Ha Long Bay hosts its heritage marathon from 20 November
Published on 10/21/2026 at 13:45 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSRace weekend and heritage setting
- Halong Bay Heritage Marathon runs from 20 to 22 November 2026 in Ha Long City.
- DHA Vietnam organises the race, whose official race day is 22 November 2026.
- UNESCO describes the bay and Cat Ba Archipelago as covering 65,650 hectares and 1,133 islands and islets.
- VietnamPlus reports that the course starts and finishes at the Quang Ninh Planning, Fair and Exhibition Palace.
Ha Long Bay hosts the Halong Bay Heritage Marathon from 20 to 22 November 2026, bringing a three-day road-racing programme to Ha Long in Vietnam. The bay, a UNESCO World Heritage setting, is part of the course landscape for an event organised by DHA Vietnam.
Ha Long Bay marathon runs from 20 to 22 November
The 2026 Halong Bay Heritage Marathon begins on Friday, 20 November, and continues until Sunday, 22 November, with the official race day on 22 November. The organiser lists the event as an annual November race at Ha Long Bay and identifies Ha Long City in Quang Ninh Province as its home.
The organiser’s 2026 programme sets the period and identifies the race as a World Athletics Label Road Race. The event is open to entrants across four distances, while the broader weekend programme runs beyond the main competition day.
VietnamPlus reports that the race is expected to draw around 18,000 domestic and international runners. That figure is an organiser’s expectation rather than a confirmed attendance total, and the public announcement does not turn it into a visitor forecast for the bay.
Coastal roads connect the race with the heritage landscape
The start and finish line is at the Quang Ninh Planning, Fair and Exhibition Palace on Tran Quoc Nghien Street in Ha Long City. From there, the course uses coastal roads beside the bay, giving the race a direct physical connection with the landscape rather than merely using Ha Long as a city label.
VietnamPlus describes the race route as starting and finishing at the exhibition palace and using fully closed roads along Ha Long Bay. The programme includes a 42.195-kilometre marathon, a 21.0975-kilometre half marathon, a 10-kilometre race and a 5-kilometre race.
The landscape belongs to the Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago World Heritage site. UNESCO records an area of 65,650 hectares with 1,133 islands and islets, including limestone formations rising from the sea across Quang Ninh Province and Hai Phong City.
UNESCO describes the archipelago as a marine-invaded tower-karst landscape with distinctive coastal ecosystems. The marathon therefore places its start and finish in an urban venue while sending runners along roads beside a protected natural setting.
Race route and the November visitor picture
For travellers, the practical effect is concentrated around the exhibition palace, Tran Quoc Nghien Street and the coastal roads used by the four races. The organiser says the road sections are fully closed during the event, so normal vehicle access on parts of the route will differ from an ordinary visit.
The race website places the start and finish on the central beachfront area of Ha Long City and says taxis can reach the venue from other parts of the city. It also identifies English-speaking volunteers and official support teams for participants, but it does not publish a general sightseeing timetable for the bay in the event announcement.
Visiting Ha Long Bay: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The event runs from 20 to 22 November 2026, with the official race day on 22 November at the Quang Ninh Planning, Fair and Exhibition Palace in Ha Long City.
- Fully closed roads along the Ha Long Bay course affect vehicle access during the races; the start and finish are on Tran Quoc Nghien Street.
- The four race distances are 42.195 kilometres, 21.0975 kilometres, 10 kilometres and 5 kilometres.
- Ha Long Bay lies in northeastern Vietnam, within the Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago World Heritage site.
- Vietnamese is the official language and the national currency is the Vietnamese dong.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
Searching for Ha Long Bay on social platforms
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Frequently asked questions about Ha Long Bay
When does the Halong Bay Heritage Marathon take place at Ha Long Bay?
The 2026 event runs from 20 to 22 November, with the official race day on 22 November 2026.
Where is Ha Long Bay and how do you get there?
Ha Long Bay is in northeastern Vietnam, and the race venue is the Quang Ninh Planning, Fair and Exhibition Palace on Tran Quoc Nghien Street in Ha Long City.
What is Ha Long Bay?
It is part of the Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago World Heritage site, which UNESCO records as covering 65,650 hectares and 1,133 islands and islets.
