What is it like running one of the Garmin Run Asia Series races?
Justin and I had a super early start on Sunday, October 5, 2025, rolling out of bed at 3:10am for the 4:30am start of the Garmin Run Vietnam half marathon in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Around 6,000 runners participated in a 5km, 10km, 10km Couples Run, or a 21km (half marathon).
We had fun with our half marathon – running through our usual training area, Sala Urban Area, and exploring Thanh My Loi, an area we’ve never visited before.
This was our first time participating in the Garmin Run Asia Series, which hosts races in 10 cities across Asia. We’ve used Garmin smartwatches since 2017, so we were thrilled to show our support for the brand.
If you’re thinking about running Garmin Run Vietnam or any of the other Garmin Run Asia locations, continue reading this post for our experience with the half marathon race and other things to know.
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Quick Summary
If you don’t have time to read this post, here are the top 3 reasons to run the Garmin Run Vietnam (or any of the Garmin Run Asia Series).
- It’s a smaller race, so the course isn’t congested.
- Nice swag, including a finisher’s technical t-shirt for half marathon runners.
- Become a part of the Garmin running community!
Why Participate in the Race?
Garmin Run Asia Series hosted by Garmin is a fun and exciting running race series featuring 5km (3.1 miles), 10km (6.2 miles), and 21km (half marathon) across Asia.
It originally started in 2022 in three cities, and has currently expanded to 10 countries – Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.
For 2025, Indonesia kicked off the series with an event on September 14, and Japan will end it on January 31-February 1, 2026.
Participants who complete 10 cities from 2022 to 2027 receive a special customized 18k plated medal. It’s a fantastic way to travel and run in different Asian countries, and the chance to earn extra bling!
I’m jumping with joy to participate in the race!
We heard about the Garmin Run Vietnam after the completion of the 2024 Long Bien Marathon in Hanoi. The Garmin Run was a part of the Long Bien Marathon.
So, we were excited to hear that this year’s event was in Ho Chi Minh City, so we wouldn’t need to travel. It was organized by Pulse Active, the same group that hosts the Ho Chi Minh City Marathon in January.
If Garmin Run Vietnam continues in 2026, maybe the race will occur in Danang or another area of Vietnam?
For those in the U.S. I heard about the Garmin Marathon Run Series debuting this year. It’s exciting to see the series expand globally.
Race Date
Sunday, October 5, 2025. Half marathon start time was 4:30am.
How to Register for the Race
We followed Garmin Vietnam’s social media accounts, such as the official Facebook and Instagram.
Note: Many fake Facebook pages look similar to Garmin Vietnam’s official Facebook page. These are scams, and they will require you to send a bank transfer to take your money. Please look for the official page only! Beware of these fake pages.
We saw the notification for the first day of registration and Super Early Bird pricing on July 9, 2025. So, we rushed to the registration site on the official website.
Depending on your registration time, you could pay the Super Early Bird, Early Bird, Normal, or Late prices.
For the half marathon, the pricing was the following:
- Super Early Bird (July 9 to July 15): 790,000 VND
- Early Bird (July 16 to August 5): 990,000 VND
- Normal (August 6 to September 2): 1,250,000 VND
- Late (September 3 to September 16): 1,490,000 VND
Registration was first come, first serve. Once the number of tickets were sold out for a certain price point, then the next one would open. The Super Early Bird pricing sold out in 1 day!
The half marathon receives a participant singlet and a finisher’s t-shirt. So, singlet and t-shirt registration size (or technical t-shirt for the 5k or 10k event) was required at sign up.
Here is the size chart:
Photo credit: Garmin Run Vietnam
Note: Please choose your shirt size properly! You cannot change it after submitting. I tried to change my singlet size and I emailed the race organizer, Pulse Active, two times, but I didn’t receive any follow ups email responses. Customer service needs to be improved.
Payment was through a third-party processor, Yootickets.
We used a U.S. based international credit card for payment and were not charged an additional online transaction fee from Yootickets. So we paid only 790,000 VND ($30.20 USD) per person. What a fantastic deal!
Race Swag
The race swag is decent for what you get. Here is what we received:
- Participant singlet for the half marathon (5k and 10k participants receive a technical t-shirt)
- Finisher technical t-shirt (Half Marathon only)
- Finisher medal
- E-certificate
- Free race photos
- Tote bag
- 3 acrylic badges (a Vietnamese sandwich (bánh mì), “beat yesterday,” and “New PR”)
- Amino Vital energy gel
We liked the race swag!
