Some 2,000 runners to join Son Tra Run Challenge 2023 (Photo: VTV8)

Da Nang (VNA) – Some 2,000 runners willparticipate in Son Tra Run Challenge 2023 which will take place on SonTra peninsula, Da Nang city on December 23-24.

The event, organised by the Vietnam TelevisionCentre in the Central Region – Central Highlands (VTV8) in collaboration withthe Son Tra district People’s Committee, aims to raise public awareness onsea and island environmental protection.

Truong Duy Hoa, Deputy Director of VTV8, said that the tournament,the first of its kind held in Son Tra peninusla, is expected to promote physical training movement whilecalling on the locals, tourists to join hands to protect the country’s sea and 🙈island environment and promoting the beauty of Vietnam’s tourism.

The tournament consists the 6km, 16km and 26km runs, providing the runners with an opportunity to race through the most beautiful roads with extraordinary naturallandscapes of Son Tra peninsula, the precious jewel of the central beach city andhome to many rare animals and plants such as red shanked douc langurs, a rarespecies deemed the "Queen of Primates".

The event will be boastc♓ast live on the 𝓀VTV8 channel.

Located just 10kmfrom the centre of Da Nang, Son Tra is the only peninsula in Vietnam thatboasts a natural forest ecosystem linked with the sea, and it has become anideal destination for holidaymakers.

Surrounded by the sea on three sides and bordering a dense urban area on theother side, Son Tra has formed and developed a perfect wild environment. Thepeninsula has stunned domestic and foreign scientists with a treasure of floraand fauna.

Son Tra occupies just 0.014% of the country’s area, but is home to 37.8% of thetotal flora species, and nearly 9.4% of the fauna species in Vietnam.

Its diversity of flora and fauna is no less than that of other world naturepreserves such as El Impenetrable and Iguazú (Argentina), Patagonia (Chile),Sable (Canada) and Kimberley (Australia) even though the areas of thesepreserves are hundreds, or even thousands, of times larger than Son Tra.

Scientists see Son Tra as a miniature world of the wild life on earth with 287species, 29 of which are rare. It is also considered the kingdom of the red-shanked douc –Indochina’s endemic primate which is almost extinct. Son Tra is now home to theworld’s largest population of red-shanked douc, estimated at 400 by the DoucLangur Foundation of the US. This number is estimated much higher, at 1,300, byGreenViet, a Vietnamese biodiversity conservationorganisation. Son Tra is also the best and easiest place in the world toobserve this animal in its natural habitat.

Son Tra forest also boasts nearly 1,000 species of flora, of which 22 areprecious and rare, 143 are valuable for medical purposes, and 140 are fordecoration.

Given its unique natural and geographical features, abundant flora and faunaand long-standing cultural values, the peninsula is truly a gift generouslygranted by nature to Da Nang in particular and Vietnam in general.

Son Tra now has its name on most world tourist maps thank♉s to its beautifulforests and red-shanked douc, wild clear beaches, ancient architecturalstructures and luxury resorts. Its legendary areas such as Ban Co (Chessboard)Peak, Nghe Cape, and Nam, Bac, But, Rang and Nom beaches, are major attractionsfor visitors to DaNang./.