VPBank Hanoi International Marathon: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Hanoi)

A Sunday in October, on foot

Hanoi in mid-October belongs to the motorbikes on six mornings a week. On Sunday, October 18, 2026, some of its streets belong to runners. The VPBank Hanoi International Marathon is one of the newer fixtures on Vietnam’s fast-growing calendar of city road races, and it brings an international field to the capital.

The city is the draw as much as the distance. Tree-lined boulevards in Ba Dinh, French-era facades, lakes at every turn. Even if you never pin on a bib, the weekend gives you a reason to see Hanoi at the hour it is quietest.

Entries, bibs and where the details live

For a marathon, a “ticket” means a race entry. The race’s official website is where registration, the distance categories and the start and finish venue sit. The race takes its name from VPBank, one of Vietnam’s large private banks and the title sponsor.

A few things work the same way at most Vietnamese road races:

• Race kits are collected in person, usually at an expo in the day or two before the race, with photo ID or a passport.
• Bibs are personal. Transferring one is typically against the rules, and timing chips are tied to the registered runner.
• Spectating is free. You need no entry to stand on the pavement and cheer.

What mid-October feels like on the road

October is one of Hanoi’s better months for running. The summer rains are ending and the worst of the heat has passed, though days are still warm and the air can stay humid. Mornings are the coolest part of the day.

That is why road races in Vietnam usually start in the dark or at first light. Runners finish before the sun climbs over the rooftops. Experienced runners from cooler countries tend to plan a slower pace than at home and to take water at every station, because humidity punishes ambition after halfway.

Cheering from the kerb, Hanoi style

Roadside etiquette here is easy to pick up. The phrase you will hear shouted from the pavement is “Cố lên!”, roughly “keep going!”, and runners love it from a foreigner.

• Stay behind the barriers. Road closures on race morning are firm, and marshals keep the crossings tight.
• Move on foot. Closures bend the usual routes, so ride-hailing drivers on Grab often stop short of the course.
• Carry small notes and your phone. Street vendors take Vietnamese dong in cash, and many cafés accept bank QR payments.
• Don’t fly a drone. Flying over crowds in central Hanoi is restricted.

Sunday mornings around Hoan Kiem Lake already have a rhythm of their own. Older Hanoians do tai chi and badminton at the water’s edge. Spectators who know the city simply fold the race into that routine.

Getting in and staying close

International visitors arrive at Noi Bai International Airport, north of the Red River. The ride into central Hanoi usually takes 45 minutes to an hour by car. Grab and metered taxis both serve the airport.

Most runners and visitors base themselves in the Old Quarter or the streets just south of Hoan Kiem Lake. Both are walkable, packed with guesthouses and hotels, and central to most of the city. Tay Ho, around West Lake, is a quieter alternative with wide lakeside paths for shakeout runs.

The metro is useful for some trips. Line 2A runs elevated from Cat Linh out to Ha Dong, and Line 3 runs from Nhon towards the centre. For race morning itself, runners staying near the start usually just walk.

After the finish line

A Hanoi race morning ends with a bowl of noodles. Phở shops open at dawn and serve beef or chicken broth with fresh herbs on the table, an ideal salty recovery meal. By late morning, bún chả joints fire up their charcoal grills for pork with rice noodles and dipping broth.

Sore legs do well on a slow lap of Hoan Kiem Lake. Cross the red Huc Bridge to Ngoc Son Temple, then drift into the Old Quarter for an iced cà phê sữa đá on a low plastic stool. Visitors with an extra day often add the Temple of Literature or the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology to the trip.