When trail runners think of Dalat in Vietnam, they generally see runable, gently rolling pine forest trails passing by several coffee and tea plantations. Time for something spicier. Brah Yang Trail Summit promises to cater for the lovers of tougher mountain terrain and high elevation runs. Organised by Unique Events & Media that also brings you Prenn Trail Summit, this event from 6 to 8 March will show a different side of the wider Dalat region and offers two qualifiers for the ATM Championship points ranking (100km and 50km) and also two Grandmaster Quest distances (100km and 70km).

Already last year, when Brah Yang was a Candidate Race, runners were surprised by the diversity of terrain. The 100km is a challenge. Starting at 9pm on Friday, runners have 37 hours to complete the course and conquer the nearly 9000 metres of elevation gain.

Conquer Brăh Yàng, Yan Doan, Ba Mountain, Co Tien Peak, and many other summits within a mighty mountain range.  At the same time, be immersed in the symphony of old-growth forests and cascading waterfalls, listening to the deep mountain sounds. Lose yourself in mythical tales weaving through each summit, live among the cultural richness of the K’ho people, and bask in the stunning natural beauty.

The 50km is a challenging yet breathtaking route that takes you to the legendary Yan Doan summit. As the website reads: “ To reach it, you’ll journey through an endless pristine rainforest where sunlight filters through the canopy, birds sing melodiously, leaves rustle in the wind, streams babble urgently, and your footsteps crunch softly over a carpet of forest leaves. It's peaceful and strangely enjoyable.” The 50km race has a total elevation gain of nearly 3500hm, making it one of the toughest of the season! The start is scheduled for Saturday at 5 am, making it a daytime race for most. Lucky, the temperatures in Dalat usually remain moderate. The cut off time is 21 hours.

Grandmaster Quest runners can also choose the 70km category with 5200 elevation gain. 

No matter which distance you pick, this is a race to prepare for physically and mentally. You can find all details via the website below, and stay up to date via the event’s facebook page. Make sure you read through the mandatory gear requirements and general race regulations when signing up. The host venue is the Kala reservoir irrigation dam at Di Linh Cultural Park. To get there you can take busses from Ho Chi Minh City, or domestic flights to Liên Khương International Airport in Đức Trọng (Dalat), from where you can take taxi or grab.

A Taiwanese and Singaporean race winner in the male and female 70km race underlined a very international edition of Vietnam Trail Marathon in Moc Chau last weekend. For Ricky Sung it was the maiden race victory, while Dening Lo already scored her fourth in our Championship series. Nearly 600 runners took the start for the longest distance of the event, held in quasi perfect weather conditions.

Ricky Sung had already shown great form in Izu Trail Journey in Japan last month, a very competitive race in the wet in which he finished 15th. At VTM, he looked composed and unfazed when local newcomer Vung A Tung set the pace early on as the sun was rising. Sung caught him on the way to CP5, which more or less marked marathon distance. While the gap to Vung A Tung and also Lo a Dao did not grow that much, Sung never looked in trouble to grab the race win in 6h40’51”. He is also the first Taiwanese race winner ever in ATM. Vung A Tung still held onto second with Lo A Dao closely behind in third. Also for them it was the first ever podium finish. Germany’s Phillip Seckers finished fourth ahead of fellow Europeans Nick Van den Bleeken (BEL) and Scott Pugh (GBR/SGP). Yuta Matsuyama, a pre-race favourite, had to settle for seventh and was never in the hunt for victory. He had hoped for less runable terrain.

Dening Lo arrived shortly after Matsuyama as eighth overall. The Singaporean, who says she actually does not like racing, was in control of the race throughout.. Initially, though, Nguyen Ngoc Anh gave her some pressure by staying only around 3 minutes behind, but by CP 5 the gap had begun to increase. It’s Dening’s fourth ATM race win and she looks podium material for next month’s Season 10 Championship Final. Nguyen Ngoc Anh took a great second place , ahead of last year’s winner Giang Linh. The latter said the weather in her native Sapa had not been ideal in recent weeks, preventing her from proper training.

Claire Stone took fourth, ahead of. Ta Thi Linh in fifth place. Nguyen Thanh Thuy concluded her race in sixth.

