Tú Làn Adventure Race 2025

The Tú Làn Adventure Race has earned its reputation as one of Vietnam's premier adventure races, and for good reason. First held in 2015, it quickly became a sensation, drawing adventurers with its unique blend of challenges: an 8km upstream paddle on the Rao Nan River, a 7km run through Tân Hóa - Best Tourism Village 2023, a grueling 19km primeval forest run, a 300m swim through a dark cave, and exhilarating climbs and river crossings. Tú Làn Adventure Race is more than just a playground for thrill-seekers; it catalyzes positive change in the local community.

Back in the 2010s, Tân Hóa was just a remote mountainous area in the harsh central region of Vietnam, often hit by frequent natural disasters due to its location in a flood-prone area. Devastating floods, etched in the nation's memory, had left a lasting impact on the impoverished community.

The Tú Làn Adventure Race was first organized in 2015 with a mission to create an unforgettable experience for adventure enthusiasts while supporting the construction of flood-resistant houses for local residents. Between 2015 and 2020, the race helped build 90 floating houses in Tân Hóa, inspiring other philanthropists to contribute hundreds more. The Tú Làn Adventure Race 2025 returns with a new mission: to create a sports playground for 10 teams of 100 top participants to conquer the most unique activities in Tân Hóa, boost tourism development, increase income for locals, and assist residents in this flood-prone area. Additionally, the race will directly sponsor 35 self-contained composting toilets for disadvantaged households in Tân Hóa, replacing traditional toilets and contributing to environmental sanitation.

The Tú Làn Adventure Race 2025 features a decisive and challenging journey that demands high determination from participants in various combined activities: paddling metal boats across the legendary Rào Nan River, running, mountain climbing, trekking through dense tropical forests, and exploring the renowned caves of the Tú Làn Cave System. The total estimated distance is over 44 km.

To ensure the quality of the event and prioritize conservation efforts, the race is limited to 100 participants (10 teams of 10). Throughout the race, participants must adhere to strict safety and conservation regulations.

To register additional support members, teams must contact the organizer directly.

The Organizer: Oxalis Company Limited.

Prizes

Timeline

  • • Announcement of the Tú Làn Adventure Race 2025: December 9, 2024
  • • Registration opening: 9:00 AM on January 10, 2025
  • • Race dates: March 27, 2025 to March 30, 2025

Itinerary

DAY 1 (March 27, 2025): GATHERING

All teams are required to arrive at the Gathering Point (Phong Nha Bus Station) by 1:00 PM on March 27, 2025, for check-in. There will be no mission today. Upon arrival, teams can enjoy the cool air and experience the peaceful village atmosphere before check-in and boarding buses to travel to Tân Hóa.

In Tân Hóa, teams will attend a safety briefing before the race, then return to local homes for dinner and rest.

Oxalis will provide:

  • • Transportation: Bus service from Phong Nha to Tân Hóa
  • • Necessary transportation information
  • • Dinner at a local home
  • • Camping facilities at local resident’s house: tents, sleeping bag, pillow, locks for luggage’s tent (each team will be provided 5 tents in total including 3 tripled-tents, 2 single-tents)
  • • Program materials and necessary information to ensure all participants understand the rules, regulations, and guidelines during the event

The teams need to prepare:

  • • Self-arranged transportation to the gathering point in Phong Nha.
  • • Full personal gear is required for the race before departing for the gathering point in Phong Nha.

DAY 2 (March 28, 2025): RÀO NAN VOYAGE

On the second day, after breakfast, all participants will move to the Starting point - Oxalis Office in Tân Hóa. Teams are required to participate in a team game and solve a puzzle before heading to the starting point for the boat race. At this point, each team will be given a metal boat to race from Hang Chuột (Rat Cave) to the destination at Hang Rùa (Turtle Cave). This will be a tough challenge, with a total race distance of over 8 km, paddling upstream. Teams must carry the boat over rapids and small waterfalls to avoid damaging it. Team spirit will be crucial for success. After the boat race, teams will travel 900m through Hang Rùa (Turtle Cave), then run about 7 km back to the finish point of the first day’s race, arriving before 5:00 PM. Teams that miss the deadline will not be counted in the scoring for the next day’s race.

At the end of the first day, participants will have time to enjoy the tranquil beauty of the forests, mountains, and rivers of Tân Hóa. Local cuisine will be served at the villagers' homes, and all teams will rest overnight at pre-arranged homestays.

