HÀ NỘI — The International VP Bank Hanoi Marathon tournament (VHM) will open on October 20 at Lý Thái Tổ Park, by Hoàn Kiếm Lake in downtown Hà Nội.

The race, the second of its kind, is hosted by Đại Biểu Nhân Dân (People’s Representatives) Newspaper, Hà Nội City’s Culture & Sports Department, Đức Hương Anh Ltd Company (DHA) and VPBank.

Participants will run around the Old Quarter and six central districts of the city through various heritage sites including Thăng Long, Long Biên, Hồng Hà and Hồ Tây.

The course meets the standards of the International Association of Athletics Federations and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS).

The organisers hope the VHM will promote the image of the Vietnamese country and people.

“The VHM is operated at an international level,” said Nguyễn Trí, director of DHA Company, head of the organising board. “We are inspired by various international events like the Berlin, Paris, and Tokyo Marathons. I hope the VHM will be added to the list of international marathon events and will be mentioned together with those prestigious events.”

According to Đỗ Chí Nghĩa, editor in chief of Đại Biểu Nhân Dân newspaper and co-head of the event’s organising board, VHM is among professional race and amateur movements in Việt Nam.

“The tournament will be a member of AIMS from this year,” he added.

Trần Tuấn Việt, a representative from VPBank said the bank will sponsor the event for ten years, which is part of the bank’s strategy to bring overall prosperity in both finance, spirit and physical health to the Vietnamese people.

“Some 2,500 staff from VP Bank have been running various distances,” he said. “We hope that in the near future, there will be one million runners in the country and in the next five years, VPBank Hanoi Marathon will become one of the leading events on the continent.”

According to Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, deputy general secretary of the Việt Nam Athletics Federation, after the success of the event in 2018, Việt Nam, especially Hà Nội, is capable of hosting international-standard marathons.

He said the organising board will invite top marathon runners and athletes to attend the event. — VNS