Ultra Trail Cao Bằng 2026 — race the karst peaks and the turquoise Quây Sơn river of Vietnam's far north, finishing at the mighty Bản Giốc waterfall.
Secure your bib →UTCB returns in late November for its 5th season. The course winds through chestnut forests, follows more than fifty waterfalls along the emerald Quây Sơn river, traces Vietnam's frontier border and opens onto the vast Bản Giốc falls. Every entry includes your Bản Giốc sightseeing ticket. In 2026 the ULTRA 160KM officially returns.
Recognised by UNESCO in 2018, this is a landscape more than 500 million years in the making — tropical karst towers, ancient marine fossils, some 200 caves and turquoise rivers. You will not simply race here. You will run through one of the most extraordinary corners of Southeast Asia.
Long before it became a runner's dream, Cao Bằng was a cradle of Vietnamese history — a frontier of emperors, revolutionaries and mountain cultures.
On the Quây Sơn river at the Vietnam–China border, Bản Giốc is often called Southeast Asia's largest natural waterfall — a three-tiered curtain nearly 300m wide, and one of the great border falls of the world alongside Iguazu, Victoria and Niagara. Your finish line stands before it.
After 30 years abroad, Hồ Chí Minh crossed border marker 108 back into Vietnam here. He named a stream "Lê-nin" and a peak "Các-Mác" — the spark that led to 1945.
In these woods, on 22 Dec 1944, Việt Nam's first army unit was formed under Võ Nguyên Giáp — 34 soldiers who became the People's Army of Vietnam.
For 83 years Cao Bằng was the "capital in exile" of the Mạc dynasty, who fortified the valleys against the Lê–Trịnh armies.
The legendary Tày–Nùng chieftain — still revered as the "Nùng King," with shrines across the region.
Home of "Then" ritual singing with the tính lute — inscribed by UNESCO — and living craft villages of blacksmiths and incense-makers.
This is a frontier course. It threads chestnut groves and terraced valleys, follows more than fifty waterfalls along the Quây Sơn, and climbs border ridges where no road reaches — corners of Cao Bằng that only a runner, on race weekend, will ever see. You do not just cross the landscape here. For a few hours, you belong to it.
| Distance | Original | On sale | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FUN 10KM | 1,400,000 VND ($53) | 1,232,000 VND ($47) | Choose |
| TRAIL 25KM | 2,400,000 VND ($92) | 2,112,000 VND ($81) | Choose |
| TRAIL 42KM | 3,200,000 VND ($122) | 2,816,000 VND ($108) | Choose |
| TRAIL 70KM | 3,900,000 VND ($149) | 3,432,000 VND ($131) | Choose |
| ULTRA 100KM | 4,500,000 VND ($172) | 3,960,000 VND ($151) | Choose |
| ULTRA 160KM | 6,800,000 VND ($260) | 5,984,000 VND ($229) | Choose |
*Every entry includes your Bản Giốc sightseeing ticket. Phased pricing — enter code NEWCB15 at checkout for 15% off. Prices rise after 28 Oct 2026.
UTCB is recognised in the world's trail-ranking systems. iTRA scores each race's difficulty and gives you a performance index; the UTMB Index (0–1000) rates you by distance category — your gateway toward the world's leading trail races.
| Distance | Start | Cut-off | UTMB Index | iTRA (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ULTRA 160KM | 16:00 Fri 27 | 51h | 100M category (confirming) | ~5 |
| ULTRA 100KM | 16:00 Sat 28 | 27h | 100K | ~4 |
| TRAIL 70KM | 03:00 Sun 29 | 16h | 50K | ~2–3 |
| TRAIL 42KM | 05:00 Sun 29 | 14h | 50K | ~2 |
| TRAIL 25KM | 09:00 Sun 29 | 10h | 25K | ~1 |
| FUN 10KM | 10:00 Sun 29 | 9h | — | 0 |
UTMB Index categories are official. iTRA points per distance are indicative estimates — final figures are confirmed by the organiser and ITRA.
Emerald rice trails, seas of cloud, thundering falls — and the faces that carry it all home.