Itinerary:

  • 06:00 Breakfast at local resident’s houses
  • 07:00 Teams gather in front of Oxalis Tân Hóa office & receive packed lunches
  • 08:00 Rule & regulation briefing of Rao Nan Voyage day
  • 09:45 Teams will participate in the treasure hunt, then race from the Oxalis office to the entrance of Rat Cave to collect their boats. The final destination is Turtle Cave. From there, teams will navigate through the cave and continue the race on foot back to the Oxalis Tân Hóa office. The first day’s race will be complete once teams arrive at the office.
  • 17:00 Teams arriving later than 5 PM will not be eligible to have their marks scored on the next day. Gather at Oxalis Tân Hóa office for the Day 1 race summary.
  • 18:00 Teams will have dinner at local homestays, learn about the culture of the Nguồn people, and rest for the next day's race.

Oxalis will provide:

  • • Camping gear: tents, sleeping bags, mattresses, pillows (each team will be provided 5 tents including 3 tripled-tents & 2 single-tents; two locks to lock luggage tent)
  • • One metal boat for each team (with 10 paddles, 2 water scoops)
  • • Life vest for all participants
  • • One waterproof dry box on the boat
  • • One semi-dry bag, one plastic bag for lunch packs
  • • One first-aid kit on a boat
  • • Secure storage for valuable belongings
  • • Rescue and first-aid team along the race
  • • Water-supply stopovers along the race
  • • Lunch packs (‘banh mi’ & energy bar)
  • • Dinners at local houses
  • • Water bottles (Note: participants need to keep the water bottles for refilling/replacing at the stopovers)

DAY 3 (29/3/2025): TÚ LÀN CONQUEST

Today’s race will be longer, more challenging & dangerous than the previous day. During the race, participants will not only race to achieve ultimate victory but also have the chance to explore the marvelous beauty of the jungle & cave of the Tú Làn Cave System. That will be a great help in overcoming the fears & challenges of TÚ LÀN CONQUEST day.

Itinerary:

  • 06:30 Breakfast at the Oxalis Tân Hóa campsite.
  • 07:30 Organizers will explain the rules and regulations for the Tú Làn Conquest stage.
  • 08:00 Start the race: running, cave crawling, mountain climbing, and swimming through the water cave. Teams will start 5 minutes apart. (300m swimming through the water cave, 8km of flat terrain, 11km through forest and mountains, 3 hills with an average elevation of 250m, and 4 mountain peaks to climb). The total distance is approximately 19km.
  • 17:00 All teams must arrive at the Oxalis Tân Hóa office (teams that do not complete the race on time will not receive points for the day)
  • 18:30 Gala Dinner & Prize Announcement. Spend the night at Oxalis Tan Hoa campsite.

Oxalis will provide:

  • • Breakfast prepared by local restaurant chefs
  • • Packed lunch for each team, including rice balls, sesame salt, braised pork, and ham (teams will carry by themselves)
  • • Rescue staff stationed along the race stages
  • • Water stations along the race route
  • • One walkie-talkie for each team in case of emergencies
  • • Cave exploration equipment and safety gear: helmets, headlamps, gloves
  • • Camping equipment: campsite area, tents, camp lights, sleeping bags (Each team will receive 5 tents, including 3 three-person tents and 2 one-person tents, with 1 one-person tent designated for storing luggage; 2 padlocks to secure luggage tents)
  • • Water bottles (After using the water, participants must keep the bottles to exchange for fresh water at the water stations)
  • • Evening gala dinner with a DJ, music, and lighting

DAY 4 (30/3/2025): COMMUNITY DAY - RACE CONCLUSION

In the morning, teams will have breakfast at local homestays. At 8:30 AM on March 30, 2025, teams will gather at the "Best Tourist Village" intersection to present 35 self-contained composting toilets to the local government representatives of Tân Hóa and the residents. Afterward, teams will visit Tân Hóa Tourism Village and explore the weather-adaptive homestay model of the area.

At 10:30 AM, teams will pack their belongings. Buses will transport all teams back to Phong Nha, marking the end of the event.

Sign-up Gateway

Registration has been closed as we have received the full number of teams.

Below is the list of 10 teams that have successfully registered to join the Tú Làn Race 2025.

  1. BÉT
  2. Cross Team (X)
  3. Dấu Chân
  4. Iron Wave Warriors
  5. Knights Reborn
  6. Sun South
  7. SVP
  8. Thiếu Nữ
  9. Thập Vĩ
  10. THƯƠNG

Participants and Registration Requirements

Anyone passionate about outdoor activities, including both Vietnamese and international participants, aged 18 and above.

