International marathon to showcase Hanoi landmarks

By Huong Chi   June 16, 2018 | 05:59 pm PT
Vietnam's capital city wants to use charity run to spotlight its history and old world charms.

Hanoi will use an international marathon next year to showcase its history and special attractions.

The Hanoi International Marathon 2019, to be held on April 14, will be routed through the city’s iconic landmarks, officials said.

It will be the very first time the capital city of Vietnam has ever hosted the international marathon, joining other famous cities like Tokyo, London and Berlin in hosting this event.

The runners, expected to come from all parts of the world, will race on roads that run through famous landmarks like the Old Quarter, West Lake, the Opera House, the Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake and the Thang Long Citadel.

To Van Dong, director of Hanoi's Culture and Tourism Department, said the city is hoping that the design and routing of the race will attract thousands of marathoners and tourists.

For those who say there is nothing much to see in Hanoi besides the Temple of Literature and water puppetry shows, the city wants to tell “another story,” Dong said.

Those interested in participating in the race, which is organized by the Danish Embassy in Hanoi and Topas Travel Vietnam, can register at the event's website.

The registration fees will be donated to Newborns Vietnam, a U.K. registered charity that works to save lives by reducing neonatal mortality and promoting the health of newborn children and their mothers in southeast Asia with a specific focus on Vietnam; and Operation Smile, an international children's medical charity that performs cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries, and delivers postoperative and ongoing medical therapies to children in low and middle income countries.

 
 
go to top