At VTM this year, two Silver Grandmasters also managed to reach level 4 of their Grandmaster Quest: 20 ATM long ultra finishes. Yvette Chong Mi Chin is the first Malaysian female to become Golden Grandmaster. Mario Yap is the second Filipino male to achieve this great feat.

The next Vietnamese qualifier for the ATM Championship points ranking this season is Brah Yang Trail Summit in the Dalat area in the south next month.

It won’t get as cold as last year, but some light rain might make the course of Vietnam Trail Marathon treacherous in parts. The 70 km race is one of the key ATM Championship qualifiers in Vietnam and sees ever more names and countries on its start list. Only the long distance category already features at least 585 runners this year! Everyone is looking forward to enjoying the truly fantastic Trails of Moc Chau on Saturday.

Both the men’s and women’s races could very well see some new names emerging at the top of the result sheets. Especially the male category does not have an obvious pre-race favourite, in the absence also of last year’s brilliant winner Nguyen Si Hieu. Expect Japan’s multiple ATM race winner Yuta Matsuyama (Mantra 116 last year, 2x UTCM before) to be close to the front in any case. Matsuyama is also prepping for the ATM Championship Final next month , a race where he always wants to look and be good - especially now that his country team Japan looks like a major challenger for the ATM Team Championship title. He also enjoys moderate temperatures and can combine pure running speed with a significant technical skill set. Could Singapore’s Scott Pugh, host of the Endurance Asia podcast, cause a surprise? Also Scott is prepping for a significant goal in a few weeks and could certainly be on or near the podium this weekend. He did score an ATM race podium in Vietnam before. On the local Vietnamese side, we should keep an eye on Vang A Tung and Lo A Dao, two up and coming runners who may step out of the shadows this weekend. As always, there’s a list of international runners who are lesser known on our scene and could steal the show. Poland’s Michael Lesniak and Germany’s Philiip Secker, for example.

The women’s 70km perhaps has two slightly distinct favourites for the victory. Not in the least last year’s winner Giang Thi Linh, who returns to try and score a back-to-back victory. It was her only ATM race last year, meaning she unfortunately did not qualify for Team Vietnam at the Championship Final. A protege of Hau Ha, Giang Thi Linh would otherwise certainly be a Top 10 contender, perhaps even Top 5. Let’s see the progress she has made this Saturday. She is up against Singapore’s Dening Lo, a runner with several ATM race wins on her record in various countries and also a Championship podium contender next month in Hong Kong. Other runners to watch out for are Tran Thu Trang, third last year, Le Thi Hang (let’s see if she recovered from Prenn Trail Summits last week), Nguyen Ngoc Anh and why not India’s Ashwini Bhat and Malaysia’s Syarifah Hamzah, who had some great competitive performances in ATM last season.

VTM 70 is also part of the ATM Grandmaster Quest of course, and this Saturday two Silver Grandmasters can earn their 4th star to become Golden: Philippines’ Mario Yap and Malaysia’s Yvette Chong Mi Chin (see also yesterday’s news post).

ATM will be reporting live from VTM all Saturday starting at 4:45 am for the race start at the event hotel in Moc Chau.

With regret we have to inform everyone of the confirmation that the return of Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths in Vietnam has been postponed from early April to the end of December 2026. The postponement is the result of a major survey conducted by the event organiser, Race Jungle. According to the statement linked below via facebook, the main consideration is the difficulty of the race at the end of the trail running season in Vietnam (which mirrors the Hong Kong season). Moreover, end of year is perceived to be a better and more beautiful fime to enjoy the Cuc Phuong primary forest.

A major implication for the Season 11 ATM Championship is that Cuc Phuong hereby also moves from Season 11 to Season 12. At present there’s therefore one less qualifier event for Vietnamese runners to score points in their attempt to qualify for the ATM Championship Final, which will take place in Vietnam - at Mu Cang Chai on 3 October. Previously this season, also Lam Dong Trail in Dalat got cancelled following the terrible weather in the region over the past months. The next ATM Championship qualifiers are Vietnam Trail Marathon next month and Brah Yang Trail Summit in March. Prenn Trail Summit, also coming up in January, offers Grandmaster points. We aim and hope another Vietnamese event can still be included on the Season 11 calendar.

We are happy to announce that Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths in Vietnam returns to the ATM Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendar in 2026, after a one year break. The event is scheduled for its traditional first weekend of April from 3 to 5 April. On the programme are a 100km long ultra and 42km medium distance trail as qualifiers for the ATM Championship points ranking. Runners on the Grandmaster Quest can, besides the 100, also look at the 75km category.

