The Course: Two Bridges for the Marathon, None for the Half
The fifth edition ran through the night of Saturday 29 to Sunday 30 November 2025, with about 10,000 runners [1], more than 1,000 of them from 43 countries [2]. The marathon started at 12.05am on Quang Trung street, by Thien Quang Lake, and finished on the Tran Nhan Tong walking street opposite the main gate of Thong Nhat Park [3]. The 10 km started at 1am, the 5 km at 1.30am and the half marathon at 2am [4].
The marathon heads south-east through the streets south of Hoan Kiem Lake, crosses the Red River on Vinh Tuy Bridge and loops through Long Bien district along Co Linh, Hong Tien, Nguyen Gia Bong and the Gia Thuong dyke to a turn in the north-east, then comes back along Ngoc Thuy and crosses Long Bien Bridge into the Old Quarter. From there it runs along Thanh Nien, Nguyen Dinh Thi, Van Cao and Kim Ma, then Doc Lap and Hoang Dieu, down Phan Dinh Phung, back through the Old Quarter and round Hoan Kiem Lake to the finish [3]. The map's kilometre markers put Vinh Tuy Bridge just after 4 km and Long Bien Bridge just after 24 km [3].
Both long courses changed for 2025. The marathon dropped its loop round West Lake and instead went out towards Dong Tru bridge, with a straight stretch of about 5 km beside the Duong River; the organiser still called the two bridges a big challenge, with gradients and strong wind [4]. The half marathon no longer crossed either bridge, as it had in 2024, and stayed in the city centre through the Old Quarter, Thanh Nien, Van Cao, Kim Ma and Phan Dinh Phung [4].
The route maps carry the Vietnam Athletics Federation's certification [3], and the organiser said the whole route was separated from traffic [5]. Almost the entire course was lit with white light, and many runners called 2025 the best-lit of the race's five editions [1].
The Weather: Cool and Misty All Night
Noi Bai airport, about 23 km north of the start, recorded 16°C at midnight, with a dew point of 12°C, 77% humidity, a 3-knot wind and mist [6]. It fell to 14°C by 1.30am and stayed between 14°C and 16°C, at 82% to 88% humidity, until 6.30am, with mist reported all night [6]. VnExpress put the temperature on the course at about 14°C [1].
Those are good conditions for running fast: a dew point of 12°C to 13°C is dry enough that sweat evaporates easily. The winner, Ezekiel Kipruto Kemboi, said the open night course and the pleasant weather produced a better result than at earlier races [7]. Runners gathered from 10pm around Thien Quang Lake to warm up [1], so bring a layer you can throw away for the two hours of waiting in 14°C to 16°C air.
Aid Stations and Cut-offs
The marathon map shows 22 support stations, about one every 2 km, many of them with a medical post, and toilets beside the stations; the half marathon had 10, eight with a medical post [3]. The organiser promised water, electrolyte drink and fruit along the whole route [5], and the electrolyte sponsor served three flavours at every station [8]. Ordinary tables served water in cups only, and elite tables were reserved for runners ahead of the 3:30 marathon pacer and the 1:45 half-marathon pacer [9].
The marathon limit was 6 hours 15, with roads closing at 6.20am [4], and four checkpoints: 1.35am at the Co Linh–Tran Dang Khoa junction in Long Bien, 3.55am at the Ngoc Thuy flower garden, 4.55am at Van Cao–Nguyen Dinh Thi and 5.55am at Phung Hung–Phan Dinh Phung [3]. The half had 3 hours 30, with checkpoints at 3.50am at Van Cao–Nguyen Dinh Thi and 5am at Phung Hung–Phan Dinh Phung [3]; the 10 km had 2 hours and the 5 km 1 hour 15 [9]. Aid stations closed with the roads, runners more than 15 minutes late to their start were not allowed to race, and anyone outside the limit was marked DNF and got no finisher items [9].
How Fast the Field Is
Kemboi won the marathon in 2:24:13 on the official results [10], reported as 2:24:20 in the press [1], after running with Ebisa Takele Kure to 18 km, passed together in 1:06:19, and leading by two minutes at 33 km [1]. Kure was second in 2:26:30 and Trinh Minh Tam third in 2:27:34 [10]. Pham Thi Hong Le won the women's race in 2:56:06, a 17th win in the VnExpress series, leading a sub-three-hour group with dozens of men in it [1]; Vu Khanh Linh was second in 2:56:51 [10].
Tenth place in the marathon was 2:44:12 for men and 3:11:08 for women, and the 50th man finished in 3:00:42 and the 50th woman in 3:54:09. In the half marathon, Samuel Kalalei won in 1:08:55 and Doan Thi Oanh in 1:19:13; tenth place was 1:18:33 and 1:29:38, and 50th was 1:29:12 and 1:51:14 [10]. The winner took 15 million VND in cash, with prizes worth 30 million VND in total [7]. Rankings and prizes go by gun time, not chip time [9].
VnExpress reported hundreds of personal bests, most of them in the half marathon now that it had no bridges [1]. Two runners who had raced the Ha Long Heritage Marathon a week earlier set personal bests at both: Pham Duc Tho went from 2:32 in Ha Long to 2:31:26 here, and Dang Anh Quyet ran 2:33:18, 26 seconds faster than in Ha Long [11].
Race Weekend Logistics
Race kits were handed out on the Tran Nhan Tong walking street on 28 and 29 November [12][5]. Kits are not posted: runners collect in person, or through someone they authorise, with photo ID and the QR code from their confirmation email [9]. The start and the finish are close together, so there is no long walk back to collect a bag [4], and the map marks a Grab pick-up and drop-off point beside them [3]. The race was over by 6.30am [1].
Early entries opened on 27 May 2025 at 420,000 to 880,000 VND depending on distance, with group discounts from 5% for 20 runners up to 25% for more than 1,000 [13]. By the late phase the marathon cost 1.65 million VND and the half 1.35 million VND [5]. Entries are not refundable and bibs cannot be passed on without the organiser's permission, though you can switch distance; marathon runners must be 18 [9]. Marathon finishers got a windbreaker, half marathoners a T-shirt, and every finisher a medal, and finishers could download race photos free [5].
International runners liked the atmosphere. Martin Zachrisson, a half marathoner from Sweden, found Hanoi at night quiet but full of energy, thanks to the light traffic and non-stop cheering, and two American teachers who ran the marathon together in 4:14 praised the lighting and the support along the route [2].
Should You Enter the 2026 Race?
Yes, if you want to race in cool air: the half marathon in particular is flat, bridge-free and well lit, and it produced the most personal bests in 2025. The marathon suits runners who are happy to trade two bridge climbs for a cool night and a fast field.
Think twice if you race badly without sleep, since the marathon starts at midnight and the half at 2am, or if you expect to need close to 6 hours 15 for the marathon, because the checkpoints and the aid stations close on schedule.
The organiser's 2026 page lists race day as 29 November 2026, with race kits on 27 and 28 November at the Tran Nhan Tong walking street [14]. Check the 2026 route and start times before you book, since both long courses changed between 2024 and 2025 [4].
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the organiser's route maps, rules and results, airport weather records, Vietnamese and English-language news reports, and runners' comments to the press.