Australian marathoner – Pat Farmer and his partner Mai Nguyen Dinh Huy, who are undertaking a 40-day run across Vietnam, were given a warm welcome in Hanoi on Dec 13.

On the occasion, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Hugh Borrowman highlighted the remarkable achievements in the cooperation between Vietnam and Australia over the past 40 years. He stressed that this run will help tighten bilateral ties while offering a special opportunity for Vietnam to showcase its culture, tourism potential and beautiful sites to international friends.

Deputy Director of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training – Pham Van Tuan, said this run is a meaningful activity to mark the 40 th anniversary of Vietnam-Australia diplomatic ties. He praised the athletes’ good will to raise funds to provide clean water for poor people in the world.

Pat Farmer said he hopes to discover the beauty of the Vietnamese land, people, tradition and life through the run, adding that he started running in order to make people to understand the value of water resources.

Farmer and Huy, a Vietnamese student in Australia , embarked on the ultra-marathon programme “Pole to pole Vietnam ” on December 9 to raise funds for programmes bringing clean water to the poor.

They will run through 30 Vietnamese provinces from Quang Ninh to Ca Mau in 40 days, covering almost 80km a day.-VNA