‘CPJP’ quickly developed a reputation as one of the most challenging long rainforest ultras after the corona crisis. The 100km is gruelling, taking participants deep into primary rainforest in the second part of the race. One of those races in which elevation gain does not reflect the toughness of the course. Long ultra runners should also be self-sufficient to a certain degree, as there are large sections deep inside without any mobile signal and participants are required to look out for each other in case of need. In contrast, the 42km category is one of the more runable and technically easier races of our entire ATM Championship calendar. CPJP therefore offers chances for all types of trail runners.

Cuc Phuong is a national park and accommodation is relatively scarse, so you need to plan ahead if you are looking for more than a mattress. Transportation from Hanoi to Ninh Binh or Cuc Phuong directly is relatively easy to arrange in the capital city directly.

Nguyen Tien Vo and Tara Savage were the 100km race winners in 2024, with Nguyen Si Hieu and Akane Nemoto taking top honours on the 42km. Previously, also Hisashi Kitamura won the 42km race in 2023. Big names on the winners’ list in other words.

Heavy rainstorms continue to wreak havoc in Southeast Asia, particularly in Vietnam. This weekend’s Lam Dong Trail in Dalat, was postponed to a later date yesterday as the safety of runners, crew and volunteers could no longer be guaranteed for Saturday. Lam Dong Trail is a popular ATM qualifier for the ATM Championship ranking with its 85km race, which is also valid for runners’ Grandmaster Quest.

As the event committee announced: “Due to the increasingly complex developments of the storm and based on recommendations from local authorities, the Organizing Committee has decided to postpone Lâm Đồng Trail 2025 to ensure the absolute safety of all runners, volunteers, and operational teams.

Updates regarding the new race schedule will be announced as soon as possible on our official channels. We sincerely appreciate your understanding and continued support.”

It is the third cancellation / postponement of trail running events in a month’s time. Early October, also in Vietnam, Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail could not take place following the damage caused by another major typhoon. The event will now just skip a year and return on 3 October 2026. Also in Mindanao, Philippines, the Bislig Ultra got postponed to a new date on 18/19 April 2026.

It is a cliche as high as a skyscraper: you can be 100% ready and prepared to stage a wonderful event, but you can never book the weather. A very powerful typhoon hit Hanoi and Northwestern Vietnam on Monday and early Tuesday causing havoc and heaps of damage through landslides and flooding, even in Hanoi City. With road access to the Mu Cang Chai town and region blocked as well, the local authorities informed the organiser of Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail that the upcoming event, scheduled from 3 to 5 October, cannot be held in the given circumstances. On Tuesday night local time, the official announcement was published via the company’s facebook page and shared via Asia Trail Master.

The 2025 Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail event will not be re-scheduled for later this year and instead all efforts will be directed towards the 2026 edition already scheduled for the same first weekend of October.

In collaboration with the event organiser, Asia Trail Master is considering options for a new date and venue to still hold the Season 10 Championship Final race before year’s end.

Runners who are travelling to Hanoi can still make use of the previously planned hotel arrangement in Hanoi. Gatherings may be organised ad-hoc for Friday and Saturday.

A few runners, including reigning female ATM Champion Priya Rai, witnessed the typhoon first-hand as they had already arrived in Hanoi before. Grandmaster Ann Jiiian Pulanco got stuck between Hanoi and Mu Cang Chai during her journey to the event destination. 2022 ATM Champion and local hero Hau Ha stated that her hometown Sapa is also cut-off due to landslides.

Asia Trail Master and the event organising team of Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail are highly grateful for runners’ kind understanding of this force majeure situation. Further information is to follow.

Following last weekend's KAR Ultra in Malaysia, the ATM Championship Points Ranking has been updated. You can check the full ranking on ATM Web with all details, how runners scored their points in each event. Important: the 50-point Abroad Bonus has now been applied and is included in the runners' totals. So, this is how we go into the last 3 points race events of Season 10, before the big Final at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail in Vietnam on 4 October.

Quite a few runners are guaranteed of their spots in the teams already, and may already be contacted by our ATM crew in early August. The final qualifiers in each country team will be known after the Ijen Mountain Marathon in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia on 6 September.

