“The City That Never Sleeps” and the Steps to Prosperity
The atmosphere in Ho Chi Minh City on the night of March 2, 2024, was livelier than usual as runners in the blue jerseys of the 2024 VPBank VnExpress Midnight Marathon poured into Tao Dan Park. This is the second season of the Ho Chi Minh City Midnight Marathon, but the first season in which the two major running brands in the community, VPBank and VnExpress Marathon, have co-organized the event.
With the credibility of these two major brands, more than 11,000 athletes registered to participate in the 2024 VPBank VnExpress Midnight Marathon, with the 21km distance being the most popular with over 4,000 participants. The event also attracted nearly 600 international athletes from over 30 countries. The 2024 VPBank VnExpress Midnight Marathon has become the largest-scale night marathon in Ho Chi Minh City, and one of the largest marathons in Vietnam.
At exactly midnight, the 10km race started, followed by the 5km race at 0:30, the 42km race at 1:00, and the 21km race at 2:30. Over 11,000 athletes took prosperous steps, running through the city named after President Ho Chi Minh, passing by iconic architectural landmarks such as Independence Palace and Notre Dame Cathedral, and through the vibrant streets of District 1, before finishing on Le Duan Street, in front of the Botanical Gardens.
After just 33 minutes and 53 seconds, the finish line of the 2024 VPBank VnExpress Marathon welcomed the first runner, Mr. Nguyen Dang Khoa, the champion of the 10km race. In the men’s 42km event, athlete Dan Quyet had an impressive finish time of 2 hours, 41 minutes, and 28 seconds to fulfill his promise of becoming the overall champion. “Queen of the Earth” Hong Le was the first to finish the 42km women’s race. Two surprising champions emerged in the 21km event, Le Huu Loc and Doan Thi Oanh, as they surpassed many strong contenders. According to a preliminary summary by Vietnam’s Best Marathons, there have been at least 107 new personal records set during the VVMM 2024 running festival.
The Path Illuminated by VPBank’s Brand
After a three-year hiatus, VPBank and VnExpress Marathon brought many innovations to the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Marathon. Special attention was paid to the organization, aiming for professionalism and providing the best support for athletes. The process of registration, bib and race-kit collection was fast and simple, with detailed instructions.
The race start times were calculated using special technology to optimize the number of athletes on the course and at the finish line, with the goal of achieving the highest efficiency. The entire VVMM 2024 route was standardized by AIMS, allowing runners to use their results to qualify for participation in some of the world’s largest marathons.
A special feature of the 2024 VPBank VnExpress Midnight Marathon is the illuminated route, with high-quality lighting ensuring the safety of the runners. The roads, such as Nguyen Thien Thanh and Bui Thien Ngo, extending over 2km in the Thanh Thiem Peninsula, within the 21km and 42km distances, were illuminated by 100 electric motorcycles, providing a unique experience for athletes running in the middle of the night.
Takahito Nochi (32 years old), the CEO of Asics Vietnam, participated in a race outside of Japan for the first time and was pleasantly surprised by the well-organized event. He commented, “The Ho Chi Minh City Marathon is approaching international quality standards.”
On the morning of March 3, social media was filled with images of the illuminated route of the 2024 VPBank VnExpress Midnight Marathon. In sharing the success of the event, VPBank representatives expressed their happiness and gratitude for the support and high praise from the running community. “Ho Chi Minh City is the largest economic and financial center in Vietnam and also one of the places with the most developed running movement. The support of the running community here is a great motivation and encouragement for VPBank to continue pursuing our dream and bringing world-class, large-scale running events to Vietnam, spreading prosperity to the community,” a VPBank representative said.
It can be said that the success of the 2024 VPBank VnExpress Midnight Marathon once again illuminates VPBank’s brand and affirms its leading position in the running community. As of now, VPBank has been accompanying the running community for 7 years, organizing 12 large-scale running events in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Bac Giang, attracting nearly 70,000 participants. On April 13, 2024, VPBank will co-organize the VPBank Can Tho Music Night Run with Nexus Sport Events. And in October, the bank will return to the capital with the VPIM Marathon, season 2.
