Anybody up for jogging this week ?

Is jogging in Vietnam dangerous to your health?  I mean air pollution wise,  I notice when I pick my boogers they are black.

I don't know. Are there a lot of people who use to run here ? Do they survive ?

Depending on when and where you run. You'd be lucky if you didn't get hit by someone. Nice one on the booger. It makes sense now to me why people here pick their noses everywhere.

Run around the inside of the park next to pham ngu lau st , you won't get run over there , we'll , maybe you won't !!!!

Gday, in big crowded cities the only chance you've really got is early mornings. 
Whenever I'm down in Saigon I get up early to beat the chaos.   It's often the best time of day to see how a city wakes up.

During the day there, I've found that the botanical gardens around the Zoo to be one of the few places that's not crowded and you have the shade of the trees . It's a pleasant change to what's surrounding it.

Good luck with it.

I'm up in Nha Trang , it's a different world up here entirely. No problems with finding space, cool ocean breezes to cool you down as well, with 6klm of beach in the middle of town to run on.

Unless you have to be in Saigon , I'd be getting a $25  1 hour flight to nicer surroundings. There's plenty to see

I prefer the Walking Street on Nguyen Hue Street in District 1 or you can run or walk along the riverside and breathe the fresh air at any time at Bo Ke in District 3. Here is the website about Bo Ke with the photos for you to enjoy:

dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/cuoc-song-moi-tren-bo-ke-nhieu-loc-thi-nghe-1367808759.htm

I usually run in Công viên Lê Văn Tám park but at night. There are also pull up bars and other stuffs that you can work out with.

Hi everyone,

thanks for your advices. I just settled in the district 7, so I'll try to run around there. I'll let you know if I find a good circuit to run on. As some suggested, I'll probably run early, to avoid the crowd, and enjoy the coolness and quietness of the morning.

My only concern is that, well, I guess that people don't run much here, maybe I will look like a crazy guy for the locals. Do you guys have this feeling ?

Even as a pedestrian I felt a little bit out of place yesterday. Going from one district to another, sidewalks were pretty much empty, and I had the feeling that people are so much used to motorbiking that they don't bother to walk anymore. If I feel weird as a walker, I'll feel double-weird as a runner, for sure.

You're just weird being a white guy walking or running in the streets of Vietnam. Not being racial here it just that you will get looks from guys standing in front of shops picking their noses.

How about cycling? Running is not very good to do in the city!

@arebillout. I am living in District 7. The area where I live is having a wider road, not having busy traffic, There are trees and park around and many people (locals/foreigner) are walking,jogging or biking around or even small kids are on their small bikes. You will not look weird running or walking around as many people are used to do it or see it here.

Since you are also here in district 7, you can check out around Crescent Residence area, there are many people also walking or running at that place specially early morning. 
I Hope you will find soon a good place to do jogging! Cheers!

@jhanex17 Yep I just heard about the Crescent / Phu My Hung area, it seems promising ! I think it will be my first try for running

@Pearlin Duong I like cycling too, but I need a bike for that I don't know yet if I'm gonna buy one. Running is easier, I just need shoes, that's why it's my first choice when I want to do sport.

Yes that place would be ideal for your plan activity.

I stayed for few weeks in that residence and I was enjoying the morning view there with those early joggers and walkers on the scenery. It was calming to watch.

My place right now is Nam Thông 1 area its opposite Riverside condominium.  If you are close by you can also consider these area as an alternative if you wish to see different locations around 

@jhanex17 Just googling that at the moment. It's the area just south of Crescent / Phu My Hung, after the bridge on Ca Cam, isn't it ?

I can see also that there seem to be a big wild area, west of that, on the other side of Rach Dia.... Interesting...

You don't need to buy, can rent a bicycle at the shop if you re interested in off road cycling! Anyway, enjoy your jogging!

@Pearlin Duong Yep, didn't think about renting, you're right. Thanks for the tip !

Yes that's correct, the area around the Công viên Park that is a quiet residential place(if compare to city/district around,as far as I little saw here.) the not busy traffic will fit your activity.

Don't know yet about that wild life area Rach Dia.  I'm also a bit new here in HCMC (6 months) I'm also in the stage of discovering... Just shared you what little I know

Hello there,

I just went for my first run this morning. I woke up at 07:00, and I can already tell you that it's way too late! Sun is already high and aggressive at this moment. As for witnessing "how a city wake-up", it's a failure, Saigon was wide awake already, its main streets overflowing with motorbikes. OK, so I'll put the alarm at 06:00 next time !

Anyway, I went to the Phu My Hung area of district 7, where the Crescent is. And I can tell you it's a good place for runners. I run along the crescent (if you arrive earlier than me, I believe the sun is still behind the buildings), and in the little park that's the other side of the river. Then I went a little bit in the streets along the park, and it's pretty cool, the suburb is real quiet and cosy, and you can enjoy the shade of big trees all along.

All in all I run only 15 minutes, but I felt like it was 30. Now I need to get used to the heat. And I'd better buy a cap if I want to last in this country.

Well, that's all for today !

Hi runners !

It's a little bit late to warn you guys, but I just learned that there's a run tomorrow morning in Phu my Hung (District 7). It's a charity for cancer research.

