HO CHI MINH CITY, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- An international marathon will be held here on January 13, 2019 with runners from nearly 50 countries and regions participating, the city's municipal Department of Culture and Sports said on Sunday.

Thousands of runners will compete in four categories of 42km, 21km, 10km and 5km. Children are invited to run for a distance of 1km.

The marathon is expected to help promote tourism in Ho Chi Minh City as well as in Vietnam, the department said.