Road race «VnExpress Marathon Grand Tour Nghệ An 2026»

   Four road distances, a start in the dark and a finish before the central-Vietnam sun turns serious — Nghe An is back on the running calendar in a noticeably bigger format. If you have been waiting for a full marathon in this province, this is the first one on offer.

   The 2025 edition ran on 4 May along the Vinh – Cua Lo boulevard with three distances: 5, 10 and 21 km. This year the race is branded Grand Tour, moves to late September and adds 42.195 km, making the full set of 5K, 10K, 21K and 42K. It is run by VnExpress and FPT Online, the operators behind Vietnam's largest race series. Nghe An lies about 300 km south of Hanoi on the north-central coast, with Vinh as its main city and airport.

   Age limits are counted on race day: 18 and over for 42 km, 16 for 21 km, 12 for 10 km, and 4 for 5 km — which is why these races draw families as much as running clubs.

   Entry fees move through four waves and the gap is real: the marathon runs from 720,000 to 1,390,000 VND depending on when you sign up. The cheapest Super Early Bird wave closes on 21 August. Group discounts are tiered — 5% from 20 runners, 10% from 51, 15% from 101, 20% from 501 and 25% from 1,001; FPT Corporation groups get 20%.

   Two things that catch first-timers out. Bib numbers are not emailed in advance — you get yours only when you collect your racekit. And straight after registering you must sign the liability waiver sent to you by email, or your bib can be withheld. The window for editing runner details closes on 10 September.

   The course and start area have not been published yet; the organisers say details will be released in stages. Questions go to [email protected], and places are booked on the race's individual registration page. Sign up while the early wave is still open — the price never goes back down.