More than 4,500 runners of all ages took part in the Ho Chi Minh City leg of Gemadept Run 2026 at the Phu My Hung urban area early on 25 October, racing over 5 km, 10 km and 21 km. Huynh Anh Khoi won the men's 21 km and Doan Thu Hang the women's 21 km, according to Thanh Nien. Funds raised this season are earmarked for two classrooms, a kitchen and a toilet at the Tham Pao school site in Dien Bien province, at an estimated cost of about 768 million dong.
A fifth season over two legs
Tuoi Tre reports that this is the fifth edition of the run organised by the Gemadept Group. This year it had two legs, in Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City, with more than 6,000 participants in total. Combining figures from both newspapers:
| Leg | Date | Distances | Runners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hai Phong | 10 October | 5 km, 10 km | More than 1,500 |
| Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My Hung) | 25 October | 5 km, 10 km, 21 km | More than 4,500 |
| Whole season | More than 6,000 |
Thanh Nien says the Ho Chi Minh City field included staff from leading companies in services, manufacturing, import-export, seaports, freight and distribution, finance and media, alongside independent runners. Tuoi Tre gives the season's theme as “Own Your Stride”, encouraging everyone to run their own way, while Thanh Nien highlights the Vietnamese slogan “Mỗi bước chạy – một tương lai”, roughly every stride a future, linked to the goal of building a new school site in Dien Bien.
From Huoi Hoc to Tham Pao
The charity project is what carries over from one season to the next:
| When | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2025 season | Gemadept Run 2025 funds go to the Huoi Hoc - Bao Nam 1 school site in Nghe An |
| August 2026 | Huoi Hoc - Bao Nam 1 is completed and opens |
| 2026 season | Two classrooms, a kitchen and a toilet planned at the Tham Pao site, about 768 million dong |
Tham Pao is a site of the Hoa Ban kindergarten in Dien Bien, in the north-western border highlands. Thanh Nien reports that Gemadept chose it after a process of contacts and surveys carried out with HTV's Sat canh cung gia dinh Viet programme, hoping the runners' contributions would bring practical, lasting change.
Do Cong Khanh, deputy general director of the Gemadept Group, said the company treats responsibility to the community as going hand in hand with business growth, and sees the run not just as an annual sports event but as a way to bring staff, customers, partners and the community together. He said Gemadept believes each step taken in the race opens up a brighter future for children in remote areas.
What's next
With the Ho Chi Minh City leg done, both stops of the 2026 season are complete. The next step is building the Tham Pao site; neither newspaper gives a start or completion date. Thanh Nien says that once finished, the project will give highland children a safer, warmer place to learn and live. Last season's project, funded in 2025, opened in August 2026.