HDBank Green Marathon 2026: 5th Season Kicks Off in Can Gio – When Footsteps Touch the Mangroves

From my office window in Nairobi, I have followed the harsh marathon roads of East Africa for over 20 years. But this morning, a press release from Vietnam reminded me of Can Gio – a place I visited in 2026, amidst the UNESCO-recognized biosphere reserve. In 2026, the HDBank Green Marathon will enter its fifth season, and the organizers have just announced registration details, bringing nearly 10,000 athletes to run through the mangrove forests along the river, where the sound of footsteps merges with the waves. This event is not just an ordinary community race in Ho Chi Minh City. It carries another layer of meaning: extending a green journey over five years, with a commitment to plant an additional 5,000 trees in Can Gio in 2026. From its first edition in 2026, the organizing committee established a different model: not focusing on performance targets, but placing experiential and sustainability values at the core. The route has been certified by AIMS, ensuring accurate distances and safety, from the 42km full marathon down to the children's races. The structural difference lies in its multi-distance design – 5km, 10km, half marathon, and full marathon – accompanied by age groups, allowing entire families to participate. I recall old diary entries from Vietnamese runners I interviewed once: they used to run on hot concrete roads in the city center, but now they have a shaded, airy mangrove route – something that seemed impossible for high-performance sport. Behind this event lies a purposeful sponsorship strategy by HDBank. It is no accident they branded it 'Green Marathon' with digital banking. Through the HDBank app, participants can experience an online registration process and receive promotional programs. This is a form of commercial value transfer through a healthy lifestyle, rather than pure advertising. But what is the hidden angle here? This event has almost no elite athletes competing. All media activities revolve around the 'green' factor, from planting trees to environmental protection. This might disappoint those tracking national records, but in my view, the very absence of performance pressure is the most fertile ground for cultivating a running culture. On the feet of over 10,000 runners, I see an entire new generation embracing outdoor activity taking shape. I have stood at the finish line of a small race in Nairobi and also cried when I saw children running their own age-group race. In Can Gio, the field does not need to be packed with spectators, because the round ball does not need a grandstand to know where it belongs. The value of a community marathon is not measured by stopwatches, but by the destiny of those who change through their steps – and that is priceless. For me, the HDBank Green Marathon 2026 may not set a national record, but it lays an important brick in the foundation of Vietnamese mass sport. Today's footsteps may be the seeds of future Southeast Asian women's champions. And as I write these lines, the mangroves are still growing day by day beside the road where they will run – a reminder that no current is ever meaningless.