Right from the start, Nguyen Pham Quoc Khang and Nguyen Huynh Lan launched early attacks, breaking away from the main group to chase intermediate prizes. The duo worked in sync, maintaining a high pace through most of the route.

Meanwhile, the Vinh Long team controlled the peloton’s tempo, aiming to set up their top sprinter Nick Kergozou for the finish. As the riders neared Co Chien Bridge, around 30 km from the finish, the breakaway was reeled back in.

The final kilometers witnessed an intense chase as teams like Military Zone 7 and Domesco Dong Thap launched repeated attacks, creating fierce tactical battles.

However, with solid support from his teammates, Nick Kergozou once again demonstrated his sprinting prowess, clinching first place at the finish line in Ben Tre.

This marked the New Zealander’s 10th stage win, equaling the record of Russian rider Petr Rikunov (Loc Troi Group An Giang), who previously set the mark across the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Kergozou also maintained his hold on the green jersey for best sprinter.

As the peloton finished in a mass sprint, the overall classifications after 23 stages remained unchanged: Mikhail Fokin retained the yellow jersey, Nguyen Hoang Sang held onto the orange jersey, Pham Le Xuan Loc continued to lead the white jersey category, and Savva Novikov stayed atop the red polka dot jersey standings.

On April 29, the race continues with stage 24 from Ben Tre to Tay Ninh, covering 172 kilometers.

Duy Nguyen