Hanoi Circuit completed ahead of Vietnamese Grand Prix

HANOI -- Organizers of Formula 1's Vietnamese Grand Prix say that the new Hanoi Circuit has been completed ahead of next month's race.

Vietnam is set to join the F1 calendar as the third round of the 2020 season on April 5, with the 23-turn, 5.607km-circuit designed around the streets of the capital city Hanoi.

"This is a major milestone for us to celebrate as we come closer to staging Vietnam's first ever Formula 1 race weekend in just over a month's time," said Le Ngoc Chi, CEO of the Vietnam Grand Prix Corporation.

"We are beyond excited to witness the extraordinary sight of Formula 1 cars racing on this incredible circuit."

However, organizers made no mention of whether the race would be affected by the coronavirus epidemic, which has forced the postponement of the Chinese Grand Prix originally slated for April 19.

It was revealed on Tuesday that a major international badminton event due to take place in Vietnam a week before the Grand Prix had been postponed until June.

Should the race go ahead as planned, Vietnam will become the third country in southeast Asia to host a round of the Formula 1 World Championship after Malaysia and Singapore.