The annual trail race in Sapa took place from the evening of 19/9 to 21/9. This was the 12th edition held in Sapa, with runners from 47 countries participating. Nearly 2,000 runners took part in ultra distances, ranging from 50km to 100km.

This year's event also marked a special milestone as VMM joined the World Trail Majors, a system of 12 top trail races worldwide. The 50km and 100km races at VMM 2025 were part of the World Trail Majors scoring system.

The men's 100km race was expected to be fiercely competitive due to the presence of many famous international runners, including Peiquan You, the two-time Hong Kong 100 champion from China, and British star Ryan Whelan. However, the Vietnamese runners dominated, claiming all three podium positions.

Ngo Van Chinh celebrates his victory in the men's 100km VMM 2025. Photo: VMM

Ngo Van Chinh celebrates his victory in the men's 100km VMM 2025. Photo: VMM

The champion, Ngo Van Chinh, a new face from the Sapa Ethnic Running Team, born in 1990, finished first with a time of 13 hours and 10 seconds, 36 minutes and 19 seconds ahead of the runner-up. Van Chinh was virtually unchallenged throughout the race, leveraging his local knowledge of the terrain and course. His time of 13 hours and 10 seconds also set a new record for the VMM 100km course.

The other two spots in the top 3 went to Nguyen Si Hieu (13 hours, 36 minutes, and 29 seconds) and Do Trong Nhon (13 hours, 44 minutes, and 24 seconds). Nguyen Tien Hung, known as Hung Hai, and Nepalese runner Sange Sherpa, the champion and runner-up in the 100km and 160km VMM races in 2024 and 2025, did not compete this year.

In the women's 100km race, Chinese runner Xie Wenfei dominated from start to finish, completing the race in 17 hours, 24 minutes, and 33 seconds. Xie is considered one of Asia's top female ultra runners.

As VMM is part of the World Trail Majors ranking system, Xie's victory in Sapa propelled her to third place in the overall season standings. In the most recent race, the 165km Grand Raid Pyrenees in France at the end of August, she finished third, accumulating significant points.

The remaining two spots in the women's 100km top 3 went to Vietnamese runner Nguyen Thi Tra Giang (18 hours, 7 minutes, and 58 seconds) and French runner Daphne Linderme (18 hours, 33 minutes, and 47 seconds). Tra Giang's second-place finish was a major surprise, as this was her first 100km race. The amateur runner from Ha Tinh had previously competed only in shorter distances and was known for her road race victories.

The 50km race saw dominant wins by two Chinese runners who are currently stars on the World Trail Majors circuit.

Jianjian Yang wins the men's 50km VMM 2025. Photo: VMM

Jianjian Yang wins the men's 50km VMM 2025. Photo: VMM

In the men's race, Jianjian Yang successfully defended his leading position with a time of 4 hours, 53 minutes, and 46 seconds, winning the 2025 World Trail Marathon Short Series. Another representative from the Sapa Ethnic Running Team, Sung A Phu, secured second place with 5 hours, 18 minutes, and 42 seconds, almost 30 minutes faster than the third-place finisher, South Korean runner Ko Min-chul (5 hours, 48 minutes, and 38 seconds).

In the women's race, Xiang Fuzhao won with a time of 5 hours, 41 minutes, and 10 seconds. With an ITRA score of 817 and two consecutive second-place finishes at the prestigious Western States 100, Fuzhao is the highest-ranked female runner to have competed in Vietnam. Her VMM victory solidified her position in the women's WTM Short Series after her win at the Mt. FUJI 100 Asumi 40k.

VMM is the first Southeast Asian trail race to join the World Trail Majors, a system of the world’s 12 largest trail races. Two other Asian races are already in the system: Mount Fuji 100 (Japan) and Hong Kong 100 Ultramarathon (Hong Kong). The remaining races are: Black Canyon Ultras (USA), RMB Ultra-trail Cape Town (South Africa), MIUT-Madeira Island Ultra-Trail (Portugal), The North Face Transgrancanaria (Spain), Swiss Canyon Trail (Switzerland), South Downs Way 100 (UK), Quebec Mega Trail (Canada), Grand Raid des Pyrenees (France), and Grampians Peaks Trail (Australia).

Established in 2013, VMM is the first ultra-trail race in Vietnam and attracts runners from around the world. VMM's membership in the World Trail Majors puts Vietnam on par with countries with long-standing and developed trail running scenes, such as France, Japan, and the USA.

As a result, VMM 2025 attracted many top runners to Sapa, not only to conquer the course but also to accumulate points for the global WTM rankings. The presence of big names like Peiquan You (China), Ryan Whelan (UK), Wenfei Xie (China), Fuzhao Xiang (China), and Jianjian Yang (China) made this year's race even more compelling.

At VMM 2025, runners competed in five distances: 10km, 21km, 50km, 70km, and 100km, with the route passing through four communes and wards: Sapa, Ta Van, Ta Phin, and Ban Ho.

Top 3 finishers in each category of VMM 2025:

Men's 100km

1. Ngo Van Chinh - Vietnam - 13:00:10

2. Nguyen Si Hieu - Vietnam - 13:36:29

3. Do Trong Nhon - Vietnam - 13:44:24

Women's 100km

1. Wenfei Xie - China - 17:24:33

2. Nguyen Thi Tra Giang - Vietnam - 18:07:58

3. Daphne Linderme - France - 18:33:47

Thuy Lien