Start at 08:00, distance is 5 km. Be sure to be there before 08:00 to have time to register.

http://terryfox.canchamvietnam.org/http://yeuchaybo.com/events/terry-fox-run-2015-hcmc/

Another info for all the joggers around, there's a run organized in Saigon the 24th of January:
3 distances: 5, 10 and 21 km. Time to start training !

http://marathons.ahotu.com/event/hcm-ru … idge#event

Great info....Thanks

D7 is nice place , good enviroment for your fun run.

Another great info for you runners, there's a 5km run organized the 26th of December in HCMC. It happens at 07:30 PM, that's nighttime !

http://yeuchaybo.com/events/electric-run-hcm-2015/

I will open a new topic just for that a week before, just to try to gather some people.

people do run in Saigon, just not on the streets as there are too many hazards. I often just do loops inside a park, either at night with everyone or during noon when everyone is sleeping. the heat just makes you sweat harder that's all, you'll get use to it over time. I've seen plenty of caucasians run around on the streets, nothing unusual   especially in D2.

there are a couple of social running clubs in Saigon, a friend recommended SRC.

facebook.com/sundayrunningclub/

they gather pretty early on Sundays. I can't recall the other group. I believe they do laps around dinh dop lap and the sports running track on nguyen thi minh khai a few days during the weeknights.

Hi Arnaud,

Yes, Crescent Mall and the park behind it are good running spots. We live in Phu My in D7 a bit further away from Crescent Mall, and at 6am there are many joggers on the streets in our area -- they seem to be walking more than actually jogging, but they're obviously exercising their sports shoes and shorts.

Have you checked the Hash House Harriers ("a drinking club with a running problem")? They're a fun bunch of people who run every Sunday through interesting areas outside Saigon, with drinks afterwards: saigonhash.com/. You're guaranteed to meet some interesting people.

Hashing was 'invented' by a group of colonial officers in Malaya in 1938 and it's going stronger than ever. More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_House_Harriers.

Rob

Hi, you can check out Saigon Hash, a run club with different routes every week.

Hi,

thanks for all this information. Never heard about the Hash House Harriers before, they look like a funny bunch of people.

I run often in Phu My Hung now, I get up at 05:30 and it's definitely worth it, cool air, quiet streets, sunrise, singing birds... The area is wide enough, the are several parks and big streets to go from one to another. It's good to start the day.

Pity that D7 is quite far for me t join in morning. I run in Gia Dinh Park (Go Vap), which I believe is the biggest park in SAigon.

Saigon Hash plus is that they find tracks with beautiful scenery, a rare thing in Saogon. Minus is that the run is in afternoon, starting around 2-3 pm, challenging weather.

Maybe we can organize a weekend run in the morning and then go for breakfast some time.

I'm in fact looking for some sport partners: badminton, run (max 5 km), swim... We can do at weekend or after work.

Have a good day everyone!

Hi Everyone,

I have been running and swimming in Dist 10 in Phu Tho area. The one-mile track is on Le Dai Hanh near the circle with Nguyen Thi Nho. Three laps make 5k. The 50m pool is on corner of Ly Thuong Kiet & 3 Thang 2 streets.

Track is in-field so air is good. Most people run starting around 4pm to 6-7pm. I'm usually there about 5pm 3x a week either MWF or TTS. Other 3x I'm at the pool in the morning around 9am.

Come and try out this area if you're up for it

Welcome to Saigon and have fun all,

David

Hey David,

is that track free? looks like some sort of horse racing track.

how much is the pools there? is it clean or crowded? I assume it has lap lanes?

Yes the track is free but you only need to pay parking which costs only 4000 Dong. There are two entrances on Le Dai Hanh but the one further from the circle is a little closer to the track. You're right, it used to be a horse racing track. Lots of activities around with mostly soccer. The track itself is unpaved and has this orangey color almost like clay..

The pool has 10 lanes, not crowded in the mornings.. 20000 Dong each pass all morning or afternoon weekdays and go by one-hour shifts on the hour on weekends. If you buy 10 passes you get 5 free a total of 15 for 200000 Dong.. Oh, it's pretty clean too

I've been in this area for years and to me it's the best area so far for swimming & running in one place but with different entrances nearby..

Have fun

Hi everyone,

if you feel like it I Invite you to run with me in D7 Phu My Hung, so that you discover the place if you don't know it. We can to that this week-end, or the next, or during the week. I have a lot of free time at the moment, so I let you decide what's best to you.

Then the next time you invite me at your favorite running site

Having breakfast or a beer afterward is, of course, mandatory !

So if you feel like it, just say it here, tell your best schedule, so that we get organized.

Cheers

This weekend is good. I can do it Saturday evening or Sunday morning. Which one suits you?
Next time we can try out Gia Dinh park, 3 rounds can make around 5 km.
On swimming, I find Rach Mieu is good. There is some interesting cafe and good massage place around that area.
Have a good day everyone!

Hey, I'd prefer saturday evening. What time is evening for you ?

Hello everyone,

Sorry to interrupt, just to point out that you may create an event here : https://www.expat.com/en/add-event/asia … minh-city/ under the sports/outdoor section and invite your friends and contacts.

All the very best
Bhavna

Thx, event created. Let's continue the discussion here:
https://www.expat.com/en/events/asia/vi … ict-7.html

haha. In the end, they all died. )