Hai Phong runs in the dark: the start area opens at four in the morning and the first gun goes at half past five, while the streets are still empty and cool. With only 5 km and 10 km on the programme, you do not need marathon legs to take a finisher medal home from this northern port city.

This is the opening leg of the 2026 season and the second edition staged in Hai Phong, with the other leg following later in October in Ho Chi Minh City. Race kits are collected on Friday 9 October, 08:00–20:00. On Saturday runners are welcomed from 04:00, the opening ceremony is at 04:50, a joint warm-up follows at 05:20, the 10 km sets off at 05:30 and the 5 km at 05:45, prizes are handed out at 07:00 and the course reopens to traffic at 07:30.

Cut-off is counted from your own start: 1 hour 45 minutes for 5 km and 2 hours for 10 km. Miss it and you are marked DNF, with no medal. Age is counted on race day — 5 km from 10 years, 10 km from 12; anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian to sign the waiver, and under-16s complete registration, bib and kit collection on their legal representative's ID.

Entry fees depend on the distance and on how early you sign up:

— 5 km: 250,000 (Flash Sale, 30 July–1 August), 400,000 (Early Bird, 2–15 August), 580,000 (Regular, 16 August–14 September) and 750,000 VND (Late, 15–30 September)
— 10 km: 300,000, 550,000, 750,000 and 950,000 VND across the same four windows
— group discounts run from the Early Bird window: 5% for 10–20 entrants, 10% for 21–50, 15% for 51–100 and 20% above 100, applied per single payment rather than across several

The race kit holds a running tee, a sports cap, a tote bag and a chip-timed bib; the medal and the bandana are handed over after you finish. Shirt sizes cannot be changed once you have paid, so check the unisex XS–XXXL chart before you register. Rankings use gun time, with chip time published alongside.

Fees are non-refundable under any circumstances. Basic details can be corrected free of charge, once per entry, until 14 September; a distance change costs 200,000 VND plus the fare difference — not refunded if you move down — and also closes on 14 September; passing your slot to somebody else costs 200,000 VND and closes on 20 September. Registration may shut early once the quota is full, and entries made from 15 September carry no printed name on the bib.

The organiser is Gemadept, a Vietnamese ports and logistics group, and the charity side of the series is measured in money rather than slogans: over 3.5 billion VND raised across past seasons has built three schools in Hà Giang, Lai Châu and Nghệ An, two computer rooms in Lào Cai and two school libraries. The season tagline is «OWN YOUR STRIDE».

Hai Phong sits roughly 100 km east of Hanoi with fast expressway and rail links, so this works as a running weekend without taking leave. The start line and the course map had not been published at the time of writing — both are promised in the Race Guide sent to entrants before the race, and questions go to run@gemadept.com.vn on weekdays from 09:00 to 17:30. If you have been putting off your first timed race, take the 5 km.

Mass Runs

Running race «VnExpress Marathon Hai Phong 2026»

Race «Gemadept Run Hải Phòng 2026»

Mass Runs events in Hai Phong