I'm reviewing this race more than a year after completing it, so my memory of details is a bit foggy:
Positives:
- Great location and race hotel (Grand Hyatt). Da Nang is clean and has lots of things to do for the family, and only 15 minute taxi ride from Hoi An (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
- Flat and smooth course with few turns.
- Organized by Philippine-based Sunrise Events. They know what they're doing.
Negatives:
- Gets brutally hot in the late morning hours (During the run for most people).
- 2015 was the inaugural year, and according to the race organizers during the race briefing, the locals have probably never seen bicycles going this fast. They taught us a Vietnamese word to yell in case anyone got in the way. Very important. Despite having lots of military, police and other volunteers trying to keep the locals off the course, my friend crashed into a scooter that tried to cut across the bike course. Should improve as local awareness grows.
I didn't get to do this race again in 2016 due to scheduling issues, but would like to try for 2017.