He was closely followed by Nguyễn Sĩ Hiếu (13:36:29) and Nguyễn Trọng Nhơn (13:44:24), completing a strong Vietnamese podium sweep.  

In the women’s 100km race, Wenfei Xie from China delivered a commanding performance, dominating the 100km race from the Start and then finishing with a time of 17:24:33.  

Wenfei is widely recognized as one of the region’s premier ultra-runners, demonstrating exceptional endurance and tactical prowess. Her victory, along with the presence of other elite Chinese athletes, strengthening China’s dominance in ultra-distance trail running in the region. 

Wenfei has already made a mark with a third place finish at the Grand Raid Pyrenees 165km (WTM 2025). So this victory at VMM will bring her 2760 score in total – enough for provisional  place overall. 

Nguyễn Thị Trà Giang, making her debut in the 100km trail distance, finished strongly with a time of 18:07:58, followed by Daphne Linderme who rounded out the podium with 18:33:47. 

VMM  50km – World Trail Major Short Series 

The 50km men’s race saw Jianjian Yang (China) from Kailas FUGA team, take the top spot with a finishing time of 04:53:46. He led from the gun. Following him were Sapa’s own Sùng A Phử in 05:18:42  and Minchul Ko of South Korean in 05:48:38. Another top international athlete, Ricardo Cherta was beaten into fourth.  

In the World Trail Majors Short Series, Jianjian has already secured one victory worth 1500 points at Hong Kong 100 the half (57km), and the win at VMM 50km put 1500 points from VMM together with 1500 points from his Hong Kong 100, and go into the first place overall with the maximum 3000 points. 

China’s Fuzhao Xiang, one of the world’s top ultra runners, stamped her authority on the race, with a gun to tape victory in the 50km with the time of 05:41:10.  

In second place was another Chinese athlete, Binbin Xiong of Kailas FUGA team, crossing the finish line in  07:12:09. Rounding out the podium was Thai Thi Hong of Vietnam in  07:32:19, marking her first World Trail Majors podium.  

Like, Jianjian, Fuzhao also received 1500 points from VMM in the World Trail Majors, which puts her in provisional first place (provisional) on the scoreboard.  

The 70km battle 

The men’s 70km title went to Vàng A Tung (Vietnam), who completed the course in an impressive 09:10:58. The second place finisher, Nguyễn Tiến Võ, crossed the line in 09:53:49, while Nguyễn Đức Tuyền claimed third with a time of 10:13:44. 

Among women, Lưu Hồng Vân took the first place, finishing in 11:52:42. She was closely pursued by Phương Thị Hồng Nhung (11:55:30) and Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Anh (12:01:18), both demonstrating remarkable grit and speed. 

VMM – 21km  

The 21km men’s champion, Sùng A Sử of Vietnam finished with a time of  02:09:42, edging out Lý A Sông (02:11:02) and Nguyễn Xuân Tứ (02:13:19) in a fast-paced race. 

On the women’s side, Phùng Trang claimed her victory with a time of 02:35:21, while Nguyễn Thị Mai and Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hồng closely followed with 02:35:21 and 02:57:30, respectively. 

VMM – 10km 

In the 10km race, the men’s winner, Lý A Bằng, clocked a time of 01:06:16, with Camilo Torres of  Columbia (01:16:45) and Nguyễn Ngọc Tân (01:20:55), completing the podium. 

The top three female 10km runners were Lê Thị Minh Chung, Nguyễn Thanh Lệ and Trần Thị Điệp, finishing with times of 01:49:14, 01:53:54 and 02:02:12. 

Charity Work 

This year the race continues its tradition of supporting good causes through VMM. Last year, the race was postponed due to Typhoon Yagi and VND 1 billion was allocated to the recovery effort in our area. This year the race is contributing a further VND 717,044,000 to the charity fund, which now stands at a total of VND13.5billion. Furthermore, three charities are supported with free entry and expo booths for the race : Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation; Newborns Vietnam; and Operation Smile. All three will all be at the race with teams raising more money for their great work.   

Closing Ceremony 

Join us on September 21st for the Prizing and Closing Ceremony in Sa Pa Square, Sa Pa Ward, attended by local leaders and trail running enthusiasts alike. 

For photography and more information, please visit HERE.