi Phuong had come fourth in the sprint race at the Aqua Warriors Hue aquathlon [2].
The field thins out quickly. Only six marathoners, all men, finished inside three hours, and tenth place was 3:19:53 for men and 3:54:28 for women [6]. In the half marathon, Vu Dinh Duan won in 1:21:34 and Tran Thi Ny won the women's race in 1:33:26; tenth place was 1:29:35 for men and 1:57:27 for women [6]. The 10 km was won in 36:37 and the 5 km in 17:07 [6]. Rankings go on gun time [5]. A sub-3:20 marathoner had a real chance of a top-ten place.
Race-Weekend Logistics
The race was the second half of a weekend with the Aqua Warriors Hue aquathlon, which included a swim in the Perfume River; the two events together drew more than 5,000 athletes from 28 to 30 August [7], and many runners did both [2]. Bibs and kits were handed out at an expo in front of Nghenh Luong Dinh [1]. Kits are not posted, but you can authorise someone to collect yours [5].
Every runner got a kit bag, an event tee, nutrition and a bib; finishers got a medal and an e-certificate, and 21 km and 42 km finishers also got a finisher tee [4]. Entry went up in four price phases, from 799,000 VND for the marathon (24 April to 24 May) to 1,569,000 VND (27 July to 15 August); the 5 km ran from 399,000 to 789,000 VND [4]. Marathoners must be 18 or over, half marathoners 16 and 10 km runners 12 [4].
Fees are not refunded. You can change distance for 200,000 VND plus any price difference, or pass your entry to someone else for a 200,000 VND name-change fee, with changes allowed until 20 July in 2026 [4].
Should You Enter Next Year's Race?
Yes, if the reason you are going is Hue itself: a flat night-time course past the Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda and the Perfume River bridges, with a generous six-and-a-half-hour limit and a small field. The race rewards a steady runner who can handle heat, and a sub-3:20 marathon was enough for the top ten in 2026.
Think twice if you want a cool morning, or a detailed course plan in advance: in 2026 the start was already 31°C, and no route map or aid-station details were published where entrants register.
The date, fees and route for the next edition had not been published when this was written.
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the organiser's rules and registration information, the published results, reporting by Tien Phong and Thanh Nien, runners quoted in that reporting, and airport weather records.