VNG UpRace - Turning Every Kilometre into Social Impact

UpRace was developed in a context where community interest in physical activity has been growing, yet maintaining sustainable exercise habits remains a significant challenge. At the same time, many businesses have been seeking more innovative approaches to corporate social responsibility - ones that can engage employees, inspire the public, and create more tangible community value compared to traditional sponsorship models. UpRace therefore emerged as a solution to both challenges: encouraging people to run more while enabling businesses to convert CSR resources into measurable social impact through a simple, accessible activity like running.

A key foundation of UpRace lies in applying technology to everyday sporting behaviour. Through its mobile app, participants can easily track their distance, monitor performance, join events, and connect with the wider community. This technological element sets UpRace apart from traditional running events - it is not just a one-day race or a single-location activity, but a continuously scalable community platform without limitations of space, time, or organisational barriers. As a result, each individual run is transformed into data, motivation, and ultimately, meaningful social value.

Another defining feature of UpRace is its development as an ecosystem rather than a one-off campaign. From the outset, the initiative identified three core stakeholders: runners, sponsoring businesses, and social organisations. Over time, this ecosystem has expanded to include universities, running clubs, media partners, and user communities across websites, fan pages, and online groups. Participating social organisations are carefully selected based on credibility, transparency, scope of impact, and implementation capacity in essential areas such as education, healthcare, and the environment. This has created a strong operational foundation, enabling UpRace not only to scale rapidly but also to maintain trust among its community and partners over many years.

The core innovation of UpRace is turning running into a mechanism for creating social impact

Rather than simply encouraging people to be active, UpRace designs a system where every kilometre completed is converted into a donation to social organisations. This links individual exercise with a clear community purpose, making running more meaningful and helping to sustain long-term motivation.

The three-way collaboration model is the project’s most distinctive feature

Runners participate by registering and tracking their performance on the app. Sponsoring businesses convert those kilometres into social funding. Social organisations then use these resources to implement projects in areas such as education, healthcare, and the environment. This creates a CSR model where all three parties benefit:

• Runners gain stronger motivation to maintain healthy habits;
• Businesses adopt a more creative form of CSR, while strengthening internal engagement and enhancing brand visibility;
• Social organisations receive additional resources, increased visibility, and opportunities to expand their community networks.

UpRace also redefines how businesses approach CSR

Instead of a one-way sponsorship model, companies engage through an interactive mechanism where every contribution is tied to real community effort. This enables businesses to:

• Implement CSR in more innovative ways
• Strengthen employee engagement
• Enhance internal communications
• Build a positive brand image
• Create natural connections with potential customers

Thanks to this value, UpRace has attracted more than 100 sponsoring companies and partnered with over 1,400 businesses over six years of development.

UpRace’s sponsorship ecosystem is open and cross-industry

Partners come from a wide range of sectors, including:

• Technology and digital platforms: VNG, ZaloPay, TikTok, iPOS, Tek Experts;
• Banking and finance: CIMB, Techcombank, VietinBank, MSB, Home Credit;
• Consumer goods and food: NutiMilk, Nutifood, Ông Bầu, Hồng Ngọc;
• Retail, e-commerce, and fashion: Seedcom, Tiki, Sendo, Juno, Biti’s Hunter, CellphoneS;
• Education and skills development: ELSA, Topica, Yola;
• Health, sports, and lifestyle: Garmin, California Fitness & Yoga, Revive.

This demonstrates that UpRace is not limited to sport or traditional CSR, but serves as a flexible collaboration platform suitable for a wide range of businesses.

UpRace also builds a diverse ecosystem of social partners rather than focusing on a single issue

Over six years, the project has partnered with eight social organisations, including:

• Education and youth support: Vừ A Dính Scholarship Fund, VietSeeds Foundation, saigonchildren;
• Healthcare: Operation Smile, Newborns Vietnam, ASVDO;
• Environment and conservation: GreenViet, Save Vietnam’s Wildlife.

This approach allows UpRace to generate broader and more multidimensional social impact in each season.

The project has further expanded community engagement through universities and running clubs

Since 2022, UpRace has launched the UpRace x Uni Tour in collaboration with universities. By 2023, 11 universities had participated, attracting nearly 27,000 students who contributed over 1 million kilometres - more than double the previous year. At the same time, UpRace has engaged running clubs across different regions, forming a vibrant and diverse community where thousands of moments are shared on social media. This is a key initiative that creates a sense of “running together”, even when participants are not in the same place or starting at the same time.

Vision

UpRace sets out a clear vision: to become a leading community platform that promotes running as both a movement and a habit, while generating positive social impact. This vision shows that the initiative is not only focused on participation numbers, but also on shaping a culture of physical activity linked to civic responsibility and a spirit of giving.

Objectives 

The project’s objectives can be understood across several dimensions:

• Community of runners: to motivate people to be more active, sustain running habits, and feel that their efforts contribute to something greater than themselves
• Social impact: to convert every kilometre into resources for social organisations, delivering tangible support in areas such as education, healthcare, social welfare, and the environment
• Business engagement: to provide companies with an innovative CSR platform where brands can build a positive image, strengthen employee engagement, and connect with the community in a more natural and meaningful way
• Ecosystem development: to build a collaborative network of runners, businesses, social organisations, universities, clubs, and media, creating a community model with long-term reach and influence.

Since 2023, with the theme “Journey of Happiness”, UpRace has also deepened its vision by placing greater emphasis on participant experience and emotional connection. This reflects a shift in how success is measured - not only by kilometres completed or funds raised, but also by the quality of engagement, the enjoyment of participation, and the sense of contributing to meaningful causes. This marks an important step in positioning UpRace as a community platform rather than simply a fundraising campaign.

