Race guide for Sunday 22 November 2026, Ha Long

Halong Bay Heritage Marathon 2026

An independent guide for international runners: race week, kit pickup, the start, the course, the finish and where to stay.

Official race site

Read the race guide

Sold out

Updated 29 Oct 2026. Registration closed on 1 October when all four distances sold out. Race week runs 20–22 November; start times and kit collection details are published by the organiser to registered runners.

Race day: Sun 22 Nov 2026
Distances: 42 kmplus 21, 10 and 5 km
Marathon cut-off: 6 hr 30
Start and finish: Quang Ninh Exhibition Palace, Ha Long

Halong Bay Heritage Marathon is the only race in Vietnam with a World Athletics Label, run on a flat, fully closed course along the bay and expecting around 18,000 runners in 2026. The thing to plan around: it is sold out, the event village opens on Friday, and in past years the marathon started before 04:00.

Race week at a glance

Race week runs Friday to Sunday.

Fri 20 – Sat 21 Nov
See your email
Race kit collection at the event village
Quang Ninh Planning, Fair and Exhibition Palace
Sun 22 Nov
Before dawn
All four distances. Be at the start 30 minutes before your wave.
Quang Ninh Planning, Fair and Exhibition Palace, Tran Quoc Nghien Street

In 2025 the marathon started at 03:30 and the 10K at about 06:00. The organiser has published the 2026 start times to registered runners; check yours before you plan race-morning transport.

For your driver: Cung Quy hoạch, Hội chợ và Triển lãm tỉnh Quảng Ninh, đường Trần Quốc Nghiễn, Hạ Long

Distances, start times and cut-offs

Cut-offs from the organiser’s 2026 race rules.

Race	Distance	Cut-off	Minimum age (2025)
Marathon	42.195 km	6 hr 30	16
Half marathon	21.1 km	3 hr 30	14
10K	10 km	2 hr	12
5K	5 km	1 hr 30	5

World Athletics Label

The only Label road race in Vietnam, and part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors age-group ranking system.

Arrive 15 minutes late, no race

Runners who reach the start area more than 15 minutes after their start are recorded as DNS.

Section cut-offs

Each section closes after its own cut-off, and on-course services stop behind it.

Collect your race kit

Kit collection is at the event village at the Quang Ninh Planning, Fair and Exhibition Palace. Times are emailed to each registered runner. Your QR code arrives after you sign the online waiver.

Bring two things:

Your passport

Original passport, or the citizen ID in the VNeID app for Vietnamese residents.

Your QR code

Keep it private: it is what releases your kit.

Someone else can collect for you with your online authorisation, your QR code, their own ID and a photo of your passport. Runners under 16 also need a guardian-signed waiver and a birth certificate copy. Check your kit at the counter: no exchanges once you leave.

Getting there

Ha Long is on the coast north-east of Hanoi.

From Hanoi by road

About 2.5–3 hours by expressway, by car, limousine van or coach. Come up on Friday or Saturday.

Van Don Airport

Domestic flights land at Van Don, about an hour from Ha Long.

Start on Hon Gai side

The venue is on Tran Quoc Nghien Street on the Hon Gai side of the bay, across the Bai Chay Bridge from most tourist hotels.

Bag drop opens early

In past years the marathon bag drop opened at 03:00. Plan transport for a very early start.

The course

Flat, closed and fast.

The course follows the seafront between Ha Long and Bai Tu Long bays, past cliffs and fishing villages, with the Bai Chay Bridge as the main climb. In 2025 the 42K and 21K crossed Bai Tho Bridge after the start before the first U-turn. Runner’s World UK has listed it among the world’s most beautiful marathon courses.

Weather

~18–22 °Ctypical race-morning range in late November

Late November is cool and dry on the north-east coast. Most of the marathon is run in the dark and early light, so conditions are good for a fast time. Wind off the bay can make the bridge sections feel colder.

Where to stay

Hon Gai for the start, Bai Chay for choice.

Hotels on the Hon Gai side are closest to the start. Bai Chay, across the bridge, has most of the tourist hotels and is a short drive away, but roads close early on race morning. With 18,000 runners, rooms go fast.

Same month, more races. Yen Tu Heritage Marathon is the following weekend, 28–29 November, also in Quang Ninh.

Rules worth knowing before you travel

Strict rules for a Label race.

Registration is closed

All four distances sold out on 1 October 2026. Only enter through the organiser’s official transfer process, if one is offered.

Late arrivals are DNS

More than 15 minutes after your start, you cannot enter the start area.

Only you can run on your BIB

Wear it on the front, visible for the whole race.

No exchanges after pickup

Check shirt size, BIB and chip before you leave the counter.

Still to confirm

Show the three open questions

These details matter to a visiting runner and had not been published in a form we could quote. The organiser’s race email is the authority.

Open question	Why it matters
2026 start time for each distance	Decides your race-morning transport
Kit collection hours on 20 and 21 November	Decides your arrival day
Whether BIB transfers are allowed	Matters if you cannot race

Sources

Show sources

Race facts come from the organiser, DHA Vietnam. Travel, weather and planning notes are our own.

Organiser’s 2026 race rules — cut-offs and start area rules
Organiser’s news page — sold-out notice and race week dates
Organiser’s race info page — kit collection documents and bag drop hours
Viet Nam News and VietnamPlus — venue, distances and 18,000 expected runners
2025 race programme on Tatinta — previous start times and age limits

Racing in Vietnam? Ask the community

Our Facebook group is where international runners swap race-week tips, find people to travel with and share their finish photos. English only, no BIB trading.

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Vietnam Sports Events is an independent guide for international runners. This page is not produced or endorsed by the organiser or the title sponsor. Details change; the race website is always the authority. Read our disclosure.