Athletics

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese marathon legend Bùi Lương has died aged 85 in Hà Nội.

Lương was one of Vietnam’s outstanding runners and coaches, achieving much as an athlete and producing number of champions, while inspiring many people to join the running movement.

Born in 1939 in Sài Gòn, now Ho Chi Minh City, Lương moved to live in Hải Phòng with his relative. He showed his interest in athletics and started running everyday.

In 1957, he took part in an event in Hà Nội and earned bronze which was when he became a true athlete.

In his 20-year career, his results were impressive, with nine national marathon championship titles in 1961 and from 1967 to 1974 and in setting a national record of 2hr 32min that held for 35 years.

Lương also secured golds and set records in other categories such as the 5,000m, the 10,000m and the half marathon.

Lương retired when he was 38 years old and worked as coach for the Hà Nội and the national team before taking charge of Vĩnh Phúc, Military Border Guard and Bình Phước.

Under his 42-year reign, until he was 82, he trained Đặng Thị Tèo to be national champion, Đoàn Nữ Trúc Vân to be 22nd SEA Games’ 10,000m winner, Nguyễn Chí Đông to become a 22nd SEA Games marathon silver medalist and national record holder, Hoàng Ngọc Hoa for the 31st SEA Games where he took bronze and Hoàng Nguyên Thanh for the 31st SEA Games, along with many other runners.

In 2016, he was given Lifetime Achievement Award for what he did for athletics.

After his retirement, Lương still kept running and he was a familiar face at the major tournaments such as the Tiền Phong Newspaper National Marathon Championship and Hà Nội Mới Newspaper’s Run for Peace.

Hà Nội

Hà Nội, the capital of Vietnam, is a city with a history spanning over a thousand years, originally established as the capital of the Âu Lạc kingdom and later serving as the center of French Indochina. It is renowned for its well-preserved colonial architecture, ancient temples, and vibrant Old Quarter, which reflect its rich and complex historical layers. Today, it stands as a major cultural and political hub, blending traditional Vietnamese culture with modern development.

Sài Gòn

Saigon, now officially known as Ho Chi Minh City, is the largest and most dynamic city in Vietnam. It was the capital of the French colony of Cochinchina and later the capital of the Republic of Vietnam until the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Today, it is a major economic hub where modern skyscrapers stand alongside historic French colonial architecture and bustling markets.

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, is the largest city in Vietnam and a major economic hub. It served as the capital of the French colony of Cochinchina and later of the independent state of South Vietnam. The city’s history is deeply intertwined with the Vietnam War, notably marked by the fall of Saigon in 1975, after which it was renamed in honor of the revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh.

Hải Phòng

Hải Phòng is a major port city in northern Vietnam, historically known as a crucial trading hub since the French colonial era. It features a blend of French colonial architecture and traditional Vietnamese culture, with notable sites like the Du Hang Pagoda and the Opera House.

Vĩnh Phúc

Vĩnh Phúc is a northern province of Vietnam, not a single cultural site, known for its scenic landscapes including Tam Đảo mountain and Đại Lải lake. Historically, it was part of the ancient Văn Lang nation and later saw significant development during the French colonial era with the establishment of hill stations. The area is also rich in cultural heritage, featuring numerous pagodas, temples, and traditional craft villages.

Military Border Guard

The Military Border Guard was a defensive zone established by the Habsburg Monarchy along its frontier with the Ottoman Empire. It was populated by communities of soldier-settlers, known as Grenzer, who were granted land in exchange for military service. This institution played a crucial role in the empire’s defense for centuries before being dissolved in the late 1800s.

Bình Phước

Bình Phước is a province in southeastern Vietnam, historically significant as a major terminus of the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam War. Today, it is primarily an agricultural and industrial region, known for its vast cashew nut plantations and rubber production.

Tiền Phong Newspaper National Marathon Championship

The Tiền Phong Newspaper National Marathon Championship is a prestigious annual sporting event in Vietnam, first organized in 1958 by the Tiền Phong (Vanguard) Newspaper. It was established to promote physical fitness and the spirit of sportsmanship among the Vietnamese people and has since grown into the country’s largest and most famous marathon.