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A green valley of rice terraces and villages near Sa Pa, with mountains behind
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Vietnam Mountain Marathon course maps and checkpoints

Six distances in the mountains around Sa Pa, from a 10 km loop at Topas Ecolodge to a 161 km miler with 8,800 m of climbing.

2027 dates not announced yet, usually in September Sa Pa, Lào Cai, Vietnam

The Vietnam Mountain Marathon (VMM) has been held in the hills around Sa Pa, in Lào Cai province, since 2013. Topas, a company based in Sa Pa, organizes it, and its 50 km and 100 km are World Trail Majors races.

Every course except the 10 km starts in Sa Pa, and all six finish at Topas Ecolodge, on a hilltop southeast of town. On the way they cross rice terraces and bamboo forest and pass through Hmong and Red Dao villages, in areas the organizer says hardly anyone but locals visit.

The organizer emails the GPX a week before the race. Download the course map before that to learn the climbs and the gaps between checkpoints, and keep it on your phone on race day: GPS shows where you are without a signal.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with Vietnam Mountain Marathon. Check the official site before you enter or race.

VMM course map

Every course's aid stations on the Goat Maps topo map. Each course has a map of its own further down.

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VMM courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
100 Miles161 km (100 mi)8,800 m (28,871 ft)Fri, Sep 18, 8:00 AM49 h
100 km101 km (62.8 mi)5,500 m (18,045 ft)Sat, Sep 19, 5:00 AM28 h
70 km69.8 km (43.4 mi)3,900 m (12,795 ft)Sat, Sep 19, 3:00 AM21 h
50 km49.6 km (30.8 mi)2,700 m (8,858 ft)Sat, Sep 19, 5:30 AM18 h 30 min
21 km23 km (14.3 mi)1,100 m (3,609 ft)Sat, Sep 19, 8:00 AM13 h
10 km10.4 km (6.5 mi)500 m (1,640 ft)Sat, Sep 19, 9:00 AM6 h 30 min

Start times are the 2026 edition's.

VMM 100 Miles

A loop out of Sa Pa, a long swing east to the Tả Thàng dam, then the 100 km course to Topas Ecolodge.

Distance
161 km (100 mi)
Climbing
8,800 m (28,871 ft)
Start
Fri, Sep 18, 8:00 AM
Time limit
49 h

The course line isn't drawn yet, so the map only pins where the aid stations are.

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The organizer calls it Vietnam's original miler, and brought it back in 2026. You start in Sa Pa at 8:00 on Friday, drop into the rice terraces of the Suối Hồ valley, pass Suối Hồ before and after a high loop and come back through town at km 16.8. Then you climb Hàm Rồng, run the ridge above the Mường Hoa valley with Fansipan on your right, and go over Mount Silverstone to Bản Mới.

The next 46 km or so are the miler's alone. A water station at Bản Kim (km 44.1) comes first, then a long climb to Bản Sái (CP M5, km 51.1, drop bag and supporters) and a descent to the Tả Thàng dam at 256 m, the lowest point of the course. After that come Sín Chải B (CP M7, km 65.6, cutoff Sat 4:00), Nậm Sài (CP M8, km 73.6, supporters) and Cầu Thanh Phú (CP M9, km 80.6). We couldn't place those five, so the map leaves them out.

A long climb takes you to Topas Ecolodge at km 85.9, where the lodge's chefs lay on a buffet. From there you run the 100 km's second half, and a pacer can join you for the last 75 km.

Rice terraces and houses on a hillside near Sa Pa, seen from above
Krisztian Tabori / Unsplash

VMM 100 km

Over Hàm Rồng to Topas Ecolodge, then a second loop west over Cow Mountain and back.

Distance
101 km (62.8 mi)
Climbing
5,500 m (18,045 ft)
Start
Sat, Sep 19, 5:00 AM
Time limit
28 h

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You leave Sa Pa at 5:00 on Saturday, climb Hàm Rồng and follow the side of the Mường Hoa valley to Mount Silverstone and Bản Mới. At km 25.9 you pass through Topas Ecolodge, 75 km before you finish there.

A steep drop to a river is followed by a very steep climb to the Red Dao village of Giàng Tả Chải, then on to Lao Chải. Then come Cát Cát and the climb to Ô Quý Hồ at 1,738 m. Cow Mountain (Núi Bò) is next, with views of Fansipan that the organizer ranks among the best in Vietnam. The descent to Tả Phìn runs well in the dry and gets hard in the wet. Past Cầu 31 the trail through Sâu Chua climbs steeply, and Mount Silverstone comes again just before the finish.

A village in a valley near Sa Pa, ringed by yellow rice terraces
Happysurd Photography / Unsplash

VMM 70 km

Straight from Sa Pa to Lao Chải, then the 100 km second half to Topas Ecolodge.

