Race guide for Sunday 27 December 2026, Hai Phong
VnExpress Marathon Hai Phong 2026
An independent guide for international runners: race week, kit pickup, the start, the course, the finish and where to stay.
The PR race
Updated 29 Oct 2026. Race facts come from the organiser and its ticket partners. The race guide is emailed to runners and posted on the organiser’s page a few days before the race.
- Race day
- Sun 27 Dec 2026
- Distances
- 42 kmplus 21, 10 and 5 km
- Kit pickup
- Fri 25 – Sat 26 Dec
- Expected field
- About 8,000 runners
VnExpress Marathon Hai Phong has become Vietnam’s fastest marathon: flat, straight roads in the port city and cold, dry late-December mornings produced 134 sub-3-hour marathoners in 2025, a record for a domestic race. The thing to plan around: kit pickup is on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and the start is before dawn in the cold.
On this page
Race week at a glance
Two kit days, then race day.
Fri 25 Dec
Afternoon
Race kit pickup
Hai Phong (place in your email)
Sat 26 Dec
Morning and afternoon
Race kit pickup
Hai Phong (place in your email)
Sun 27 Dec
From about 04:00
42K starts first, followed by 21K, 10K and 5K
Hai Phong
When registering, you choose a kit pickup slot: Friday afternoon, Saturday morning or Saturday afternoon.
Distances, start times and cut-offs
Start times and cut-offs are set in the race guide.
| Race | Start | Cut-off |
|---|---|---|
| Marathon | First start, about 04:00 | See race guide |
| Half marathon | After the marathon | See race guide |
| 10K | After the half | See race guide |
| 5K | Last start | See race guide |
Built for PRs
Sub-3 finishers grew from 82 in 2023 to 91 in 2024 and 134 in 2025.
No BIB number in advance
Your BIB number is issued at kit pickup, not by email.
Finisher shirts
For the 21K and 42K, plus free photo downloads for everyone.
Collect your race kit
Kit pickup runs on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 December. Place and hours are in your confirmation and race guide emails.
Bring two things:
Your passport
For ID at the counter.
Your confirmation email
With your QR code. Check spam and promotions folders.
Sign the e-waiver as soon as you register, following the ticket partner’s email. When you sign for the kit you confirm the shirt size, BIB and chip are correct, so check them at the counter.
Getting there
Hai Phong is about 100 km east of Hanoi.
From Hanoi by road
About 1.5–2 hours by expressway, by car, limousine van or coach.
Fly to Cat Bi
Cat Bi International Airport has domestic flights and is about 15 minutes from the city centre.
By train
Trains from Hanoi take about 2.5 hours to Hai Phong station.
Plan for the cold start
Book your car the evening before, and stay as close to the start as you can.
The course
Flat and straight through the port city.
The courses use the long, flat avenues of central Hai Phong, including Lach Tray Street, Tam Bac Street and the river quays. Final course maps and the start and finish area are published in the race guide. Earlier editions also used the Do Son seafront, so check your map.
Weather
12–13 °Crace-morning temperature in 2024
Late December in Hai Phong is cold and dry. Recent editions have been run in 12–15 °C at the start, which is ideal for racing but chilly while you wait. Bring a throwaway layer and gloves for the start pen.
Where to stay
Central Hai Phong.
Hotels in central Hai Phong, around the Opera House and Lach Tray, are best placed for a city course. If the start is confirmed at Do Son, the seafront resorts there are about 30 minutes from the centre.
Christmas in Hai Phong. Kit pickup falls on 25–26 December. Book transport and hotels early: the holiday weekend is busy.
Rules worth knowing before you travel
Standard VnExpress Marathon rules.
Sign the e-waiver immediately
As soon as you register.
BIB numbers are issued at pickup
Nothing is sent before race week.
Prizes use gun time
Your personal time is chip time.
Check your kit when you sign
Signing confirms shirt size, BIB and chip are correct.
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 race guide is the authority.
| Open question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Start and finish location for 2026 | Decides where you stay |
| Kit pickup place and hours | Decides your arrival day |
| Start time and cut-off for each distance | Decides your race plan |
| Age limits by distance | Matters for younger runners |
Sources
Show sources
Race facts come from the organiser, VnExpress, with Hai Phong People’s Committee, and its ticket partners. Travel, weather and planning notes are our own.
- Organiser’s registration page — race date, kit pickup slots and entry benefits
- VnExpress — 2026 announcement, sub-3 statistics and race-day temperatures
- iRace ticketing page — kit pickup dates
- City Guide — expected field size
- Endorphins Running — course streets
Keep reading
- Vietnam race calendar, Oct 2026 – Jun 2027
- VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight 2026 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.