The tournament is themed "Entering a new era", opening a series of sports and cultural activities to welcome the New Year 2026 of Ho Chi Minh City.
Attending the opening ceremony were Mr. Nguyen Loc Ha - Member of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee, Standing Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, along with representatives of leaders of central ministries and branches, leaders of Ho Chi Minh City, associations, coordinating units, the business community and a large number of officials, civil servants, students, and people.
On the side of the Organizing Committee, there were Mr. Nguyen Thanh Quang - Deputy General Director of HTV, Head of the Organizing Committee of the tournament and Mr. Cao Van Chong - Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports, Co-Head of the Organizing Committee of the tournament.
The tournament is organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports in coordination with Ho Chi Minh City Radio and Television Station (HTV), with the companionship of Becamex Group and many businesses. The organization work is deployed methodically and professionally; the competition routes are spacious; security, safety and health work are ensured, affirming the position of the New Year's Cross Country Tournament as one of the typical mass sports events of Ho Chi Minh City.
Born from the mass sports movement of Binh Duong province in the past, the New Year's Cross Country Tournament has been continuously maintained for 26 years, becoming a familiar meeting point for a large number of officials, civil servants, armed forces, students, laborers and the community who love jogging. Not only is it a sports playground, the tournament is also a community cultural activity space, spreading the spirit of health training, persistent will and social cohesion. On this occasion, the Organizing Committee awarded 10 scholarships to poor and studious students in the area.
The 2026 season is the 27th time the tournament has been held, recording nearly 15,000 athletes participating, of which the team system has 180 professional athletes (91 men, 89 women) from 18 provinces, cities and sectors across the country. The team system competes in the 10 km men's and 5 km women's distances, ensuring professional quality, contributing to detecting and selecting athletes for Ho Chi Minh City and national athletics. In addition, the movement system and collective running events attract tens of thousands of participants in suitable distances, creating a vibrant and united atmosphere on the routes.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Loc Ha emphasized that the New Year's Cross Country Tournament is not only an annual sports event but has become a vivid symbol of the physical training movement in the community. Ho Chi Minh City's continued maintenance and upgrading of the tournament shows respect for traditional values, and at the same time affirms its determination to build a modern and civilized developing city with people as the center.
With the theme "Entering a new era", the Ho Chi Minh City Cross Country Tournament welcoming the new year 2026 continues to spread the spirit of mass sports, arousing belief and aspiration for sustainable development of Ho Chi Minh City in the new period.
