Vietnam Mountain Marathon (VMM) 2025 concluded on the afternoon of September 21 in Sa Pa, after three days of exciting competition. This is the 12th season of the largest-scale trail running event, with the most beautiful and fierce running course in Vietnam, attracting more than 3,000 athletes from 47 countries, of which nearly 2,000 competed in the ultra-marathon distances (50 km - 100 km). Many famous international athletes raced the men's 100 km Vietnam Mountain Marathon 2025 (VMM), but the podium still belonged to the host Vietnamese representatives.
VMM is the first ultra-long distance trail running race to take place in Vietnam since 2013. The race was initiated by the Danish Embassy and operated by Topas Travel. In the 2013 season, there was only one Vietnamese athlete who completed the longest distance of 65 km.
VMM 2025 is the 12th season of the largest-scale trail running event, with the most beautiful and fierce running course in Vietnam, attracting more than 3,000 athletes from 47 countries.
This year, VMM marked a historic milestone when it officially joined World Trail Majors, a system of 12 leading trail running races in the world. VMM 2025 took place over three days from September 19 to 21 in Sa Pa, Lao Cai. The tournament organized 5 distances: 10 km, 21 km, 50 km, 70 km, 100 km with the route through 4 communes and wards: Sa Pa, Ta Van, Ta Phin, Ban Ho. The 50 km and 100 km distances of the tournament were included in the scoring, making Sa Pa an important destination on the international trail running map. To qualify for the 100 km distance, athletes must complete at least 1 super marathon of 50 km or more, be 18 years old and meet many other conditions of the organizing committee.
Before the start, the men’s 100km race was expected to be a fierce competition with the participation of many famous international athletes such as Peiquan (China) – two-time champion of Hong Kong 100, or star Ryan Whelan (England). However, surprisingly, the Vietnamese runners dominated the game, capturing all three top positions.
In the men's 100 km distance, First Prize belongs to athlete Ngo Van Chinh
The organizing committee awarded 10 first prizes, 10 second prizes and 10 third prizes to outstanding athletes in 5 distances. In the men's 100 km distance, the first prize went to athlete Ngo Van Chinh, a member of the Sapa Ethnic Running Team. With a time of 13 hours 00 minutes 10 seconds, he not only left the second place finisher more than 36 minutes behind but also set a new record for the 100 km distance of VMM. His knowledge of the local terrain helped Van Chinh have almost no rivals on the journey to conquer the harsh road. The remaining two positions on the podium belonged toNguyen Si Hieu(13 hours 36 minutes 29 seconds) andDo Trong Nhon(13 hours 44 minutes 24 seconds).
In the women's 100km, the first prize went to Wenfei Xie, China, with a time of 17 hours 24 minutes 33 seconds. This achievement not only helped Wenfei affirm her position as one of the top female runners in Asia but also brought her to third place in the World Trail Majors 2025 rankings.
Second place went to athlete Nguyen Thi Tra Giang, Vietnam with a time of 18 hours 07 minutes 58 seconds.
Runner-up was Nguyen Thi Tra Giang, Vietnam with a time of 18 hours 07 minutes 58 seconds, a big surprise of the tournament as this was her first time trying the 100km distance. Previously, Tra Giang was famous on the road with many impressive short-distance victories, including first place in Dalat Ultra Trail 55km 2024 and second place in VMM 21km 2024. Third place was namedDaphné Linderme(France) with 18 hours 33 minutes 47 seconds.
The 50km VMM 2025 distance witnessed the dominance of Chinese runners who are leading the World Trail Majors. In the men's 50km distance, Jianjian Yang finished after 4 hours 53 minutes 46 seconds, successfully defending the championship title and simultaneously winning the overall World Trail Majors Short Series 2025. The runner-up belonged to Sung A Phu (Sapa Ethnic Running Team) with 5 hours 18 minutes 42 seconds, leaving Korean athlete Ko Min-chul nearly 30 minutes behind (5 hours 48 minutes 38 seconds).
In the men's 50km, Jianjian Yang finished after 4 hours 53 minutes 46 seconds, successfully defending his title and also winning the overall World Trail Majors Short Series 2025.
In the women's category, Xiang Fuzhao won with a time of 5:41:10. The ITRA 817 and two-time Western States 100 runner-up continued her class and solidified her position at the top of the WTM Short Series women's rankings after her win at the Mt. Fuji 100 Asumi 40k earlier.
Race Director, David Lloyd, said: “We chose to join World Trail Majors because the philosophy of the system is very much in line with the spirit of VMM. Like other independent members of the system, our goal is to bring the best trail running experience to participants, while always respecting the local culture, ecological environment and the core values of this sport. The cooperation between member races gives potential Vietnamese athletes the opportunity to compete abroad and contributes to bringing the trails of Sa Pa and Vietnam closer to the international running community."
Ms. Janet Ng - World Trail Majors Representative and ITRA President said: “VMM was chosen to join World Trail Majors because this is a beautiful race, providing an opportunity for athletes to explore the majestic mountains and forests around Sa Pa - a particularly hospitable destination in Northern Vietnam. With the dedicated organization of Topas and the support of the local community, VMM is also known for its most impressive destination in global trail races. I had an unforgettable experience at the 2024 season."
Compared to the races in the World Trail Majors system, VMM is also the first race in Southeast Asia, alongside Mount Fuji 100 (Japan) and Hong Kong 100 Ultramarathon (Hong Kong).
