On March 10, a press conference for the 67th National Marathon Championship - Tien Phong Newspaper 2026 took place in Hanoi.
The tournament belongs to the national high-performance sports competition system, co-organized by Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, Vietnam Sports Administration, Tien Phong Newspaper, Vietnam Athletics Federation and Khanh Hoa Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
This year, the tournament continues to be positioned as a national-scale sports - culture - tourism event, contributing to promoting the image of Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa as dynamic, modern and rich in identity; achieving achievements contributing to celebrating the 80th anniversary of Vietnam Sports Day (March 27, 1946 - March 27, 2026).
Speaking at the ceremony, journalist Phung Cong Suong - Editor-in-Chief of Tien Phong Newspaper said: "The choice of Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa not only meets the criteria of unique sea and island landscapes, but also because this is a dynamic coastal city, synchronous tourism infrastructure, possessing the most beautiful coastal roads... These factors create conditions for sports to blend with nature, local culture and local rhythm of life, contributing to promoting the image of the destination.
The theme "Welcoming the dawn" reminds Khanh Hoa of being the place to welcome the earliest sunshine of the Fatherland, and more importantly, conveys a message about a positive start, persistent spirit and aspiration to rise up of the running community in modern life.
In parallel with that, Tien Phong Marathon is a series of cultural - social - tourism activities in parallel, especially the sacred flag-raising ceremony held at Gac Ma Memorial Area. This is a symbolic activity, connecting the spirit of sports with gratitude, awareness, and pride in the sovereignty of the Fatherland's sea and islands.
We believe that, with serious and professional preparation, close coordination between the parties, the 2026 National Marathon Championship in Khanh Hoa will be successful in terms of expertise, safe in terms of organization and leave a beautiful mark in the community.
Also at the press conference, Ms. Le Thi Hoang Yen - Deputy Director of the Vietnam Sports Administration said: "The special highlight of this year's season is that the 2 men's and women's marathon events (42.195km) belonging to the advanced system have been recognized for achievements in the medal standings of athletics at the 10th National Sports Games in 2026.
The Organizing Committee will coordinate with the Vietnam Doping and Sports Medicine Center to organize a training class on doping prevention and control for athletes competing in the two men's and women's professional marathon events, according to the regulations of the National Sports Games".
This year's race route passes through typical locations and scenic spots of Nha Trang such as the Oceanographic Museum, Vinpearl cable car, Vo Van Kiet street, Quan Truong riverside urban area, Tran Phu bridge, Ponagar tower (from afar), Ba Lang parish church, Hon Chong, fishing port, Nha Trang marina, Do theater.
The entire track is measured by experts of the Vietnam Athletics Federation using specialized equipment, tested according to international standards, ensuring accuracy and fairness at the highest level.
Up to now, the tournament has exceeded the expected milestone of more than 12,000 athletes registered to participate, the highest in history to date. Many typical faces of Vietnamese athletics, such as Nguyen Thi Oanh, Nguyen Van Lai, Do Quoc Luat, Hoang Nguyen Thanh, Hoang Thi Ngoc Hoa... are expected to participate, promising to create high-quality matches.
In addition to the national championship title, the tournament maintains a diverse prize structure with a total cash and in-kind value of up to billions of VND. The delegation ranked first overall received the championship cup from the Organizing Committee; the delegations, teams and athletes who achieved the 3 highest rankings in the advanced content were awarded certificates of merit from the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.
Athletes compete in the distances:
- 42.195km and 21.1km male, female advanced and mass system
- 10km male professional, young male, male and female amateur;
- 5km for advanced women, young women and men, women's movements.
