to raise public awareness over environmental protection and promote local tourism post-Covid-19.

 

A foreign runner participates in the 2019 Mekong Delta Marathon Hau Giang. This year’s edition will take place in late August – PHOTOS: THU THAO

Tourists and athletes can enjoy a wide selection of events, such as the South Korea-Hau Giang industrial trade fair, a festival displaying Vietnamese fruits and traditional cakes and the Mekong Delta Master Chef competition.

The provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will also organize six tours for tourists to experience the culture, cuisine and natural beauty of the Mekong Delta province.

Stressing that the launch of the sports tourism festival is aimed at promoting tourism in the province, Nguyen Van Hoa, director of the department, called on investors to take part in its tourism projects at Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve, Dai Hai Lake in the provincial city of Vi Thanh and many other areas.

Through the event, the province also seeks to announce that it is a safe destination and is taking steps to stimulate tourism after being hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, said the official.

As for this year’s marathon, it will kick off on August 30 at Vi Thanh City’s Hoa Binh Square, with 42-kilometer, 21-kilometer, 10-kilometer and five-kilometer races.

 

A female runner in the 42-kilometer race at the 2019 Mekong Delta Marathon Hau Giang poses for a photo with local children in Hau Giang.
 

The organizing board will award a prize of VND100 million to any athlete that breaks last year's record in the 42-kilometer category.

Each runner will plant a tree during the upcoming event to raise environmental awareness and raise money for the social welfare fund of the province, Hoa noted.

According to the organizing board, over 1,000 athletes have registered to join the marathon via the website 123.go.vn, and the sports league is expected to attract some 6,500 runners this year. SGT

Thu Thao