Exciting atmosphere at the night race bib receiving area

Runners flocked to Nguyen Du Stadium on February 21-22 to receive their Bibs in the tournament that set a record for the number of athletes registered to participate in VPBank VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight 2025.

This year’s Ho Chi Minh City Night Run recorded 12,000 participants, a record number for the VnExpress Marathon system. Due to the large number of participants, this year, many runners took advantage of their lunch break on February 21 to pick up their bibs early to avoid traffic jams.

At 1:00 p.m. on February 21, thousands of runners gathered at Nguyen Du Stadium to receive their bibs and racekits, ready for the VPBank VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight 2025 night run. This is the opening sporting event for a series of activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification.

Thousands of athletes came to receive bibs for the night race.

As one of the runners who arrived early at the EXPO area, Ms. Nguyen Hong Hanh from Ho Chi Minh City said: “ This is my first time participating in a night race. This year, there were a lot of athletes participating, so I had to come get my bib early to avoid congestion. I hope to have many interesting experiences with the night roads of Ho Chi Minh City.”

Ms. Hong Hanh is one of the runners who got her bib early at this year's race.

Another runner, Mr. Hoang Thuan in Ho Chi Minh City, also shared that he came to receive his bib early to avoid having to wait long. “ This is my first time experiencing a night race, but I find the items very good and impressive, and I hope the race will have many interesting points. I participate in the 21km distance and hope to achieve Sub 2,” Mr. Thuan added.

The tournament attracted more than 600 foreign athletes to participate.

Besides amateur athletes, the elite squad of this year's night race also gathered many bright names such as Dan Quyet, Hong Le, Do Thuy, and Anna Le.

The elites also showed up early to receive their running bibs. Most of them were athletes who had participated for many years and had a lot of experience running at night. The tournament also attracted more than 600 foreign athletes from 50 countries and territories.

Elite athlete Anna Le from Nha Trang spends a lot of time consulting to achieve good results.

Ms. Anna Le - Nha Trang shared that this is her third time coming to Ho Chi Minh City but she is always ready to conquer the vibrant city at night.

Ms. Anna Le also gave many tips to athletes to achieve the best results. “ You should try to allocate your energy as well as set your goals. Before the race, athletes should limit traveling in the sun, take in enough water and minerals and don’t forget to go to bed early to prepare for the best health ,” she added.

The champion of the VPBank VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight last season will also be present at this year's tournament. He said that this year's tournament will bring together many other Kenyan competitors, who are really strong. However, with the advantage of being the host, he will compete with all his might to achieve the best results.

Hong Le also participated in this year's night run, 42km distance.

Joining in the exciting atmosphere of the first race of the new year, food blogger Dino Vu, supermodel Dang Cong Son and TikToker itsmevinh arrived early at the bib distribution area. All three said they were looking forward to running while admiring the brilliant night scene of the city that never sleeps.

According to Dino Vu, this is also the first time he has participated in a large-scale night race like VPBank VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight 2025. " I work out in the gym in the opposite area, and as soon as I came out, I saw everything neat and ready to welcome runners, making me extremely eager to go in and receive my bib right away ," he said.

Dino Vu experiences activities at VPBank booth in EXPO area.

VPBank VnExpress Ho Chi Minh City Midnight 2025 marks two prestigious and experienced names in organizing and operating the running system, VPBank and VnExpress Marathon, in a strategic partnership, creating top running events.

This year, athletes will be equipped with glowing wristbands in their racekits. With 12,000 wristbands glowing simultaneously with each runner’s step, the night course will become a brilliant “river of light”, bringing a unique visual experience. This is not only a combination of sports and light art, but also a memorable moment, where the spirit of solidarity and positive energy of each step shines.

Glowing bracelets – a new feature of this year's night run that many runners enjoy.

In particular, after completing the race, each athlete can contribute 30,000 VND to plant trees by sticking their running BIB on the “Prosperity Forest” at the finish line. For each BIB stuck on, the Organizing Committee will contribute 30,000 VND to the TreeBank Fund (a non-profit program managed and coordinated by the Institute for Development Communication Research).

Each BIB pasted on the “Prosperity Forest” symbolizes a green sprout planted in Tay Ninh and Thanh Hoa, contributing to overcoming forest degradation, protecting water resources, regulating the climate, preventing natural disasters towards sustainable development goals while developing the local economy and society.

Ha An

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/khong-khi-soi-dong-tai-khu-nhan-bib-giai-chay-dem-ar927628.html