Running race «VnExpress Marathon Nha Trang 2026»

   Sunrise over the bay, a seafront boulevard that stays flat for kilometres, and a few thousand pairs of shoes leaving the line together — Nha Trang gives one late-summer morning over to runners. Most of the route hugs the coast: water on one side, a city just waking up on the other.

   This is the fifth edition of VnExpress Marathon in the seaside city, again with four distances — 5 km, 10 km, 21 km and 42 km — along the familiar coastal roads Trần Phú and Phạm Văn Đồng. Every course in the VnExpress Marathon series is measured and certified to AIMS – World Athletics standards, so a time set here counts as a proper personal record rather than a fun-run number.

   The essentials:

• — four distances — 5 km, 10 km, 21 km and 42 km — all starting and finishing in the same area;
• — the 2026 medal carries Nha Trang's waves, the Cham tower of Po Klong Garai, Tháp Trầm Hương and a flight of swiftlets, set against sunset purple, sunrise orange and ocean blue;
• — the race shirt is mint green, with geometric bands echoing sunlight through water and the coral reefs of Nha Trang Bay;
• — pacer teams run both the half and the full marathon;
• — KUN Marathon Nha Trang 2026, the children's race, is held on 8 August 2026 at Tháp Trầm Hương, the day before the main event.

   Three groups get the most out of it: runners chasing a personal best on a flat, sea-breeze course; newcomers testing themselves over 5 km or 10 km in a festival atmosphere; and families who want to build a summer holiday around race day. If you have been waiting for VnExpress Marathon to come back to the coast, this is the season to book.

   The race debuted on 28 August 2022 with more than 8,500 athletes. In its second year it passed 11,000 runners — only the second race in the series to do so — and organisers shut registration a month ahead of plan; about 3,000 places went to local residents. The 2024 and 2025 editions also fell in August, the end of summer when the sea is calm and the heat eases off.

   The meeting point is the same square as in previous years, right on the seafront side of Trần Phú, opposite Tháp Trầm Hương and roughly 300 m from the beach. Expo, start arch and finish line all sit in one area, so there is no shuttling between venues on race morning.

   The race is run by the VnExpress news outlet together with FPT Online. The VnExpress Marathon series launched in 2019 and took Silver at the Asian Media Awards 2021 from the World Association of News Publishers, WAN-IFRA.

   A few things to plan for: the 42 km is open to runners aged 18 and over on race day, the 21 km from 16, the 10 km from 12, and anyone under 16 needs a parent or guardian to sign the liability waiver — that applies to the 5 km as well. Entry fees are non-refundable under any circumstances; a distance change is only possible within the allowed window and you pay the difference when moving up. Race kits are handed out on 7 and 8 August 2026 at the Expo — bring photo ID and the signed waiver.

   Questions about entries, bibs or race kits go to [email protected]. Entry sales close on 30 July 2026 — Register now.

   Sea on one side, timing chip on the other — the rest is down to how you have trained.