Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan - Member of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor; Mr. Pham Duc An - Member of the Party Central Committee, Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam; Mr. Pham Tien Dung - Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam, Chairman of the Vietnam Bank Union; Mr. Pham Thanh Ha - Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam; Ms. Nguyen Khanh Chi - Standing Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Bank Union... and more than 300 athletes attended the ceremony and participated in the running race.
Running to donate 7.5 billion VND to people in difficult circumstances
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Pham Tien Dung - Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam, Chairman of the Vietnam Bank Union - said that the running race is not just a simple sports activity, but also a program of special significance, spreading the spirit of persistence, perseverance and continuous efforts of the Banking industry throughout the 75-year journey of construction and development. The running race has connected the meaning between health training and community responsibility, clearly showing the role, responsibility and compassion of the Banking industry towards society.
According to the Organizing Committee, this year's race is organized online, applying modern technology, allowing each official and employee in the entire industry to actively participate anywhere. With the use of the Strava platform to record results, each step of the athlete is recorded transparently, accurately and widely spread.
The special and humane point of the running race is: Each 1km of legal running of the athletes will be converted into a cost (1,000 VND) to contribute to social security activities, with a total value of up to 7.5 billion VND.
51,000 people registered to participate in the running race
Participants in the running race include officials, union members, and employees working in the banking industry who voluntarily participate, from units under the State Bank of Vietnam, businesses, financial institutions managed by the State Bank of Vietnam, Cooperative Banks, Social Policy Banks and commercial banks.
Participants can proactively choose the time and location of the run, use technology platforms to record results transparently and accurately, connecting athletes across the country.
The distances are designed to have profound symbolic meaning: 75km - celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Bank of Vietnam (May 6, 1951 - May 6, 2026); 136km - celebrating the 136th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday (May 19, 1890 - May 19, 2026); 195.1km - the milestone of the industry's establishment year (1951); 202.6km - expressing determination to conquer the goals in 2026.
As of 8:47 PM on May 2, 2026, the Registration Gate for the race has officially closed with 51,000 registered athletes from 51 teams.
Although she is 55 years old, right from the early morning of May 3rd, Ms. Tran Thi Quynh My - working at the Office of the State Bank of Vietnam - was present in the Hoan Kiem Lake area to join more than 300 athletes from units in the banking system to participate in the running race.
Ms. My shared that this is the first time she has registered to participate in a race with a distance of up to 202km, performed in about 20 days.
Each completed kilometer contributes to fundraising for social security activities, so I am very happy. Both improving my health and being able to contribute to the community, that is what makes me even more excited," Ms. My confided.
Meanwhile, Ms. Nguyen Bich Hanh (Vietcombank Trade Union) said that she has participated in many amateur running races, but this race has a "double" meaning: Not only physical training, but each step also contributes to charity activities.
Although each person runs in a different place, at different times, they are all aiming for a common goal of spreading the spirit of sharing. The race does not put much emphasis on achievements but emphasizes perseverance, spirit of participation and connectivity. That is what makes me excited and more motivated to maintain long-term running" - Ms. Hanh shared.