Implementation Process - Scope - Budget

UpRace operates on an open, flexible, and highly accessible model

Anyone can join for free, choose their own time and location to run, and record their performance through the UpRace mobile app. This approach allows the initiative to scale continuously across a large community, rather than relying on a single centralised event.

Alongside the digital platform, the project also creates in-person touchpoints to strengthen community engagement and experience. Notable activities include: the UpRace x Uni Tour series at universities, UpRace Day 2023 held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, engagement activities with running clubs and communities nationwide.

The scale of UpRace has grown significantly year by year

Over six years, the initiative has achieved: 632,300 participants, 23.4 million kilometres recorded, VND 31.8 billion raised for social causes.

Year-on-year growth has been clearly demonstrated:

• 2018: 32,000 participants, 1,329,466 km
• 2019: 45,000 participants, 2,000,000 km
• 2020: 114,947 participants, 3,046,855 km
• 2021: 238,559 participants, 5,113,053 km
• 2022: 350,981 participants, 4,939,847 km
• 2023: 632,396 participants, 6,866,696 km

The UpRace 2023 season reached a particularly large and multi-layered scale. Key highlights include:

• 23 sponsors, including strategic partners such as CIMB, VNG, and DMF
• A 24-day running period from 6 - 29 October 2023
• Participants from 67 countries
• 632,000 participants
• 4,832 teams competing on the leaderboard
• 860,000 recorded runs
• Nearly 7 million kilometres logged
• 4,382 students participating in offline events across five universities

Costs and resources are managed under the principle of “every kilometre - a contribution"

In 2023, nearly 7 million kilometres translated into almost VND 7 billion in donations for three social organisations across healthcare, education, and environmental sectors. The allocation was as follows:

• ASVDO: VND 3,601,455,524 (50%)
• Vừ A Dính Scholarship Fund: VND 1,858,561,109 (26%)
• GreenViet: VND 1,798,965,671 (24%)

UpRace Day 2023 further expanded the project’s resource base. Held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the event achieved:

• 2,593 successful ticket sales
• VND 576 million in value converted from sponsored items for participants
• 3,300 race kits distributed
• All ticket proceeds were donated to the social organisations partnered with UpRace 2023

Community scale and project growth

Over six years, UpRace has attracted more than 632,000 participants and recorded 23.4 million kilometres. Total donations have exceeded VND 31.8 billion. Participation has grown steadily year on year, with particularly strong acceleration between 2021 and 2023.

Corporate engagement and partnerships

Collaborated with more than 1,400 businesses and over 100 sponsors over six years

Built a diverse, cross-industry sponsorship network spanning technology, finance, retail, education, health, and lifestyle sectors

Education and support for children through the Vừ A Dính Scholarship Fund

Two key initiatives implemented:

• Scholarships for students in disadvantaged, border, and island areas
• The “Wheels of Love” bicycle program for disadvantaged students

Key outcomes

• 1,655 scholarships awarded
• Coverage across 11 provinces and cities
• 200 bicycles distributed
• 17 schools and institutions supported

Social welfare and healthcare through ASVDO

Two key initiatives implemented:

• Livelihood support and scholarships for people with disabilities and disadvantaged students
• Cataract surgery for low-income patients

Key outcomes

• 199 livelihood support packages
• 30 scholarships awarded
• 445 cataract surgeries performed
• Beneficiaries across 24 provinces and cities
• 300 certificates of recognition and gifts distributed

Environment and conservation through GreenViet

• 5,500 trees planted across three cities: Hue, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City
• 63,600 timber trees planted in deforested and degraded areas in Quang Nam
• 2,000 poultry provided to Cơ Tu communities participating in reforestation efforts

Communications and outreach

• 27,000 followers on the UpRace Fanpage
• 8,000 members in the UpRace Community group
• 632,000 users on the website and app
• 670 media articles published
• 400 earned media pieces
• More than 30 TV features and podcasts
• UpRace has been featured across a wide range of media channels, including VTV, Vietnam News Agency, Vietnam+, Tuoi Tre, Thanh Nien, Nguoi Lao Dong, Nhan Dan, Vietnamnet, VnExpress, Dan Tri, Sai Gon Online, and Quan doi Nhan dan.

UpRace has strong scalability potential because its model is simple yet highly effective. At its core, the initiative links a positive community behaviour with corporate resources and the needs of social organisations through a technology platform. This logic is easy to scale, easy for users to understand, and easy to communicate to partners.

The model is not dependent on a specific location or a fixed target audience. Participants can run anywhere; businesses from various industries can sponsor; and social organisations across different sectors can benefit. This openness enables UpRace to scale both geographically and in terms of community reach.

UpRace has already demonstrated its ability to expand across multiple layers of community engagement. Beyond individual runners, the initiative connects: businesses; social organisations; universities; running clubs; digital communities; offline events; mass media networks.

This shows that the model can continue to grow by activating new community groups without disrupting its overall structure.

Scalability is also supported by the multi-sector nature of its social impact. Within a single season, UpRace can simultaneously generate impact across education, healthcare, social welfare, and the environment. This is a significant advantage, as it allows the program to adapt to evolving social priorities without needing to change its core operating model.

The model also serves as a strong reference point for CSR in the digital era. UpRace demonstrates that corporate social responsibility can be designed to: involve genuine community participation; be supported by measurable data; generate wide-reaching communications impact; deliver clear social outcomes; and tell compelling impact stories centred on beneficiaries.