Run "Gemadept Run — The Way Forward 2026"

   A half marathon that has never been run before arrives in Ho Chi Minh City this October, and nobody holds its first finish yet. If you have spent the year building mileage without a goal race, here is somewhere to spend it.

   The fifth edition opens three distances at once — 5K, 10K and 21K, something no previous season offered. The 2026 season runs through two cities: Hải Phòng on 10 October with 5K and 10K, then Ho Chi Minh City with the full set. More than 12,000 runners have come through Gemadept Run, close to 5,000 of them in 2025 alone.

   Starts are staggered by distance: the 21K goes at 04:30, the 10K at 05:30 and the 5K at 05:45. Cut-offs are 2 hours 45 minutes for the 5K, 3 hours for the 10K and 4 hours for the 21K. Expo Day falls on 24 October, 08:00 to 18:00, when you collect the race kit — race tee, sport cap, bandana, tote bag, a BIB with a timing chip and a few extras. The finisher medal for every distance and the separate 21K finisher shirt are handed over once you cross the line.

   This is a community race rather than an elite one, and the three distances are pitched at three levels of preparation: the 5K for beginners, families and office teams, the 10K for anyone raising their pace, the 21K for runners with a base behind them. Minimum ages are counted on race day — 10 for the 5K, 12 for the 10K, 16 for the 21K — and anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian to sign the consent.

   Entry fees for the Ho Chi Minh City leg — by distance and registration phase:

• — 5K — 700,000 ₫ until 31 August, 780,000 ₫ from 1 September
• — 10K — 860,000 ₫ until 31 August, 980,000 ₫ from 1 September
• — 21K — 1,080,000 ₫ until 31 August, 1,280,000 ₫ from 1 September

   Groups take 5% off for 10–20 entries, 10% for 21–50, 15% for 51–100 and 20% above 100, applied per payment transaction and never combined across several. Registration stays open until 30 September but can close earlier once the quota fills, and in Ho Chi Minh City only entries completed before 00:00 on 20 September get a name printed on the BIB. Until that same date each entry may be transferred or moved to another distance once, for 200,000 ₫ plus any price difference when you move up. Fees are non-refundable under any circumstances, and shirt sizes cannot be changed after registration, so pick yours carefully.

   Worth knowing before race morning: the organiser lets you carry a phone, headphones or a pocket player, a mini action camera, a running belt with a bottle and a hydration pack on the course. Barred are selfie sticks and detachable cameras, weapons and sharp objects, banners larger than 30×45 cm, blankets and sleeping bags, alcohol and prohibited substances, drones and balloons, anything on wheels except registered wheelchair users and their pushers, and also strollers, bicycles, skateboards and pets. A bag drop is provided but will not take valuables such as wallets, phones or laptops. Rankings are decided on gun time read from the chip in your BIB.

   The organiser is Gemadept, a Vietnamese ports and logistics group with more than 36 years behind it and the deep-water terminal Gemalink, one of 19 ports worldwide able to berth megaships. Past editions have raised more than 3.5 billion ₫ through the race for education in remote provinces: three schools in Hà Giang, Lai Châu and Nghệ An, two computer rooms in Lào Cai and two libraries in Hà Giang. The 2026 season keeps supporting schooling for children from difficult circumstances.

   Questions about transfers, distance changes and participant details go to [email protected], answered 09:00 to 17:30 on weekdays.

   Pick the distance worth training for over the next two months.