Hong Kong to Vietnam Rally 2025 -Alive takes both Line Honours and IRC Overall win

Australian entry, Phillip Turner and Duncan Hine's Reichel/Pugh 66 Alive crossed the finish line in Nha Trang on Friday at 17:11:10 HKT, claiming Line Honours in the 2025 Hong Kong to Vietnam Rally. Their elapsed time was 2 days, 5 hours, 51 minutes, and 01 seconds, marking another impressive performance following their 2017 victory, where they finished in 2 days, 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 56 seconds.  On her corrected time of 3 days 12 hours 55 minutes 19 seconds, none of the other IRC boats competing could beat her time in this 673nm rally.

Skipper Duncan Hine was thrilled to take the double win: "It was a lot of fun. There was a fair bit of banter going on. Ray had us on our toes the whole time, so we were pushing really hard." Owner Phillip Turner celebrated his birthday upon arrival on Friday, sharing "It was a wet race with a couple of rain sessions but still very enjoyable. I will definitely come back for the next one."

The last boat to complete the Rally was TongRan, Jiaqi Wu’s Dufour 500. TongRan crossed the finish line in Nha Trang on Sunday at 01:12:44 HKT, with a corrected time of 3 days 17 hours, 34 minutes 18 seconds, securing IRC Overall 2^nd place.

Prior to the start, TongRan owner Jiaqi Wu expressed excitement about their first Vietnam Rally: “These races organised by RHKYC are truly amazing. Our team has enjoyed every event and grown significantly in skill. That’s why we had to sign up for this rally. We’ve kept most of our crew, adding one or two new sailors to give them a taste of offshore racing.”

IRC Overall 3rd place goes another Australian entry, Cookson 50 Hollywood Samurai, helmed by Ray Roberts, with their corrected time of 3 days, 17hours 56 minutes 23 seconds, they secured IRC Overall 3^rd Place. Hollywood Samurai reported reaching an impressive top speed of 29kts during the downwind passage.  Reflecting on the experience, Roberts said: “The Hong Kong to Vietnam Rally has been a very exciting experience for us. There was a lot of nighttime sailing, which made it quite challenging. It’s a fantastic rally, and we’ll definitely be back for another go.”

The Hong Kong to Vietnam Rally kicked off on 28 October at 1120hrs, with IRC Racer 2 boat Zesst and PHS entry Momentai starting in fair wind. Momentai later retired due to sail damage.

The second start began 24 hours later in an easterly breeze of 10 to 12kts, with five IRC Racer division boats joining: Alive, Hollywood Samurai, Fenice, Neo One, and Tong Ran. The start was dramatic, with Alive and Hollywood Samurai both declared OCS and forced to restart, while the other three boats got away cleanly.

Alive and Hollywood Samurai engaged in a thrilling match racing through Victoria Harbour, neck and neck until Shau Kei Wan, where Alive began to pull ahead.

The first half of the 673nm journey was dominated by strong and steady northeasterly monsoon winds, averaging 25kts, sending the fleet on an epic downwind passage. However, as boats entered the weather transition zone near the Central Vietnam shoreline, heavier squalls and cloud activity impacted the final third of the race. Central Vietnam recorded over one metre of rainfall within 24 hours, surpassing the previous national record set in 1999. 

Zesst reported: “Sitting 6 hours idle—only current. Frustrating. Upside: Went for a swim and caught a fish.” Neo One noted: “Frustrating day surrounded by thunderstorms and big holes in the wind. Some storms had gusts in the 33kts range, others had almost zero wind. What’s common to both is the excessive rain—painful in the windy ones.”

Fortunately, conditions improved toward the end, allowing boats to approach Nha Trang on Saturday. Neo One and Fenice were locked in a tactical duel in the final 30nm. Fenice shared: “They were gybing, and we had to respond, but we were behind and needed to make up time. So we chose to goose wing and sail straight on. It wasn’t easy—the waves started rolling the boat quite a bit—but we managed it well. It was a good run to the finish.” At the end, Fenice finished just 5 minutes behind Neo One.

The 2025 Hong Kong to Vietnam Rally once again showcased the spirit of offshore sailing— exciting chasing during the start in the harbour, show of strong International contingent, and unpredictable weather. With strong performances across the fleet and ideal monsoon conditions, this year’s edition will be remembered as one of the most exciting in recent history.