Race Communication
Email communication was sparse compared to other races that we’ve done. Here is what we received from the race organization:
- Confirming registration from Pulse Active Registration email address
- Registration, QR code for Bib Pick Up, and race information from Pulse Active Registration email address
We used the official Garmin Vietnam Facebook page for the most up to date information. The page updated frequently as the event date was closer.
Expo & Bib Pick Up
The expo and bib pick up was for one day on Saturday, October 4 from 9:00am to 7:00pm. It was located at the M2 Lot in Sala Urban Area, across from the Garmin Store.
The Expo was in a huge empty lot, so there was plenty of space to walk around. There was a section for Bib pick-up, sponsors, Garmin game section, a stage, large billboards with the course map and names of participants.
This was the area for bib pick up
For the bib pick-up, there were numbered lanes for the 21km, 10km, and 5km events. Justin and I were in Lane 1.
To claim your bib, you presented your QR code from the confirmation email and an ID. We used our passports. The confirmation email included the bib number and the shirt sizes.
We received our tote bag with the bib, singlet (technical t-shirt for the 5k and 10k participants), pins, acrylic badges, and Amino Vital energy gel. The acrylic badges were adorable and a unique swag item. We received three acrylic badges (with a button pin backing behind the plastic design) – a Vietnamese sandwich (bánh mì), “beat yesterday,” and “New PR.”
As we exited the Bib pick-up, we scanned our bib to ensure that the timing chip worked properly.
Then we walked around to see the Sponsors. The Sponsor area had vendors such as Motive (the race’s t-shirt company), Pocari Sweat, Supawa Water, Shokz, Early Morning Tea and Coffee, Citigym, Kine Rehab, and AIA Vitality. We didn’t buy anything.
We took photos of the Garmin Run Vietnam sign along with the adorable mascots – Forerunner 965, Forerunner 970, and Forerunner 570.
I loved the Forerunner 965 mascot!
Garmin Forerunner 970 and Forerunner 570 mascots were adorable!
Afterward, we walked towards the center of the Expo area to the large 21km billboard. We searched for our names with 2000 other participants on the billboard and took a photo of our names with our bibs.
Here is the course map for the half marathon
We saw a long line for the Garmin games area. You could play mini games and a chance to win prizes, such as a medal engraving. We waited in line for a few minutes for the Pickleball game, but decided to leave and return home.
The Garmin area had mini games for people to play
Garmin Run Vietnam Race Experience
The race started and ended at M2 Lot of Sala Urban Area, across from the Garmin Store in Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City. Click here to see location on Google Maps.
The race started at different times depending on the event:
- 4:30am for half marathon (Need to finish in 4 hours)
- 5:30am for 10km (Need to finish in 2.5 hours)
- 6:00am for 5km (Need to finish in 1.5 hours)
Weather
The weather was typical for 4:30am at 26℃ (78.8℉) with 94% humidity. It was “cooler” since I usually run in 30℃ (86℉) at night. Yet, it was still a sweaty run due to the humidity.
Start Line
We live about 3km away from the Start Line, so we jogged to the Start Line as our warm up.
We arrived at the Start Line with only 5 minutes to spare. Our bib listed “pen” (or Corral) numbers and Justin and I were placed in Pen 2. So we’re not sure if Pens were set up. We were in the back of the line and slowly walked our way close to the front of the Start Line.
Note: There was a bag check in the Expo area, but we didn’t use it.
At 4:30am, the Start Line had a burst of confetti blown in the air. Then we started the half marathon with 2,000 other participants.
Half Marathon Course
The course took place in Sala Urban Area and My Thanh Loi area of Thu Duc. We passed through the residential area of Sala, ran towards Empire City Thu Thiem, and ran on a closed portion of the main road, Mai Chi Tho. It was mostly flat with slight uphills at 3 bridges.
I appreciate the road closure on Mai Chi Tho road and a portion of Tran Quy Kien in My Thanh Loi. Runners took up an entire 1-2 lanes, so we didn’t need to worry about cars crossing or needing to stop at stoplights.
Similarly to the Ho Chi Minh City Marathon’s half marathon course, the section towards Empire City Thu Thiem apartment was pitch black. It’s the same problem that hasn’t been addressed. There were solar lights along portions of the course. But it wasn’t good enough. I heard people tripping and falling on the raised areas and it was completely dark!
If you’re expecting cheering crowds or bands playing along the course, then you should not do this race. There weren’t any cheering crowds except for a few volunteers at the water stations. Otherwise, it was a very quiet race.
My goal was to finish the race without any injuries. I didn’t train consistently for the race due to traveling and laziness. So, I took it easy and enjoyed the run as a “training run.”
