Race guide for Sunday 17 January 2027, Ho Chi Minh City
Eximbank HCMC Marathon 2027
An independent guide for international runners: race week, kit pickup, the start line, the course, the finish and where to stay.
Photo: Pulse Active, via the official race website
Register by 30 Nov
Updated 25 Oct 2026. Entries are open. Register before 23:59 on 30 November 2026 to get your name on your BIB and avoid the last start pen. Race facts come from the organiser; we will update this guide as the official athlete information is published.
- Race day
- Sun 17 Jan 2027
- Distances
- 42 kmplus 21 and 10 km
- Marathon cut-off
- 6 hr, gun time
- Start and finish
- 30th April Park
The HCMC Marathon starts and finishes at 30th April Park in central Ho Chi Minh City. It is a different race, with a different organiser, from the Techcombank Ho Chi Minh City International Marathon six weeks earlier, so check which one your entry is for. The one thing to plan around: the cut-offs are tight and strictly enforced, because the roads reopen to traffic. The marathon cut-off is 6 hours from a 03:00 start.
On this page
Race week at a glance
Two days of kit pick-up, one venue, and the race starts a short walk away. There is no race kit pick-up on Sunday morning.
Fri 15 Jan
09:00–19:00
Race kit pick-up opens
Hoa Lu Sports Center, 2 Dinh Tien Hoang St
Sat 16 Jan
09:00–18:00
Last day to collect your kit
Hoa Lu Sports Center
No kits after Saturday 18:00Sun 17 Jan
From 03:00
42 km, 21 km and 10 km
Start and finish at 30th April Park, Le Duan St
These are the times on the official distance pages. Some third-party listings still show a 6 hour 30 minute marathon cut-off and different 10K times; go by the official site.
| Distance | Start | Cut-off | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marathon 42 km | 03:00 | 6 hr (09:00) | 18 |
| Half marathon 21 km | 03:30 | 3 hr 30 min (07:00) | 16 |
| 10 km | 04:15 | 2 hr (06:15) | 12 |
Medals and finisher T-shirts are awarded only to runners who finish within the cut-off measured by gun time, not chip time. If you start in a later pen, your real time allowance is shorter than it looks.
Collect your race kit
Hoa Lu Sports Center is about 15 minutes on foot from 30th April Park, so kit pick-up and race morning are in the same part of the city.
Register before 30 November. If you register after 23:59 on 30 November 2026, your name will not be printed on your BIB, your shirt size is not guaranteed and you will start in the last pen. With a gun-time cut-off, starting at the back eats into your time.
Bring these to Hoa Lu Sports Center:
Your original passport
Your photo ID at the counter.
Your confirmation email
The one showing your BIB number, sent about seven days before the race.
Your residence card
The original temporary residence card, if you registered at the resident rate.
Marathon kit: event singlet, BIB with timing chip, finisher medal and finisher T-shirt (if you finish within the cut-off), e-certificate, post-race food and bag drop. Half marathon and 10K: the same, without the finisher T-shirt.
Sponsor products are not in the kit. They are handed out at partner booths at the Expo, and partner vouchers arrive as e-vouchers in the Race Guide.
Someone else can collect for you. According to the race listing on World’s Marathons, one person can collect for up to two other runners and needs your confirmation email, your ID and their own ID (digital copies accepted). Confirm the current rule with the organiser before relying on it.
For your driver: Nhà thi đấu Hoa Lư, 2 Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Phường Sài Gòn
Getting to the start line
30th April Park sits in front of Independence Palace, in the centre of the old District 1. Stay within walking distance if you can.
Walk if you can
With a 03:00 start, ride-hailing demand is high and nearby roads close early. A hotel within walking distance removes the biggest race-morning risk.
Grab or Xanh SM
If you do book a car, do it well ahead of time and expect to be dropped short of the park.
Expect interruptions
The organiser notes that because the race runs through the city centre, you may meet traffic lights and interruptions along the way. Follow the marshals.
For your driver: Công viên 30 Tháng 4, Đường Lê Duẩn, Phường Sài Gòn
The course
The official race map for 2027 is published on each distance page. The organiser notes that course details may still change, and third-party descriptions vary, so check the official map before you plan your race.
After the cut-off, shuttle vehicles carry remaining runners back. Runners who decline the shuttle get no further support, and water and medical stations close once roads reopen.
Racing in the heat
20s °Cat the start, rising quickly after sunrise
Mid-January is the coolest, driest part of the year in Ho Chi Minh City, which makes this one of the more comfortable big-city races in Southeast Asia. That still means warm and humid by northern standards: expect the low-to-mid 20s °C at the start and a quick rise after sunrise. The early start is your friend. Do not waste it by going out too fast. Read more in Racing in Vietnam 101.
The finish
The finish is back at 30th April Park, with bag drop and post-race food in the same area.
Medal and shirt
Medals, and the finisher T-shirt for the marathon, go only to runners inside the gun-time cut-off.
E-certificate
Your e-certificate is emailed after the race.
Race photos
Sold separately: 139,000 VND for the marathon, bought with your entry or after the race.
Where to stay
District 1 around Ben Thanh, Nguyen Hue and Dong Khoi puts you within walking distance of both Hoa Lu Sports Center and the start.
Race weekend falls in the busy pre-Tết period, when the city is decorated and hotels fill up, so book early.
Rules worth knowing before you travel
Most of these are standard. The transfer deadline is the one to diarise.
Entry fees are not refundable
Under any circumstances.
Run on your own BIB only
Running on someone else’s BIB is prohibited.
One change or transfer, until 30 November
You can change distance or transfer your entry once, until 23:59 on 30 November 2026. Fees: 100,000 VND to change distance, 300,000 VND to transfer. Complimentary entries cannot be changed. Moving to a more expensive distance means paying the difference; moving down gives no refund.
Resident rates need a valid residence card
Resident rates apply to Vietnamese citizens and foreigners with a valid residence card, valid at both registration and kit pick-up.
VIP upgrade
A VIP upgrade (599,000 VND) includes priority kit collection, a special BIB, race photos and one merchandise item.
Gun time, not chip time, decides whether you get a medal.
Still to confirm
Show the 3 open questions
Three details matter to a visiting runner and had not been published in a form we could quote. The official distance pages are the authority.
| Open question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The detailed 2027 course and aid station locations | Decides your pacing and fuelling plan |
| The current rule for collecting a kit on someone else’s behalf | Matters if you land after Saturday 18:00 |
| Bag drop location within 30th April Park | Decides where you head first on race morning |
The organiser, Pulse Active, answers at info@pulse.vn and on the HCMC Marathon Facebook page.
Sources
Show sources and photo credits
Race facts come from the organiser, Pulse Active, on the race website. Weather, transport and planning notes are our own.
- hcmcmarathon.com — the 42KM, 21KM and 10KM pages and the About the Race page
- World’s Marathons race listing — proxy collection rule
Photo credits
Photos are from the organisers’ official race websites and remain theirs. Diagrams are our own.
- Aerial view of Le Duan Street and 30th April Park toward Independence Palace on race morning. Photo: Pulse Active, via the official race website
- The HCMC Marathon start arch at night with runners in the pens. Photo: Pulse Active, via the official race website
- Runners passing the floodlit City Hall in Ho Chi Minh City before dawn. Photo: Pulse Active, via the official race website
Keep reading
- Vietnam race calendar, Oct 2026 – Jun 2027
- Techcombank Ho Chi Minh City International Marathon 2026 guide
- Danang International Marathon 2027 guide
- Racing in Vietnam 101: heat, transport and travel insurance
- All race guides
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.
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.