HCMC's first metro line officially operational after nearly 2 decades

The first urban railway line in Ho Chi Minh City, named Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien, officially started commercial operations on Sunday after nearly two decades of waiting.

The operation of Metro Line 1 marks an important milestone for the city's transport system and is a symbol of cooperation between Vietnam and Japan, said Bui Xuan Cuong, Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee.

“HCMC will continue to support contractors to resolve difficulties and complete remaining tasks so that the project can be fully operational in the shortest time possible. We will continue to prioritize urban railway projects to build a civilized, modern, and creative city,” he added.

Ito Naoki, Ambassador of Japan to Vietnam, said that this is the largest ODA loan project Japan has provided to Vietnam and is a symbol of the Japan-Vietnam cooperation relationship.

“Metro Line 1 will connect areas with high transport demand and create a significant shift in the mode of transportation by residents, from cars and motorcycles to urban railways,” he said.

In the first six months, the metro line will run from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, with trains departing every 8-12 minutes. Afterwards, the time will be from 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m, with trains running every 5-10-15 minutes. The travel time from Ben Thanh Station to Suoi Tien Station is 29 minutes.

Metro Line 1 has a total investment of over VND43.7 trillion ($1.72 billion). The entire line is nearly 20 km long, running from Ben Thanh (District 1) to the Long Binh Depot (Thu Duc city).

It includes three underground stations and 11 elevated stations (Van Thanh, Tan Cang, Thao Dien, An Phu, Rach Chiec, Phuoc Long, Binh Thai, Thu Duc, High-Tech Park, Suoi Tien, and the new Eastern Bus Station).

The project was approved in 2007 but only officially began construction in 2012.

HCMC has plans for 220 km of metro lines with an investment of $25 billion. The network could reach 56.43 km at the cost of $8.85 billion by 2030.

The city's Ben Thanh-Tham Luong line (Metro Line 2), with an investment of VND47.89 trillion ($2.04 billion), is set to begin construction in 2025 and open to traffic in 2030.

The 11.04 km metro will feature 9.09 km of underground and 1.95 km of overground tracks. So far, 86.35% of site clearance has been completed for the project.

The city is drafting plans for Metro Line 3, connecting the Ben Thanh market with a high-tech healthcare zone; Metro Line 4 linking Thanh Xuan ward of District 12 and the Hiep Phuoc urban area; and Metro Line 5 joining the Bay Hien crossroads and Saigon Bridge.

Metro rides will be free for 30 days, starting from Sunday. From January 22, 2025, fares will be charged, VND7,000-20,000 ($0.8) for a one-way trip when paying in cash, and VND6,000-19,000 for non-cash payment, depending on the distance.

For daily tickets, the fare will be VND40,000 ($1.6) per person per day (unlimited trips on that day). For a 3-day ticket, it is VND90,000 per person (unlimited trips over the three days).

For monthly tickets, the fare is VND300,000 ($11.8) per person per month (unlimited trips in the month), while for students and pupils, it is VND150,000.