Here are some photos:
Justin captured the beautiful sunrise with a selfie.
This was my sunrise photo during the race.
Way to go, Justin!
Finish Line
The last 1km of the race had the 10k and half marathon runners intersect on Mai Chi Tho road. So it was crowded.
I saw the sign for the last 500 meters till the Finish Line, so I pushed to finish. My legs were already heavy and very tired.
I finished the race in 2 hours 20 minutes. WooHoo! It wasn’t a personal best, but at least I finished! Justin completed the race in under 2 hours.
After crossing the finish line, everyone received their finisher’s medal, a bottle of Pocari Sweat, and a water bottle. Watermelon and bananas were also available to refuel.
I’m thrilled to be done with the half marathon!
Finisher Medal & T-Shirt
The finisher’s medal was one of the nicest medals that we’ve earned. It looks plain, but the double-sided medal was well done.
The medal shape is round and looks like the front of the Garmin Forerunner smartwatches. There is a nice detail of the Start/Stop button on the upper right side of the medal. Also, one side has the Garmin Run Vietnam. The other side has the abbreviated locations of the 10 Garmin Asia Run Series location, the GPS coordinates of the Start Line, and Finisher. If runners played the games from the Garmin booth at the Expo and won the medal engraving prize, there was a spot for the engraving.
The sides of the medal were smooth and polished well. We always receive medals with rough edges which scratched our bodies or clothes when wearing.
Half marathon finishers picked up their finisher’s technical t-shirt at the T-shirt pick up area.
I stood in line for the X-Small and Small size. I requested a Small shirt at registration, but they ran out. I received a choice of either X-Small or Medium, so I took a X-Small. It was disappointing to hear that the sizing ran out so early. Luckily, the X-Small shirt was a perfect fit.
TIP: If you didn’t do a bag check, stuff a small bag in your race belt or pocket so you can hold your post-race goodies.
Volunteers
Thank you to the volunteers for their hard work and dedication along the course. It was an early morning start and they did well to pour water and Pocari Sweat and cut fruit.
Hydration Stations
We were well hydrated at this event. Every 2-3 km had a station with water, Pocari Sweat (sports drink), and fruit (watermelon and bananas). I drank Pocari Sweat at every station so I wouldn’t get dehydrated.
Bathrooms
I saw a few portable toilets along the race. They were next to the water stations.
Race Photos
Thank you Bibpix, for the free downloadable race photos! We weren’t expecting them since the HCMC Marathon in January had paid photos.
Input your bib number or use the AI face recognition tool to upload a photo.
The photos were okay. I understand that it’s hard to get a clear and crisp photo due to the lighting. I mean, we started the race at 4:30am in the dark! I had 10 photos while Justin had 12 photos. I didn’t get any photos at the Finish Line, which was disappointing.
Race Results and e-Certificates
The race results and electronic certificates were ready to download at 11:00am on Sunday. It was a quick turnaround! Here is the link to the race results and certificate.
Type your bib number or name. Check out your chip time, splits, and ranking – Overall and Gender.
Based on the 2025 results, there were over 4,880 finishers: 1,279 runners for the 5km, 1,666 runners for the 10km, and 1,941 runners for the half marathon.
Opportunities for Improvement
This was the first Garmin Run Vietnam race in Ho Chi Minh City, and it was organized well. I enjoyed the race. But there were a few things that stuck out, and hopefully, they will be improved in the future.
Customer service for issues: As I mentioned earlier, I made a mistake with the singlet size. I contacted Pulse Active two times via email and didn’t receive a response.
I would like to see Pulse Active have an email system where emails receive a case number, and then the Support team responds to each case number.
Or, if an email system is not possible, then there should be a note somewhere on Registration or a Frequently Asked Questions section where sizes cannot be changed after Registration.
Finisher t-shirt sizes: I would like to see the Organizers purchase enough t-shirt sizes. I understand that there will be a certain number of DNF (Did not finish) participants, but they underestimated the number for the Small size.
Luckily, I was able to fit into a X-Small. I assume that X-Small eventually ran out, and then runners who finished later had to get the larger sizes.
Final Thoughts
This was our third half marathon that we’ve done since living in Ho Chi Minh City for 7+ years.
We recommend the Garmin Run Vietnam race as a great way to have fun, get some exercise on an early Sunday morning, and be a part of the Garmin running community.
We would love to run another race in the Garmin Run Asia Series in the future.
If you’re looking for other races that we’ve done in Ho Chi Minh, check out our blog posts below:
If you’re traveling to Ho Chi Minh City, check out our other blog posts:
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