Distance
69.8 km (43.4 mi)
Climbing
3,900 m (12,795 ft)
Start
Sat, Sep 19, 3:00 AM
Time limit
21 h

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The 70 km starts at 3:00 on Saturday, with no outside assistance. You climb Hàm Rồng, roll down to Hang Đá, then lose 500 m in 3 km to Lao Chải. The organizer extended the climb from there higher up the valley side, past remote Hmong villages.

From Cát Cát you run the 100 km course: Ô Quý Hồ, Cow Mountain, the descent to Tả Phìn, the steep climbing through Sâu Chua, and Mount Silverstone before the finish. The first cutoff is at Ô Quý Hồ, at noon.

VMM 50 km

Through the Suối Hồ valley to Cow Mountain's 2,300 m summit, then east to Topas.

Distance
49.6 km (30.8 mi)
Climbing
2,700 m (8,858 ft)
Start
Sat, Sep 19, 5:30 AM
Time limit
18 h 30 min

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The 50 km is VMM's other World Trail Majors distance, and starts in two waves, at 5:30 and 6:00. After a flat start to Sa Pa's lake you climb out of town, drop into the Suối Hồ valley, then climb, mostly on singletrack through pine forest and grassland, to the top of Cow Mountain at 2,300 m.

From Suối Hồ (km 7.4) to Tả Phìn (km 18.9) is 11.5 km without a checkpoint, with 854 m of climbing and 1,121 m of descent. Both waves have the same cutoffs, set with time to spare for the second wave.

A terraced valley near Sa Pa, with mountains behind under white clouds
BehindTheTmuna / Unsplash

VMM 21 km

Up Hàm Rồng, along the Mường Hoa valley and over Mount Silverstone to Topas.

Distance
23 km (14.3 mi)
Climbing
1,100 m (3,609 ft)
Start
Sat, Sep 19, 8:00 AM
Time limit
13 h

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It's 23 km with 1,100 m of climbing, longer than its name. You climb Hàm Rồng straight out of town to the high point, around 1,900 m, then run a mostly runnable descent to Hang Đá with Fansipan (3,143 m) in view. From there you lose about 550 m to Hòa Sử Pán. A forest climb up Mount Silverstone tops out at Lếch Mông, where the organizer puts flute players, and a long downhill brings you to the finish.

Starts go in three waves, from 8:00 to 8:30.

VMM 10 km

A loop from Topas Ecolodge through rice terraces and down to Bản Mới.

Distance
10.4 km (6.5 mi)
Climbing
500 m (1,640 ft)
Start
Sat, Sep 19, 9:00 AM
Time limit
6 h 30 min

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The 10 km is the only course that doesn't start in Sa Pa. A bus takes you from Sa Pa's Stone Church to Topas Ecolodge (the last leaves at 7:30), and there's no parking at the start.

The loop crosses a suspension bridge, climbs through Thanh Kim and rice terraces to a bamboo bridge and a water station at Lếch Mông A (km 5.1, not on the map), then comes down through forest to the checkpoint at Bản Mới.

aid stations

kmWhereCutoff
0Topas Ecolodge (finish)
7.4Bản Mới (CP M4) Sat 13:30
10.4Topas Ecolodge (finish) Sat 15:30

Registration and qualifying

Entry is online on the organizer's site, and closes a month before race day or when a distance fills. The 2027 dates and fees aren't out yet. In 2026 the fees went from VND 1,900,000 (about USD 73) for the 10 km to VND 8,900,000 (about USD 340) for the 100 miles.

From 50 km up you need a chip-timed qualifying race, linked when you sign up. The 50 km asks for 20 km or more with real climbing, the 70 km for 40 km, the 100 km for a 50 km mountain ultra, and the 100 miles for 60 km with 2,500 m of gain. Every runner must be 18 on race day. You can transfer your entry to another runner until 30 days before the race, but you can't defer it to another year unless you're pregnant.

Getting to Sa Pa

Rice terraces and wooden houses near Sa Pa, with a mountain in cloud behind
Damien Kopp / Unsplash

The nearest international airport is Noi Bai (HAN), in Hanoi. From Hanoi the bus to Sa Pa takes 5 to 5.5 hours. Night trains go to Lào Cai, about 40 km from Sa Pa by bus or taxi, and the organizer's Topas Mountain Express van costs USD 50 each way. Its 3 and 4-day packages include the transfers from Hanoi and back.

Race kit pickup, the expo and every start but the 10 km's are at Sapa Square. Nobody can collect your bib for you: bring ID and the signed indemnity form. After the finish, runners-only buses take you back to Sa Pa.

Supporters, drop bags and pacers

Only the 100 km and 100 miles allow outside assistance, and only at the checkpoints marked for crews on the map. You can have one supporter at a time, who carries the supporter card you register for through your race profile and one bag of up to 40 liters. Supporters can't set up tables or tents, eat the checkpoint food or run the course with you. The organizer doesn't transport supporters unless they're on its travel packages.

