VnExpress Marathon Hue postponed over coronavirus epidemic

Runners of the VnExpress Marathon Quy Nhon, held in the central town of Quy Nhon in June 2019. Photo by VnExpress.

An official announcement by the Hue People's Committee on February 20 says Festival Hue 2020, originally scheduled to be held in April, will take place from August 28 to September 2 in the ancient town of Hue, central Vietnam.

A major event associated with the festival, VnExpress Marathon Hue has also been postponed from April 5 to September 6, to ensure the safety of all participants.

The decision to postpone VnExpress Marathon Hue has been taken under the direction and recommendations of relevant ministries and agencies that have called a stop to all festivities until the  epidemic is contained.

Those who have already purchased BIB tickets for the marathon will automatically be confimed for the new schedule.

For the others, the issue of tickets, currently in the "Late" stage, will be modified as follows.

Those who have successfully registered for the run before 2 p.m, February 21 will receive a 20 percent discount code for one of the subsequent VnExpress Marathon events. The code will remain valid until March 31, 2021. Details will be mailed to the participants.

So far the Covid-19 epedemic has impacted on many sporting events worldwide. As of Friday, it has spread to 28 countries and territories, killed 2,247 people and infected 76,202. 18,221 people have recovered and 12,064 are still in dire straits. South Korea has confirmed the first imported case of novel coronavirus infection on Thursday.

VnExpress Marathon Hue is organized by VnExpress and Hue People's Committee, along with Jetstar Pacific. The route winds its way across many famous destinations, highlighting the former imperial capital's cultural treasures.