From the early kilometers, teams launched aggressive attacks to gain an advantage at intermediate sprint points. After an underwhelming opening stage, the HCMC Police team showed clear intent by deploying its sprint specialists, including Tran Tuan Kiet and Nguyen Tan Hoai.

The strategy paid off quickly. Tran Tuan Kiet claimed victory at the first intermediate sprint, while Nguyen Tan Hoai crossed first at sprint 2. Building on that momentum, Tran Tuan Kiet surged again in the final stretch in Hanoi, edging past Nguyen Van Binh to secure the stage win.

The result earned the Dong Thap-born rider the green jersey from Sergei Kulikov. It also marked the HCMC Police team’s first stage victory in 16 years.

In the young riders’ classification, Lam Gia Hao impressed with a third-place finish at sprint 1 and second at sprint 2. His performance was enough to take the white jersey from Ta Tuan Vu.

The orange jersey for the best Vietnamese rider also changed hands. Nguyen Van Binh, finishing runner-up in the stage, overtook Pham Le Xuan Loc to claim the title.

Despite losing the green jersey, Sergei Kulikov successfully defended the yellow jersey after two stages. However, his lead has narrowed significantly, with only a two-second gap over Nguyen Van Binh.

On April 5, riders will enter stage 3 of the 2026 HCMC Television Cycling Cup - Ton Dong A, a 42.5 km circuit race around Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi.

Duy Nguyen