Race guide for 27–29 November 2026, Ban Gioc, Cao Bang

Ultra Trail Cao Bang 2026

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

Official race site

Read the race guide

Foreign entries closed 9 Oct

Updated 29 Oct 2026. Entries for runners without Vietnamese nationality closed on 9 October 2026, because the race runs in a border area and needs passport and visa details in advance. If you are already entered, this guide is for you.

Race days: 27–29 Nov 2026
Distances: 160 kmplus 100, 70, 42, 25 and 10 km
160K cut-off: 51 hr
Race base: Ban Gioc Waterfall, Cao Bang

Ultra Trail Cao Bang, in its fifth season, runs through the UNESCO Non Nuoc Cao Bang geopark in Vietnam’s far north and finishes at Ban Gioc Waterfall on the Chinese border. The thing to plan around: it is remote, most distances start somewhere else and use an organiser shuttle in the middle of the night, and everything closes at 19:00 on Sunday.

Race week at a glance

Three days, six races, all based at Ban Gioc.

Fri 27 Nov
16:00
160K starts from the venue. Kit pickup for 160K, 100K and 70K, and bag drop for the 160K, during the day.
Race venue, Ban Gioc
Sat 28 Nov
16:00
100K starts (shuttle from Ban Gioc at about 14:00). Kit pickup for all distances 09:00–20:00. Race briefing 16:30–17:00.
Race venue, Ban Gioc
Sun 29 Nov
From 03:00
70K (03:00, Trung Khanh), 42K (05:00), 25K (09:00), 10K (10:00). All distances close at 19:00.
Shuttles leave Ban Gioc from 01:00

Ticket pages give slightly different start points for the 100K shuttle. Use the times and pickup point in your final race guide email.

For your driver: Khu vực Venue – Thác Bản Giốc, xã Đàm Thủy, tỉnh Cao Bằng

Distances, start times and cut-offs

Start times and cut-offs from the organiser’s race page. An older ticket listing shows different cut-offs for some distances.

Race	Start	Cut-off	Ages
160K	Fri 27 Nov 16:00	51 hr	18+
100K	Sat 28 Nov 16:00	27 hr	18+
70K	Sun 29 Nov 03:00	16 hr	18+
42K	Sun 29 Nov 05:00	14 hr	18+
25K	Sun 29 Nov 09:00	10 hr	Check rules
10K	Sun 29 Nov 10:00	See race guide	Check rules

160K needs a qualifier

A chip-timed trail ultra of 70 km or more with at least 3,000 m of climb, with results online.

UTMB Index and ITRA

The 25K to 100K count for the UTMB Index; the 160K category was still being confirmed.

Ban Gioc ticket included

Every entry includes entry to the Ban Gioc Waterfall site.

Collect your race kit

Kit pickup is at the race venue at Ban Gioc. The 160K, 100K and 70K have their own collection window; the main pickup runs 09:00–20:00.

Bring two things:

Your passport

The same passport you registered with. Border-area rules apply to every foreign runner.

Your mandatory gear

Expect a gear check. The list includes poles, gloves, sunscreen, long trousers or leggings, a power bank and cash.

The list above is the part we could read on the ticket page; the full list for your distance is in the organiser’s race guide. For the 160K and 100K, add a headtorch with spare batteries, warm and waterproof layers and a phone.

Border area

Ban Gioc sits on the border with China. Carry your passport during race week, stay on the marked course, and follow marshals and border officials at all times.

Getting there

Cao Bang is a long way from anywhere. Arrive by Friday.

From Hanoi by road

Around 6–8 hours by sleeper coach or limousine van to Cao Bang, then roughly 2 hours more to Ban Gioc.

No airport nearby

Fly into Hanoi. There are no commercial flights to Cao Bang.

Night shuttles

The 70K and 42K start away from the venue. Organiser buses leave Ban Gioc from 01:00 for the 70K and from 03:00 for the 42K.

Bag return

Bags dropped at the start are returned to the finish area from 11:00 to 19:00 on Sunday.

The course

Karst mountains, forest and the waterfall.

The course runs through the Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark: steep limestone karst, forest trails, rice terraces and remote villages, finishing at Ban Gioc Waterfall. The longest distances cross the mountains through one or two nights.

Weather

Below 10 °Cpossible at night in late November

Late November in Cao Bang is dry and cool by day but can be cold at night in the mountains. Fog is common in the early morning. Pack for a big temperature swing, especially on the 160K and 100K.

Where to stay

Stay near the waterfall.

Hotels and homestays around Ban Gioc and Trung Khanh are closest to the venue, and they fill up on race weekend. Cao Bang city has more choice but is about two hours away, too far for the night shuttles. Book as soon as you have your entry.

Rules worth knowing before you travel

Border-area rules make this race different.

Foreign entries closed on 9 October

Non-Vietnamese runners had to submit passport and visa or residence card scans by that date. Later entries are refused.

Qualifier for the 160K

You need a finished trail ultra of 70 km or more with 3,000 m of climb.

Mandatory gear

Carry the full list for your distance. Missing items can stop you starting.

Out of time means the bus

Runners who miss a cut-off follow the referee’s instructions and ride the organiser’s vehicle to the finish.

Still to confirm

Show the four open questions

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

Open question	Why it matters
Pickup point for the 100K shuttle	Decides where you need to be on Saturday afternoon
Final cut-offs (sources differ)	Decides your pacing plan
Full mandatory gear list by distance	Decides what you pack
Kit pickup day for the 160K	Decides your arrival day

Sources

Show sources

Race facts come from the organiser, Race Jungle (New Race JSC), and its ticket partners. Travel, weather and planning notes are our own.

Organiser’s race page — distances, start times, cut-offs and UTMB Index
Race Jungle event page — race week schedule, shuttles and bag drop
iRace and 5BIB ticketing pages — kit pickup, mandatory gear, qualifiers and foreign entry deadline
Pace8 ticketing page — older cut-off listing

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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.