MEDIA RELEASE. - We are very happy to announce that the 2025 Asia Trail Master Championship Final will be held in Vietnam at the 5th edition of the incredibly scenic Mù Cang Chải Ultra Trail event in Yen Bai province, in the Northwest of the country. Mù Cang Chải was part of our 2022 ATM calendar and has only grown more in popularity since. The 2025 edition is scheduled for 4 October, making it a perfect host for the conclusion of Season 10, which began in Indonesia late September 2024. The ATM Championship Final race will take place on the 75 km long course with qualified runners in national country teams and with a separate start time. . The event programme of course also features other categories that are open for the general public, and three of those also offer a point for the ATM Grandmaster Quest: 100 miles, 100km and 75km. Less ambitious runners can also sign up for the 55km, 25km and 12km, implying that all ATM Finalists can bring lots of friends to Mù Cang Chải in moral support!

It will be the first time the ATM Championship Final takes place in Vietnam. Over the past few years, Vietnamese trail runners have become increasingly competitive and visible. Not in the least thanks to Hau Ha, the young woman and single mum, from nearby Sapa, who burst onto the ATM trail scene in 2022, winning our women’s championship on Mount Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines. It was the beginning of Hau’s remarkable success story on the world stage . So far, Hau Ha is the only Vietnamese trail runner who has managed to win our championship, but great athletes such as Nguyen Si Hieu, Loi Luong and Julia Nguyen Thi Duong have been contenders and podium placers. With Mù Cang Chải as host of this Season’s Final, the Vietnamese community has home advantage and an excellent opportunity to show there is more than only Hau Ha!

Mù Cang Chải Ultra Trail is organised by the company Viet Jungle and is located in Yên Bái province, northwest of country capital Hanoi. It’s a large area famous for its spectacular rice terraces and hiking trails. It is mainly populated by the Black Hmong, a subgroup of one of Vietnam’s largest ethnicities.

As per tradition, the ATM Final will be held with all top runners together in one and the same race. The 75 km long course includes the best and most scenic parts of the Mù Cang Chải trail network and has a total elevation gain of 3700 hm. There are technical jungle trail sections, but the majority of the trails are quite runable, subject to weather conditions, of course. The race will start at Khuôn Viên at 5:30 am, roughly half an hour before sunrise. The finish line is at the same location.

As in the past three years, runners need to qualify for the ATM Championship Final by scoring ATM points throughout the season. Per Asian country, maximum five male and five female runners - the highest point scorers - will receive the invitation to join the Final. Former ATM Champions can score a wild card independent of the points ranking. A minimum of 2 ATM race finishes is required for everyone. The invitation includes 3 nights accommodation (1 in Hanoi, 2 in Mù Cang Chải), shuttle bus Hanoi-Mù Cang Chải-return, free race entry and the usual race pack collection perks. The top 10 male and female, plus the best performing team, will be invited to the ATM podium ceremony after the race.

The reigning ATM Champions are Jeff Campbell (Canada/Hong Kong) and Priya Rai (Nepal). Both are scheduled to defend their respective titles at Mù Cang Chải . The defending team champion is Team Nepal.

Below is the Mù Cang Chải event facebook page, where you can find all details on the event and also find the link to register for the open public races.. All specific information and details about the ATM Championship Final will be published, as usual, on the ATM Website on our dedicated webpage, and shared via our social network.

To get excited already, have a look at the 2025 teaser video and gallery below!

All details on the ATM Championsip Final will be made available on this dedicated web page.

Hau Ha is the only Vietnamese ATM Champion in our 10-year history

Last year, Loi Luong scored a great 4th place in the women’s ATM Championship Final in Malaysia

Nguyen Si Hieu was 6th in last year’s men’s ATM Championship at Borneo TMBT in Malaysia

Last weekend’s Mu Cang Chai Trail saw the two anticipated race winners cross the finish line first, indeed. Hau Ha once more demonstrated her speed and trail skills to take the women’s and overall title, while Trung Nguyen proved that on his day and on his type of terrain he is always a serious podium contender. The leading lady of Vietnamese trail running won for the third time in ATM this season and is now virtually guaranteed of her spot in her country’s national team for the ATM Championship Final in Philippines on 17 December. T8 athlete Trung Nguyen also sees a major boost to his qualification chances for… Team Singapore. Because that’s the passport he is holding.

The 50k race in the stunningly beautiful region of Mu Cang Chai did not go entirely smoothless. Alleged marking sabotage caused issues for plenty a runner, including Hau Ha. As in VMM two weeks ago, she had started and set a solid pace from the gun, but found herself off course quite a bit around the 15km mark. When she got back on the right trail, she had dropped down to fourth place overall. Yet, in no time she was catching up with male race leader Trung Nguyen and decided to stuck with him for the remainder of the race. Trung is indeed known and respected for his meticulous planning and ability to self-navigate using GPS. Some ten minutes behind the lead duo, South Africa’s Timothy Lombard and Nguyễn Đức Tuấn Anh had a battle for second place decided in favour of the foreign athlete. Nguyễn Đức Tuấn Anh is doing a great job for his ATM Vietnam ranking with his third top placing of the season and looks set for a Team Vietnam invitation in the ATM Final! The women’s 50k podium was completed by Vũ Thị Lan Hương and Nguyen Phuong, winner of VMM 100 MIles two weeks ago. In fourth place was Japan’s Harada Tamae.

Hau Ha and Trung Nguyen crossed the finish line together as race winners in Mu Cang Chai

It’s only two weeks after Vietnam Mountain Marathon, but this weekend our eyes are fixed on the country again. Mu Cang Chai Trail is a new entry on our ATM Championship calendar after a successful stint as a Candidate, and it features a 50k main race in a very picturesque region of Northwest Vietnam. Moreover, the fantastic overall winner of the 100k a fortnight ago is already back in action: Hau Ha!

As can be seen on the elevation profile below, the Mu Cang Chai Trail course has roughly nine identifiable hilltops, reminiscent of Jember Hills in Indonesia last month. On these hills, runners will adore astonishing views of rice terraces and the surrounding vegetation. Mu Cang Chai is also the name of the area, which is being promoted as a new adventure tourism destination. The event this weekend is a boutique event with homestay accommodation for participants in the style of Cordillera Mountain Ultra in Philippines, Bukit Lawang Orang Utan Trail in Sumatra and, indeed, Vietnam Jungle Marathon next month.

When she crossed the finish line at VMM, it was quite clear she had not gone to her limit. Already the next morning, Hau Ha told her coach that she feels ‘fine’ and ‘no pain anywhere’. Mu Cang Chai is therefore a go. This weekend, the objective is to collect another 500 ATM points and ensure her qualification for Team Vietnam in the Asia Trail Master Championship Final on 17 December: the Mount Apo Sky Race in Davao, Philippines. While she is of course the sky high race favourite, it is interesting to see Nguyen Phuong also on the MCC start list. Nguyen Phuong is the winner of the … 100 miles race at VMM two weeks ago!

The men’s race is quite open on paper. 2020/21 ATM points leader Trung Nguyen will be competing and has definitely podium potential. Technically Singaporean, Trung can also significantly boost his selection chances for Team Singapore in the ATM Final this weekend. Most likely, we will also get to know some new faces in this race, with local runners grabbing the opportunity to run themselves into the picture.

Ha Hau spent some time exploring the magnificent Mu Cang Chai region this week