The annual Sa Pa international mountain marathon 2018, the sixth of its kind, took place in Sa Pa district, the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai on September 21-23, as part of the Sa Pa autumn festival 2018.
In the race (Source: VNA)
Over 3,100 athletes from
54 countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, France, Singapore, Sweden, the UK and
Germany had a chance to experience spectacular and poetic natural scenery in
one of the most beautiful mountain regions in Vietnam.
They competed in the race with five distances of 100km, 70km, 42km, 21km and
10km.
Tran Manh Hao, Vice Chairman of the district People’s Committee, said each
route will include challenges such as climbing and going downhill in severe conditions,
which require endurance and skills to conquer.
On September 23, the organising board presented first, second, third prizes to
36 athletes.
Theresa Auton from Australia and Le Anh Hao from Lao Cai finished first in
10-km race while Ban Thi May and Le Van Tuan Anh, also from Lao Cai, won the
15-km race.
Le Thi Lan from Vietnam and Junwei Ng from Singapore topped in 21-km race.
Sarah Easton from the US and Andrei Badiu from Romania triumphed in 42-km
race.
The 70-km route was conquered by Ngon Sin Phan from Hong Kong and Nguyen Sy
Hieu from Vietnam.
In the 100-km race, Evelyn Lek from Singapore and Nguyen Tien Hung from Vietnam
grabbed first prizes.
This year, over 38,000 USD in proceeds will be used for charity activities in
Sa Pa and Newborns Vietnam – an organisation that offers medical equipment,
raises public awareness of fatalities in newborns and supports disadvantaged
people in Sa Pa.
The number of participating runners rose by over 25 percent from 2017.
Source: VNA
In recent years, Lac Thuy district has paid increasing attention to investing in cultural and sports infrastructure. These grassroots facilities have attracted a large number of residents to participate in recreational and cultural activities, physical training, and community engagement, contributing to the development of cultural life and the local socio-economic growth.
In recent years, the mass physical training and sports (PTS) movement in Hoa Binh province has developed strongly and spread widely. Regardless of age, gender or occupation, people actively participate in physical training, creating a vibrant and enthusiastic sports atmosphere within the community.
Recently, Hoa Binh’s athletes have continued to show strong performances at national-level competitions. Alongside elite athletes, several standout performers have emerged from grassroots sports movements, underlining the province’s growing sports culture.
From April 26 to 27, at the Provincial Sports Arena, the Hoa Binh Provincial Karate Federation organized the 2025 Hoa Binh Open ASUDO Karate Championship.
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A total of 85 young players from across Hoa Binh province recently participated in the provincial Youth Table Tennis Tournament. Organised by the provincial Centre for Youth Activities, the event was part of activities to celebrate the 94th founding anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (March 26, 1931 – 2025) and the 79th anniversary of Vietnam Sports Day (March 27, 1946 – 2025).
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