Horse Racing in Vietnam
Phu Tho Racecourse · Hanoi Racecourse · Vietnam Derby
Overview of Vietnamese Horse Racing
Vietnam's horse racing story is one of the most remarkable in world racing — a programme with colonial-era roots that was suspended for 47 years after reunification and relaunched in 2022 as part of a landmark government decision to legalize domestic pari-mutuel betting for Vietnamese citizens. The Phu Tho Racecourse in Ho Chi Minh City, where French colonial administrators and Saigon's racing community gathered from the late 19th century, returned to active thoroughbred racing with Vietnamese nationals permitted to wager legally for the first time since 1975.
The Vietnam Racing Association (VRA) manages the national programme under government oversight, operating racing at Phu Tho in Ho Chi Minh City and the Hanoi Racecourse in the capital. The legal framework represents a carefully controlled pilot programme — racing is the only form of gambling (alongside sports betting and lottery) where licensed Vietnamese citizens can participate, and the VRA operates within strict regulatory conditions set by Vietnam's Ministry of Finance.
The Vietnamese horse ownership community is small but growing — the initial relaunch drew significant interest from Vietnamese business owners and diaspora returnees familiar with racing in Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore, and several well-capitalized ownership syndicates have invested in the programme's bloodstock quality.
Top Sportsbooks for Vietnamese Racing
Bet on Phu Tho Racecourse, Vietnam Derby & Ho Chi Minh City racing
Racecourses in Vietnam
Phu Tho Racecourse
Vietnam's premier horse racing venue — Phu Tho Racecourse in Ho Chi Minh City has operated since the French colonial era and was relaunched in 2022 as part of Vietnam's landmark legalization of domestic horse racing for Vietnamese citizens.
Hanoi Racecourse
Vietnam's northern racing venue in the capital — Hanoi Racecourse provides thoroughbred flat racing for the capital city's growing horse racing audience as part of Vietnam's dual-city racing programme managed by the Vietnam Racing Association.
Major Vietnamese Races
Vietnam Derby
Vietnam's premier Classic for three-year-olds, run at Phu Tho Racecourse — the flagship event of the VRA's national racing programme and the most prestigious race in the relaunched Vietnamese Classic series.
Ho Chi Minh City Classic
The open-age championship race at Phu Tho, providing the season's quality benchmark for older horses from the Vietnamese programme and attracting the year's highest prize money outside the Classic series.
Phu Tho Stakes
A conditions race at the Phu Tho Racecourse marking the midpoint of the Ho Chi Minh City season — the Phu Tho Stakes serves as a Classic prep and form guide for the Vietnam Derby field.
Hanoi Cup
The capital city's most prestigious race at the Hanoi Racecourse — the Hanoi Cup bridges the northern and southern racing programmes, occasionally attracting horses from both cities for the capital's annual prestige event.
The 2022 Relaunch: Vietnam's Racing Revolution
Vietnam's decision to legalize horse racing betting for its citizens represents one of the most significant gambling policy shifts in Southeast Asia since Singapore opened its integrated resorts in 2010. The pilot programme — authorized under Decree 06/2017/ND-CP and its successor regulations — permitted licensed horse racing with pari-mutuel betting at authorized venues, making Vietnam only the second country in Southeast Asia (after the Philippines) to permit domestic horse racing gambling for its own citizens in the modern era.
The relaunch of Phu Tho Racecourse in Ho Chi Minh City required substantial investment — track renovation, technology upgrades to the pari-mutuel system, stable facilities for imported thoroughbreds, and the development of a regulatory framework for horse ownership licensing, jockey accreditation, and race stewarding. The VRA worked with international racing consultants to establish standards compatible with international best practices.
The bloodstock imported for the relaunch came primarily from Australia and Hong Kong — thoroughbred horses well-suited to Vietnam's tropical conditions (the flat, well-watered turf at Phu Tho resembles conditions at Happy Valley and Kranji in terms of going and climate) and to the typical sprint and middle-distance programme. The Vietnamese racing community's connections with the large Vietnamese-Australian diaspora have proved a useful link for bloodstock sourcing and expertise transfer.
Betting on Vietnamese Racing
Pari-mutuel betting at Phu Tho Racecourse and the Hanoi Racecourse is available to Vietnamese citizens holding a licensed wagering account — the registration process requires identity verification under Vietnam's KYC regulations. The VRA operates the official tote system, with account wagering available online for registered customers. International betting on Vietnamese racing is not available through mainstream bookmakers; specialist Asian racing platforms occasionally carry limited coverage.
The Vietnamese racing betting market has grown substantially since the 2022 relaunch — pools at Phu Tho's major race days have expanded as the Vietnamese racing audience develops familiarity with pari-mutuel betting products. Saturday and Sunday race days at Phu Tho are the primary wagering events.