The tournament is scheduled to take place on January 12, with the starting and finishing points right in the center of District 1 (in front of the Reunification Palace) with three distances of 42km, 21km and 10km. This year's tournament is expected to attract more than 10,000 domestic and international athletes.
Held since 1992 and continuing until now after a few years of interruption, the HCMC Marathon has become one of the city's important sporting events, taking place annually, to encourage people to regularly exercise and improve their health.
In particular, the 12th season is also the first activity in a series of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025).
Therefore, the 2025 race carries the message “The People’s Victory - Proudly Striding” with the meaning that victory is not only the moment of crossing the finish line, but also the proud strides, solidarity towards a common goal, overcoming challenges.
Another encouraging sign for the development of the running movement in Vietnam, the 2025 season recorded a higher number of athletes registering to participate in the 42km and 21km distances than in 2024, proving that this sport has been contributing to promoting physical exercise and improving the health of people in Ho Chi Minh City in particular and people across the country in general.
As one of the most popular types of sports combined with tourism today, the event increasingly attracts many domestic and especially international tourists to attend and experience the city's New Year's Eve activities.
The marathon took place right at the beginning of the year, so many international athletes registered to participate, and chose Ho Chi Minh City as the starting point for their long journey in Vietnam.
The race not only contributes to promoting the domestic sports movement but also stimulates the development of accompanying tourism services such as accommodation, catering services and retail during the event week. The Ho Chi Minh City Marathon is expected to welcome nearly 2,500 international athletes in the coming days.
