"Proud of My Fatherland" 2nd time - 2025: A big festival of nearly ...

Introducing the "unique" Expo area and completing the competition procedures for nearly 2,300 athletes, the 2nd "Proud of My Fatherland" Half-marathon - 2025 is ready for runners to "warm up" for 3 official competition distances in Binh Chanh district, Ho Chi Minh City.

Excited before departure

As one of the last people to receive his BIB, Mr. Vu Duy Tung (Tanifit - Healthy Group, District 6, Ho Chi Minh City) said that he was a little late because he had to wait for the authorization of group members from Tay Ninh, Binh Phuoc ... This 56-year-old man, who is still very strong, will compete in a distance of 21 km, only 50% of the usual distance as he admitted.

Các runner háo hức nhận BIB và Racekit tại trụ sở Báo Người Lao Động sáng 12-4 — Runners eagerly received BIB and Racekit at the headquarters of Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper on the morning of April 12.

Tanifit - Healthy Group registered for the race with over 20 members, most of whom have extensive experience participating in dozens of large and small races. Having participated in the first season, everyone was eager to join the 2nd "Proud of My Fatherland" Half-marathon when being introduced to the interesting race with picturesque routes of a new rural area near the city center.

Meanwhile, Daniil Chekmarev and his family rushed from Ba Ria - Vung Tau to receive their BIBs and then moved to Binh Chanh so that their two children could attend the Kids Run. Daniil Chekmarev and his wife both work in the oil and gas industry, and the whole family regularly jogs every morning and registers for running races when they can arrange their work schedules.

Gia đình anh Daniil Chekmarev tham gia Giải Half-marathon “Tự hào Tổ quốc tôi” — Daniil Chekmarev's family participates in the "Proud of My Fatherland" Half-marathon

Knowing a lot about Vietnamese history and witnessing the preparations for the Liberation Day of the South and National Reunification Day over the past few days, Daniil Chekmarev felt excited about the changes in his new homeland. He and his wife participated in the 6km run with the wish to help their children be aware of exercising from a young age, aiming for a happy, healthy and peaceful life.

Equal opportunity

The fact that the first season's female 21km champion, Doan Thi Hien, could not participate at the last minute created an opportunity for the current runner-up Le Thi Ha and several other candidates on this race. As for the men's 21km race, Le Huu Loc is predicted to have a hard time defending his championship title won last year as many famous runners have declared that they will "usurp the throne".

If the 2 championship titles of the 11km distance for men and women of the tournament are considered interesting unknowns with many prominent faces competing, the 6km distance is quite exciting. This is considered the "stage" of many figures in the showbiz and gymbiz world such as singer ST Son Thach, artist Vo Minh Lam, rapper Dinh Tien Dat, world bodybuilding champion Pham Van Mach, national all-around athlete Lu Gia Nam, female winter sports athlete, former motorcyclist Susan Tran...

The appearance of SEA Games champion and marathon record holder Hoang Nguyen Thanh on the competition list as soon as the tournament opened for registration made many runners excited. Unfortunately, due to objective reasons, the famous runner from Binh Phuoc could not participate and the tournament also missed the opportunity to witness Nguyen Thanh set a new achievement milestone on one of the most beautiful half-marathon routes ever.

Spread meaningful messages

The 2nd "Proud of My Fatherland" Half-marathon - 2025 has the mission of spreading the motivation to practice and compete in running, inspiring and practicing a healthy and happy lifestyle. Although it is only a "rookie" in the marathon community in Vietnam, the event has gradually increased its reputation through each season with more professional organization, receiving the trust and love of the running community nationwide.

Nhà vô địch thể hình toàn năng Lữ Gia Nam làm thủ tục thi đấu.Ảnh: ĐÔNG LINH — All-around bodybuilding champion Lu Gia Nam completes competition procedures (Photo: DONG LINH)

Many runners, after directly "reconciling" the race route, exclaimed: "There is probably no race that can claim to be more beautiful." Athletes participating in the 21 km distance will run across the Vietnam Buddhist Academy, Campus 2 (Le Minh Xuan Commune) - the venue for the 2025 United Nations Day of Vesak (VESAK) in early May.

The city government has invested hundreds of billions of dong to renovate the infrastructure to create the best conditions for organizing the grand ceremony, where the pilgrimage took place for nearly 3,000 official domestic and international delegates, along with thousands of followers on this important event of Buddhism.

Surely the runners of "Proud of My Fatherland" will be very proud of their first steps on the picturesque cross-country route, full of unforgettable poetry. The peaceful and rustic scenery of Binh Chanh countryside will attract runners, especially when everyone can immerse themselves in the open space, capturing beautiful photos as souvenirs of this rare destination in their running "career".

With the meaning of sport not only bringing joy and health to participants but also happiness to the community, the revenue from the 2nd "Proud of My Fatherland" Half-marathon will be contributed to the program "Proud of the Fatherland Flag" and the program "Scholarship to support ethnic minority and poor students" organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper for many years.

Following the success of the first season, the second "Proud of My Fatherland" Half-marathon hopes to spread the message of perseverance and strong will - the necessary factors for each athlete to firmly step on the journey to conquer further goals. The event is not just a race but also a journey of effort for everyone to become a better version of themselves.

The 2nd "Proud of My Fatherland" Half-marathon - 2025 is organized on the occasion of many important historical events such as the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025); the 100th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925 - June 21, 2025) along with the 50th anniversary of the founding of Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper (July 28, 1975 - July 28, 2025).

The prizes for the top finishers in the 21km race are VND11 million, VND8 million and VND5 million. In the 11km race, the top three finishers will receive VND8 million, VND5 million and VND3 million. The prizes for the top three finishers in the 6km race are VND5 million, VND3 million and VND2 million respectively.

The 2nd "Pride of My Fatherland" Half-marathon - 2025 organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper