The promotion conducted at the venues of the Berlin event on Sunday followed the certification in July 2019 by the AIMS and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) of the running courses in Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, and Ha Long, a World’s Natural Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO, said Executive Director Nguyen Thi Hong Hanh of DHA Vietnam, one of the Vietnam races' organizers.
The certification means runners can use VHM results to qualify for attending the Boston Marathon, with the next event scheduled for April 20, 2020.
Running has been a popular public sport in Vietnam, but experts said many still lack skills and proper training as well as experience while competing in major races. In recent years, international marathons have been organized in various cities across the Southeast Asian nation, having drawn the participation of foreign runners and stimulated the training spirit of the Vietnamese.

AIMS has a booth at the Expo Berlin Marathon 2019, promoting many races, among which the VPBank Hanoi Marathon 2020 and the Halong Bay Heritage Marathon 2020 organized by DHA Vietnam. Photo by DHA.

Visitors of the AIMS booth in Berlin providing information on the world's most famous races can see various posters advertising for the AIMS/IAAF-accredited VPBank Hanoi Marathon Heritage Race (VHM) and Halong Bay Heritage Marathon (HBHM), to be held in October and November 2020, respectively.

Visitors of the AIMS booth can easily find information of VHM and HBHM, the best marathons organized in Vietnam by DHA.

Running courses having secured AIMS/IAAF certification mean they've met certain conditions, including the length which is measured accurately.
VHM, owned by DHA Vietnam, became an AIMS member earlier in September. The Hanoi marathon is scheduled for October 20, while HBHM will take place on November 24. VHM organizers have said they expected to get a turnaround of some 7,000 runners, nearly tripling the number of participants in a similar event last year.

In Berlin, the 2019 marathon organizers said a record number of 46,983 runners from 150 countries entered the 46th competition, which stands among the world's largest, fastest and most popular races. The annual marathon held in Berlin, along with five other cities, namely Boston, Chicago, London, New York City and Tokyo, is considered the world's most high-profile races.
Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, 37, won the men's game with 2:01:41, or two seconds  behind the world record made at the Berlin race last year. His two fellows-Ethiopian runners took the second and the third positions, while the top two prizes of the women’s race also belonged to Ethiopians.
In another step to bring Vietnam to the world's marathon map, VHM has assisted the accreditation for 10 Vietnamese athletes to compete at the Berlin marathon this year, Hanh from DHA said.
"The running course is cold, but beautiful," said Do Tran Trung, one of the 10 runners right after the race. "The atmosphere is great along the course. It is professionally arranged by the Organizing Committee, supporters and people are highly enthusiastic and the music band's play is just nice. This course deserves to be among the World's Marathon Majors."

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hong Hanh (second from right), Executive Director of DHA Vietnam, poses with Vietnamese runners

at the AIMS booth in Berlin. Photo by DHA.

Vietnamese runner Nguyen Tieu Phuong poses for a photograph at the Expo Berlin Marathon 2019's AIMS booth. Photo by DHA.

(HBM, 30.09.2019)