COMING UP IN SEASON 10:

• 16/08: The Punisher (Philippines) : 80km

• 30/08: Borneo TMBT Ultra (Malaysia): 100km/50km

• 06/09: Ijen Mountain Marathon (Indonesia): 50km

• Final: Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail (Vietnam): 75km

To find out details about Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail and the ATM Final, please consult the dedicated page on ATM Web. Qualified runners will be expected to arrive in Hanoi on Thursday, 2 October, in order to take the shuttle bus to Mu Cang Chai on Friday morning.

This year’s Prenn Trail Summit in Dalat, Vietnam, has been moved forward on the trail calendar and is now scheduled for the last days of November. It will be a major Grandmaster bonanza, as there’s no fewer than four GM distance categories on the event programme. The longest one is even a mega ultra of 250km! Slightly less ambitious trail runners looking for a Grandmaster point can also choose for the 187km, 103km and 75km categories. Important: PTS is only part of the ATM Grandmaster Quest calendar in 2025, not of the Championship calendar.

Directed by the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Lam Dong Province, and executed by Unique Events & Media in collaboration with Tea Resort Prenn, Prenn Trail Summit presents a unique opportunity for runners to challenge their limits while exploring the unparalleled beauty of Lam Dong in an inspiring setting. ‘PTS’ goes all-in on the long ultra scene, after already producing the longest ever Vietnamese ultra in 2024. As the great event website reads: “ These awe-inspiring and grueling trails will test the endurance, determination, and strength of each participant, providing runners with an experience that goes beyond conquering the race – it is a journey to overcome themselves.”

Prenn Trail Summit centres around the Prenn tea resort and, while also Dalat, offers a different trail course going into different areas than other events, such as Lam Dong Trail. The 250km starts on 27 November already, i.e. on Thursday at 13:00 lunchtime. The 187km runners start early on Friday morning, quasi around sunrise. If you’re aiming for the 100km or the 75km then flag off is at different times on Saturday night late.

The 2024 edition indeed had very good feedback from also the many international participants, which included reigning ATM Champion Jeff Campbell, Chris Timms, Tomohiro Mizukoshi, Risa Kamiya, Yvette Chong Mi Chin and plenty of other very experienced trail runners in the Asian region.

Registration is open, and you can also check all the details of the requirements and the course maps on the website. Latest updates are also frequently posted on the official facebook page of Prenn Trail Summit.

A runners’ favourite in the early part of the year: the next Vietnam Trail Marathon in Moc Chau has been scheduled for the last weekend of January in 2026. As usual, the 70km race is a points race for the ATM Championship Ranking and Grandmaster Quest. Registrations are already open and go via Topas’ Vietnam Trail Series website, linked below.

VTM is definitely among the most scenic races on the calendar and offers a great mixture of runability and technicality. Weather plays a role on the eventual conditions of the trails, and one may remember the surprisingly chilly temperatures this year’s event took place in. It caught young athletes such as Godwin Mirar also by surprise, as the Filipino completely disintegrated in the last 15km - frozen - and saw his first ATM race victory slip away. It was Vietnam’s current leading male runner Nguyen Si Hieu who took top honours. The women’s race saw Hau Ha fan Giang Linh first across the finish line at the tea plantation near the tourist town of Moc Chau. The VTM course definitely also has bite with nearly 3000 metres of elevation gain to be conquered.

As usual, it is highly recommended to purchase one of VTS’s travel packages for the event to take all the hassle out of your trip to the event. That way you just go to Hanoi and then the traditional bus meeting point at the West Lake and you’re good to relax. The event busses are both punctual and comfortable.

Do not linger too long to sign up, as you are not the only one going there for the race on 31 January!

The 4th edition of Lam Dong Trail in Dalat, Vietnam, has been scheduled for 8/9 November and will once again feature a 85km points race for the Asia Trail Master Championship ranking and the Grandmaster Quest. As such, it will be one of the first events in Season 11 , which will be launched on 18 October in Laos with the Luang Prabang Ultra Trail.