Each team must have at least 10 participants and register as a group. Companies can register their employees and choose a team name. The organizer does not accept individual registrations. Each team is allowed to replace up to 3 members from registration until the race date.

Participants with conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure over 160/80, diabetes, kidney failure, etc., are not eligible to participate

Teams must collect the following information for each member: full name, gender, date of birth, ID number, team leader’s name, team leader’s contact information, and team name, and then proceed with registration.

Note: Participants who joined the Tú Làn Adventure Race 2020 or earlier are still eligible to register for the Tú Làn Adventure Race 2025.

Registration time and important notes:

  • • Priority registration will open for 5 teams that commit to sponsoring toilets for the local community (each team commits to supporting 5 toilets, each valued at 10,000,000 VND) from the time of the announcement until 8:00 AM on January 10, 2025. Once 5 teams are registered, priority access will close.
  • • General registration for the remaining 5 teams will open at 9:00 AM on January 10, 2025, at the Sign up section. The registration system will automatically close once 5 teams have registered.

Registration Fees

  • Registration per team: 75,000,000 VND/team (10 people)
  • The participation fee includes VAT, entrance tickets/environmental protection fees, and all related expenses throughout the program
  • Support team and medical team on standby during the race
  • Camping equipment (tents, mattresses, pillows, sleeping bags, etc.)
  • Transportation from Phong Nha to Tân Hóa (Day 1) & from Tân Hóa to Đồng Hới (final day)
  • Meals throughout the program (dinner on Day 1, 2, 3; breakfast on Day 2, 3, 4; lunch on Day 2, 3, 4)
  • A portion of the registration fee will be used to build toilets for poor households in Tân Hóa Commune, Minh Hóa District, Quảng Bình Province.

Note: The organizer will prioritize teams that provide complete information and register as soon as possible. Teams must complete the registration payment within 24 hours of receiving the notification from the organizer. If payment is not received within 24 hours, the next team will be given priority.

Get ready for the most exciting race of 2025! Prepare both mentally and physically to push your limits and conquer the challenge.

Priority Teams

To raise funds for building sanitary toilets for poor households in Tân Hóa, the organizer will reserve 5 spots for 5 teams, each donating 50 million VND (equivalent to 5 self-contained toilets). This money will help the organizer fund the construction of toilets for local residents.

Teams will be confirmed based on the principle of first-come, first-served, as long as they complete their member registration and commit to donating 50 million VND. Priority teams will be confirmed once they finish their registration and donate before the registration opening date.

Contact information for priority team registration:

• Mr. Nguyễn Anh Đức - Head of Organizer
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 0914908855

Supporter Registration Package

The organizer offers registration packages for family members and friends of the teams, allowing them to join the program, support the teams, and attend the Gala Dinner on the event's final day.

Package 1: 5,000,000 VND per person

  • • Includes transportation to and from the event, and participation in team activities at local homes. Meals will follow the same standard as the teams, with camping accommodations.
  • • Supporters will not participate directly in the two main race days but will cheer from afar.
  • • During the race, supporters will have lunch at Tú Làn Lodge restaurant.

Package 2: 7,000,000 VND per person

  • • Includes transportation to and from the event, and participation in team activities at local homes. Meals will follow the same standard as the teams, with accommodation at a Rural Homestay operated by locals and meeting Oxalis standards, including private rooms, hot/cold showers, and air conditioning.
  • • Supporters will not participate directly in the two main race days but will cheer from afar.
  • • During the race, supporters will have lunch at Tú Làn Lodge restaurant.

Package 3: 9,000,000 VND per person

  • • Includes transportation to and from the event, and participation in team activities at local homes. Meals will follow the same standard as the teams, with accommodation at Tú Làn Lodge.
  • • Supporters will not participate directly in the two main race days but will cheer from afar.
  • • During the race, supporters will have lunch at Tú Làn Lodge restaurant.

Package 4: Flexible

  • • Tú Làn Lodge: 1,500,000 VND per room (2 people) per night
  • • Tân Hóa Homestay: 1,000,000 VND per room (2 people) per night
  • • Gala Dinner participation: 500,000 VND per person

Note: Supporters can only observe and cheer for the teams but cannot provide support. You will not directly participate in the race route and will be stationed at specific locations designated by the organizer to cheer for the teams.

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Whether you prefer long treks, camping in a cave, sleeping under the stars in the jungle, swimming underground in river caves, explore the huge dry caves or just taking an exploratory day trip, Oxalis Adventure Tours can provide the right amount of adventure just for you.

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