Watch our runners cross hand in hand through the most beautiful corners of this wonderland — then come, and be one of them, this November. It is the loveliest month of the river and the three-tiered falls: water the colour of jade, leaves turning gold, a gentle 10–15°C breeze, and burnt-grass hills right beside the forbidden border.
Be one of them →Late November is Cao Bằng's dry autumn: crisp, cool and mostly rain-free. Days sit around 18–24°C — ideal for long efforts — while nights and dawn can drop to ~13°C in the high mountains. Firm trails, clear ridgelines, the chance of a sea of cloud. Come prepared for the cold hours:
Sightseeing entry to Bản Giốc waterfall — included in every distance.
Race-kit + chip-timed BIB.
A finisher medal for every distance.
Nutrition & water on course and at the finish.
Medical and rescue team, CP stations and safe cut-offs.
iTRA & UTMB Index certification + event photos (BIB & face search).
Staging a race this remote is not easy — the logistics and the costs are real. We do it anyway, out of a boundless love for trail and a wish to share the mountain villages of northern Vietnam with trail friends from around the world. What we promise in return: attentive support along the course, warm cheering from local people, and safety first — a professional medical & rescue team at the checkpoints. We do not shy away from the hard work of making a course worth your journey. Come, and be received with our deepest respect.
Cao Bằng is still a poor province — and among the most genuinely hospitable places on Earth. Here life is simple, unhurried and content. Visitors leave with something they didn't expect: a longing to return. Almost everyone who comes says the same thing — that they will be back, again, and again. It is, quite simply, a land that stays with you.
Half the reason to come. Fuel up before, feast after — Cao Bằng's kitchen is unlike anywhere on Earth.
The soul of Cao Bằng: dry rice noodles with crispy pork, roast duck, roasted peanuts and a sweet-sour dressing. Unforgettable.
Duck marinated in seven mountain spices, honey-glazed over charcoal.
Famous autumn chestnuts — big, buttery, roasted on the street.
Steamed rice rolls served in hot bone broth, not dipped — a local twist.
Cold-season fritters, golden and crisp, with a hot duck filling.
Sticky rice with black canarium fruit — nutty and purple-hued.
Highland smoked meats and sausage, cured over wood-smoke.
Traditional Tày–Nùng distilled corn wine.
Come for the race, stay for the wonderland. There is far more here than a single visit can cover — which is exactly why runners keep coming back.
Southeast Asia's largest natural falls — your finish line.
Turquoise water winding between karst peaks and rice fields.
Emerald terraces and the surreal "God's-Eye" pierced mountain.
Landscape photos © Race Jungle. Sights listed from Cao Bằng tourism guides.
Fly into Hanoi (Nội Bài) — the gateway to the north. From there it is a scenic road trip to Cao Bằng: comfortable sleeper coaches run nightly (~US$13–16), or hire a private car. Bản Giốc is about 90 minutes on from Cao Bằng city. Homestays, hotels and motorbike/car rentals are easy to arrange.
Elsewhere a mountain adventure costs hundreds of dollars a day. In Cao Bằng, life is simple and prices will surprise you — which is a big part of the magic.
Approximate traveller estimates — a fraction of what the same days cost in Vietnam's busiest resorts. No wonder no one wants to leave.
We run to protect what we love. Every runner who comes helps put this UNESCO geopark and its mountain communities on the map — bringing sustainable livelihoods to a beautiful, hard-working corner of Vietnam. Come to immerse yourself in highland village life, tread lightly, and leave only footprints. Your race is our best voice for conservation.
27–29 Nov 2026 in Cao Bằng (Bản Giốc area), Vietnam's far north. Main race day is Sunday 29 Nov. About 6–8h by road from Hanoi.
Six: 10, 25, 42, 70, 100 and 160KM (the 160KM ULTRA returns in 2026).
Tap "Register"/"Choose" to reach the official registration on racejungle.com and pay online — in English. Use code NEWCB15 for 15% off.
Yes — every distance includes your Bản Giốc waterfall sightseeing ticket.
Absolutely — English race info & support, and one of the most scenic ultras in Asia.
6 distances · Bản Giốc ticket included · code NEWCB15 for 15% off · limited spots.
Secure your bib →