The past three editions of Lam Dong Trail have seen many of Vietnam’s top runners take part, including Hau Ha, Quang Tran, Julia Nguyen Thi Duong, Loi Luong and so on. The main race is characterised by its quite runable character, as most races in the Dalat area are. Nevertheless, with over 4000 metres of elevation gain this is by no means an easy flat run in the park. The event centre is again at the Valley of Love, which is located just 4 km outside of Dalat City. There’s accommodation available around the venue, but it is certainly also possible to just stay in the city. The start is at 3 am , implying a few hours of darkness and rather chilly temperatures before sunrise. The course goes through several sublime pine forests and across numerous hills. The cut off time is 21 hours , which means midnight on Saturday night.

For those who have never been to Dalat, the city is located in the Central Highlands in the Southwest of Vietnam. It lies at an altitude of approx 1500m above sea level, which means it is one of those areas that can have all four seasons in one single day. Dalat has a domestic airport, but you can also go there on road from Ho Chi Minh City.

Registration for Lam Dong Trail has already opened. Just go to the official website, which is also in Englsh, and make sure you also look at the list of mandatory gear. GPX files of the route will also be available for download.

Running back in time

The 2nd edition of Vietnam Ultra Marathon in Mai Chau lived up to its hype as the men’s and women’s 75km were exiting races to follow from start to end. Both John Ray Onifa and Hau Ha had to work for their new triumph, making it all the more sweet, of course. The Filipino 2023 ATM Champion had to fend off a late attack by the surprising Alex Neyrinck, while the fast-starting Vietnamese 2022 ATM Champion was forced to defend a mere five minute gap against Veronika Leng the entire race. To note was also the superb third place on the podium of Nguyen Si Hieu, who ran the best race of his life to finish ahead of Lodewijk Vriens, Kristian Joergensen and others.

His 15th ATM race win also earns John Ray Onifa his wild card for this year’s ATM Championship Final at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail, also in Vietnam on 4 October. Hong Kong-based Briton. Alex Neyrinck, part of the T8 Team, gave Onifa a hard time in the second half of the race as he returned to the front after the long descent. Ultimately, Onifa still had a little extra in the tank for the last hill with under 10k to go to keep the advantage. He crossed the line in 7h15 , three minutes ahead of Neyrinck. Important for the rest of the season, he will run Lantau 70 in three weeks next, which may put Neyrinck in a strong position to get qualified for the Championship Final in October.

Nguyen Si Hieu, winner of VTM 70 two months ago and 6th place at the ATM Final in 2024, outgunned another Hong Konger, Lodewijk Vriens, in the final kilometres to get the podium. Amazingly, this happened just nine minutes behind Onifa. Kristian Joergensen settled for fifth place. He was always there until, a little surprisingly, he wasn’t anymore. He would finish just behind the first female, Hau Ha. Nguyen TienVo was the second Vietnamese runner in the finish, in sixth place. Also for him that was a fine result and an improvement compared to VTM in January. In 7th place, we have fast-starting Le Tan Hi. The Vietnamese runner dropped down the leaderboard after bravely trying to follow John Ray Onifa early on, but managed to catch his breath again and passed Singapore-based American Humberto Baeza, winner of Lam Dong Trail in Dalat last November, in the last section. Britain's Kristian Morgan takes 9th place, and Vietnam's Tu Do (Nguyen Duc Tuan Anh) completed the men's top 10.

In the women’s race, Hau Ha - in her new team colours - opened a small gap early on in the race and then managed to defend those four-five minutes throughout the entire 75km race. Eventually, Veronika Leng, the 2019 ATM Champion, understood the Vietnamese superstar was not going to slow down and crossed the finish line nine minutes behind her. The two global trail stars were split up in the result by Kristian Joergensen, proving what a high level they were performing at. Hau Ha was visibly delighted with her victory after a few weeks of change and turmoil, including a race defeat against the same Veronika Leng back in January. The latter nevertheless confirmed that 2025 is her definite return to the high-performance trail scene.

Third place on the podium went to China’s Wu Yuanyuan, who was basically running on an island - nobody immediately ahead of her, nobody behind her. In fourth and fifth came Tran Thu Trang and Christine Mitchell.

After Lam Dong Trail, Prenn Trail Summit, Vietnam Trail Marathon and Vietnam Ultra Marathon, all four Vietnamese points races of Season 10 have been wrapped up. The next Vietnamese event is the conclusion of our season: the ATM Championship Final at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail on 4 October. Runners can of course continue to score ATM points in order to qualify for that Final in all the remaining races on our calendar .