After the opening ceremony, the cyclists competed for the first leg around the stadium.

The second leg of the race, from Hanoi to Hoa Binh province, will kick off on May 3; the Hoa Binh – Son La leg on May 4; and around Son La City on May 5 for women and Son La-Tuan Giao for men.

On the morning of May 6, the male cyclists will race from Tuan Giao to Dien Bien Phu while the female counterparts will cycle from Muong Ang to the same destination. In the afternoon the same day, they will compete around the city of Dien Bien.

The race has a total length of 555km for men and 320km for women.

The event aims to commemorate the 55^th anniversary of the victory at Dien Bien Phu, in which the Vietnamese army completely routed the French colonialist forces, and will also serve as a selection process to identify excellent athletes for the national cycling team.

VietNamNet/VOV