My marathons

Techcombank Ho Chi Minh City International Marathon

Ho Chi Minh City
Landmark 81
Landmark 81. Photograph by Radek Kucharski, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The marathon limit is 6 hours 30 minutes, counted from the start of the last wave.

The course in short 2 lines
  • Six and a half hours from the last waveA 6:30 limit counted from the last wave, so earlier waves have a little more.
  • Start on Le Duan, in District 1All distances share one start line on Le Duan, in District 1.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseTacticsSix and a half hours from the last waveA 6:30 limit counted from the last wave, so earlier waves have a little more.

The rules give the marathon a limit of 6 hours 30 minutes after the last wave start, so the clock is the same for everyone while runners in earlier waves have a little longer on the road. Runners who miss the limit get no official time and are taken to the finish by the organisers; only 42 km finishers inside the limit receive the finisher shirt.

Sourced

Whole courseLandmarkStart on Le Duan, in District 1All distances share one start line on Le Duan, in District 1.

The organiser’s home page gives the start line of the ninth edition as Le Duan at Nguyen Binh Khiem in District 1, shared by every distance, on the morning of 6 December 2026. Its race guide, the Athlete Handbook, carries the wave start times for each distance. All distances are certified by AIMS.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Ho Chi Minh City, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Order by 15 November to test them on two long runs first.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi
cut-off
6:30 h

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

Keep exploring

More races to look at after the Techcombank Ho Chi Minh City International Marathon.

Marathons people fly to

Races in Asia
  • A frame from our Valencia Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:44Sold out

    Valencia Marathon

    Valencia, Spain

    Sun 6 Dec42.2 km42 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
  • A frame from our Honolulu Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth4:00

    Honolulu Marathon

    Honolulu, United States

    Sun 13 Dec42.2 km88 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
  • Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

    Singapore Marathon

    Singapore, Singapore

    Sun 6 Dec42.2 km70 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it. Photo: Marina Bay Sands, by Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
  • Pudong, Shanghai

    Shanghai Marathon

    Shanghai, China

    Sun 6 Dec42.2 km29 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it. Photo: Pudong, by https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-ovozr, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Courses on film

All races on film
  • A frame from our Athens Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:56Race week

    Athens Marathon

    Athens, Greece

    Sun 8 Nov42.2 km281 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
  • A frame from our Malaga Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:50Race week

    Malaga Marathon

    Malaga, Spain

    Sun 8 Nov42.2 km63 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
  • A frame from our Porto Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:53Race week

    Porto Marathon

    Porto, Portugal

    Sun 8 Nov42.2 km133 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
  • A frame from our Curitiba Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:51Entry open

    Curitiba Marathon

    Curitiba, Brazil

    Sun 15 Nov42.2 km128 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
More races in Vietnam and in December