French engineer signs up for night run because he 'loves Vietnam'

Benoit Lauvray (France) has lived in Vietnam for 7 years and registered for the VPBank VnExpress Marathon HCM City Midnight because he loves Vietnamese culture, people, and cuisine.

French IT engineer signs up for night run because 'love Vietnam' — Benoit Lauvray challenges himself to speak Vietnamese. Video: *Thi Nguyen*

Benoit Lauvray (40 years old, living in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City) is one of thousands of international runners who came to Nguyen Du Stadium (District 1) to receive their race-kits to prepare for the start on the night of March 3. He made a good impression on the organizers when he tried to express himself in Vietnamese, although not perfectly, and often smiled. Occasionally, the French guy hugged his chest and said "Oh my god, Vietnamese is so difficult", making the atmosphere around him cheerful.

He revealed that this was his first time participating in a race under the VnExpress Marathon system, having previously participated in several European races. The IT engineer registered for 10km, instead of the planned 21km. "I just wanted to challenge myself, finish the race before the deadline set by the organizers, without putting pressure on myself to set a PR (personal record) or a specific finishing time," Lauvray said.

The French runner loves sports and often invites his two children to exercise around Binh Thanh area, District 2. "I run, and the two children ride bicycles. Sometimes I can't keep up with their speed," Benoit Lauvray laughed as he revealed the daily routine of the three father and children.

Benoit Lauvray received his Bib at Nguyen Du Stadium on the afternoon of March 1. Photo: Thanh Tung — Benoit Lauvray received his Bib at Nguyen Du Stadium on the afternoon of March 1. Photo: *Thanh Tung*

During his 7 years living and working in Ho Chi Minh City, Benoit Lauvray said he loves Vietnamese culture, people, and cuisine. He spends a lot of time exploring the Independence Palace, Nha Rong Wharf, museums, and visiting many famous places such as Hue, Vung Tau, and Hoi An.

"I adapt quickly to all weather conditions, love sitting at sidewalk cafes, enjoying coffee and especially love Hue food, typically beef noodle soup, banh beo, nam, loc," he said. In addition, Benoit Lauvray also loves banh xeo, pho, grilled pork vermicelli, spring rolls and many other regional specialties.

Benoit Lauvray affirmed that Vietnam is easy to live in but Vietnamese is not easy to learn. "The biggest challenge for me at the age of 40 is learning Vietnamese in 4 and a half months." He listened and understood a part, but thought he needed to improve more. The French runner also enjoyed hearing people encourage him to "keep going" every time he ran around the neighborhood.

VPBank VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight starts on March 3, expected to welcome 11,000 runners, including nearly 600 runners from 60 countries. The course of all four distances meets AIMS standards. Athletes can use their results from this race to register for major tournaments such as Boston Marathon, London Marathon, Berlin Marathon, Tokyo Marathon... The race is the opening event for a series of 8 tournaments in 2024 of the VnExpress Marathon system.

The race marks two prestigious and experienced names in organizing and operating major running systems, VPBank and VnExpress Marathon. Previously, the two sides signed a strategic cooperation agreement to accompany the Ho Chi Minh City night race for 5 years from 2024 - 2028. In October 2023, VPBank and VnExpress successfully coordinated to organize the VPBank Hanoi International Marathon in Hanoi.

Thi Nguyen

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