The 100 km has drop bags at Cát Cát (CP2) and Tả Phìn (CP4), the 100 miles at Bản Sái (CP M5) and Cát Cát. Every distance can leave a finish bag at the start. It waits at Topas Ecolodge, which has showers and a pool, so pack dry clothes and swimwear.

Pacers are allowed in the 100 miles only, from CP Topas for the last 75 km. A pacer needs a 40 km trail race with real climbing, carries the 70 km mandatory kit and nothing of yours, and gets to the checkpoints on their own. You can have two, one at a time, swapping at checkpoints.

Weather and kit

The organizer puts the September daily average in Sa Pa at about 20°C, and warns that the mountains can be very hot, or cool and wet. Pack for both, with sunblock and a hat. Rain matters most on the Cow Mountain descent, which is runnable in the dry and challenging in the wet.

Every checkpoint has water, but you carry your own bottles or bladder. Wear trail shoes, not road shoes. Each distance has its own mandatory kit list; you carry it all the way to the finish, and the top three get their kit checked.

VMM aid stations and GPS coordinates

For crews and spectators: each place on the map in decimal degrees, latitude first. Paste them into any map app or add them as waypoints in Goat Maps.

  • Sa Pa (start and CP Sa Pa)

    1,490 m (4,888 ft)

    22.33519, 103.84125

  • Topas Ecolodge (finish)

    948 m (3,110 ft)

    22.27638, 103.96699

  • Suối Hồ (CP M1)

    1,575 m (5,167 ft)

    22.35513, 103.83811

  • Hang Đá (CP M2)

    1,462 m (4,797 ft)

    22.31999, 103.88232

  • Hang Đá (70 km CP M2)

    1,491 m (4,892 ft)

    22.32222, 103.87666

  • Hòa Sử Pán (CP M3)

    1,094 m (3,589 ft)

    22.29872, 103.91837

  • Lếch Mông (water)

    1,400 m (4,593 ft)

    22.28913, 103.94491

  • Bản Mới (CP M4)

    1,010 m (3,314 ft)

    22.28929, 103.96677

  • Tả Thàng dam (CP M6)

    256 m (840 ft)

    22.29863, 104.02214

  • Suối Vạn Dền (water)

    750 m (2,461 ft)

    22.28101, 103.93002

  • Cầu Lao Chải (CP1)

    1,006 m (3,301 ft)

    22.31000, 103.87455

  • Ý Linh Hồ (water)

    1,127 m (3,698 ft)

    22.31202, 103.84386

  • Cát Cát (CP2)

    1,285 m (4,216 ft)

    22.33032, 103.83200

  • Ô Quý Hồ (CP3)

    1,738 m (5,702 ft)

    22.36890, 103.80206

  • Tả Phìn (CP4)

    1,309 m (4,295 ft)

    22.40032, 103.83777

  • Cầu 31 (CP5)

    1,249 m (4,098 ft)

    22.36698, 103.86809

  • Sâu Chua (water)

    1,598 m (5,243 ft)

    22.34741, 103.88158

  • Hầu Chư Ngài (CP6)

    1,548 m (5,079 ft)

    22.32010, 103.89550

  • Sử Pán (CP7)

    1,187 m (3,894 ft)

    22.29769, 103.92606

VMM FAQ

When is the Vietnam Mountain Marathon 2027?

The 2027 dates aren't announced yet. The 2026 edition ran from Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 September: the 100 miles started on Friday the 18th, the other five distances on Saturday the 19th.

Is the Vietnam Mountain Marathon a Western States qualifier?

The 100 km and the 100 miles were qualifying races for the 2027 Western States.

Is VMM a UTMB Index race?

Yes. The 100 miles counts in the 100M category, the 100 km and 70 km in 100K, the 50 km in 50K and the 21 km in 20K. Sign up with the same details as your UTMB profile so the result syncs. For ITRA, the 100 miles is worth 6 points, the 100 km 4 and the 70 km 3.

Can you have a pacer at the Vietnam Mountain Marathon?

Only in the 100 miles, for the last 75 km from CP Topas. Send your pacer's details to the organizer by its deadline (18 August in 2026); you can't change pacers after that.

Where does the Vietnam Mountain Marathon finish?

Every distance finishes at Topas Ecolodge, on a hilltop southeast of Sa Pa. The race fee covers a finisher meal and the pool there, and the shuttle back to town.

How do you get from Hanoi to Sa Pa?

By bus in 5 to 5.5 hours, by night train to Lào Cai and then about 40 km by road, or on the organizer's Topas Mountain Express van at USD 50 each way.

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Updated . An unofficial guide, from the organizer's published information. Coordinates from the organizer's course and OpenStreetMap contributors. Photos from Unsplash. Organize a race? We help with course files.