Vietnam Highlands Trail by UTMB
Vietnam Highlands Trail by UTMB – 20K PINHATT
Clay Tunnel
Race guide
Updated 18 July 2026
The 20K PINHATT is the entry distance at Vietnam Highlands Trail by UTMB, a 24 km loop that starts and finishes at the Clay Tunnel and packs 1004 m of climbing into a compact highland circuit. Everything happens above 1,300 m, with the route topping out at a high point of 1,695 m, so this is a short race run entirely in thin, cool highland air rather than at sea level. With only two aid points between start and finish, the PINHATT rewards runners who treat it as a controlled climbing effort rather than a flat-out dash. It is the shortest route on the Vietnam Highlands Trail by UTMB programme, which makes it a natural first UTMB-series experience – but the climb rate of roughly 1,000 m over 24 km means it still demands real vertical fitness.
The course and terrain
The PINHATT is a 24 km loop from the Clay Tunnel, sitting at 1,385 m at the start line and returning to almost exactly the same elevation (1,386 m) at the finish. In between the route gains 1,004 m of positive climb, so despite the modest distance the terrain is genuinely hilly rather than rolling. The named high point is 1,695 m, reached in the Pinhatt Em sector, meaning the bulk of the vertical is concentrated in the middle third of the loop. The two intermediate checkpoints – Maple Left at 8.2 km and Pinhatt Em at 13.6 km – divide the course into three natural blocks. The opening 8.2 km is a gentle warm-up that stays close to the start elevation (from 1,385 m to 1,397 m). The terrain then steepens toward Pinhatt Em before a long descent home. Because the whole loop sits between roughly 1,385 m and 1,695 m, expect highland trail with meaningful gradient rather than any long flat runnable sections.
Where the race is decided: the Pinhatt Em climb
The decisive stretch is the pull from Maple Left (8.2 km, 1,397 m) up to Pinhatt Em (13.6 km, 1,665 m). That is close to 270 m of gain packed into roughly 5.4 km, and it delivers you to the high point of the course near 1,695 m. This climb is where the race's 1,004 m of total D+ is most concentrated, and it is the point where runners who went out too hard on the runnable opening kilometres will pay for it. From Pinhatt Em the route drops back to the finish at 1,386 m – a descent of nearly 280 m spread across the final 10.5 km. That long downhill-biased close is the best place to make up time, but only if your legs are intact. The smart race is to arrive at Pinhatt Em with something in reserve, then let gravity do the work on the way back to the Clay Tunnel.
Pacing and fuelling with the cut-offs
There are only two hard time gates on the PINHATT: Pinhatt Em at 13.6 km closes at Sat 13:00, and the finish at 24.1 km closes at Sat 17:00. That gives a generous four-hour window for the final 10.5 km, so the tighter constraint is reaching the top of the course on time rather than the descent home. Build your plan around comfortably clearing the Pinhatt Em gate. Aid spacing shapes what you carry. The first supported point is Maple Left at 8.2 km, then Pinhatt Em at 13.6 km – a short 5.4 km gap over the hardest climbing. The longest unsupported carry is the final leg: 10.5 km from Pinhatt Em to the finish with no aid in between. Top up fluid and calories fully at Pinhatt Em, because after that you are self-sufficient all the way home. On a sub-24 km highland loop, one to two bottles plus a couple of gels or bars is a sensible baseline, adjusted for heat on the day.
Conditions to expect
This is a highland race from gun to tape. With the start, finish and both checkpoints all sitting between roughly 1,300 m and 1,700 m, and a high point of 1,695 m, the PINHATT never drops to the warm lowlands. Highland trail at this altitude typically means cooler, more variable weather than the surrounding plains, and the climb toward Pinhatt Em exposes you to whatever the higher ground is doing that morning. Because the field is on course for only a few hours and the finish gate is generous, the main variables to prepare for are footing on the climb and descent and the swing between exertion on the ascent and cooler air up high. Carry a light layer if the forecast is uncertain, plan your fuelling around the single long carry home, and treat the Pinhatt Em climb as the crux that defines your day.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-17) · official source
0 km · 1385 m · —
8.2 km · 1397 m · —
13.6 km · 1665 m · Sat 13:00
24.1 km · 1386 m · Sat 17:00
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