Vietnam jungle marathon introduces breathtaking rural vistas

Participants in the Vietnam Jungle Marathon 2019 ran through golden rice fields and other terrain in the Pu Luong Nature Reserve in the north central province of Thanh Hoa.

The timing of the race, in late May, coincided with the first rice harvest season in Pu Luong, giving runners the chance to see ripened golden rice plants.

A runner goes past a rice field. The race raised more than VND317 million ($13,552), which has been pledged for charity projects in Thanh Hoa.

The third edition of the Vietnam Jungle Marathon attracted nearly 1,000 runners from 47 countries and territories. 

Runners had the choice to compete in five distances: 10, 25, 42, 55 and 70 kilometers, with the path running through ethnic minority villages subsisting on terraced rice fields, forests and steep hills.

A group of Singaporean runners said this was the first time they had seen Pu Luong and they were thrilled with the stunning scenery and fresh air.

A runner smiles for the camera as she runs through a paddy field.

The Vietnam Jungle Marathon is an official Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) qualifying race. Thus the event is an opportunity for runners to gain points for joining the UTMB race.

This year, Veronika Vadovicova from Slovakia won the women’s 70km category with a timing of 8:35:51 while Hisashi Kitamura of Japan won the men’s race in 8:28:49. Do Trong Nhon of Vietnam won the 55km men’s race while French woman Loua Constance won the women’s race.