People flock to the Ben Thanh underground station near the Ben Thanh Market in District 1.
After 17 years of planning and 12 years of construction, HCMC's first metro line is now operational. Stretching nearly 20 km with a total investment of over VND43.7 trillion (US$1.72 billion), the metro includes 14 stations, three of which are underground in the city center—the first of their kind in Vietnam.
Thousands of people lined up outside the Ben Thanh underground station on Sunday, eagerly waiting to ride the city’s first metro line.
During the first month, passengers can ride the metro for free, along with 17 connected electric bus routes. After this period, passengers will have the option to purchase single-ride tickets, as well as one-day, three-day, or monthly passes.
Single-ride tickets paid with cash will range from VND7,000 to VND20,000 (US$0.27-0.79), depending on the distance traveled. For cashless payments, the fare will be slightly lower, ranging from VND6,000 to VND19,000.
Nguyen Thi Ngoc (R), said that she had traveled nearly 600 km from the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum to HCMC just to try the metro.
"My sisters and I waited in line for over an hour to ride the metro for the first time," she said.
Due to the overwhelming number of visitors, the staff must temporarily close the entrance, allowing passengers to enter in groups.
At the Binh Thai Station in Thu Duc City, queues began forming at 9:30 a.m. Passengers waited in an orderly fashion, avoiding any chaos.
A police officer directs traffic and maintained order as passengers board the metro at Binh Thai Station.
Ha Quoc Huy's family from Thu Duc City pose for photos before boarding. "My child has been asking to ride the metro all the time, and today we finally got to experience it," he said.
At the boarding area of Binh Thai Station, there were moments when a 50-meter-long line of passengers waited to board.
Four staff members continuously managed the ticket-scanning process, which took about 30 seconds per passenger.
Passengers could scan QR codes downloaded from the metro app to obtain tickets. Those who had not registered in advance were issued access passes for the ride.
Crowds gathered near the metro trains at Thu Duc Station.
Metro staff used loudspeakers to remind passengers not to approach the tracks.
A train car is packed with passengers.
The first metro line features 17 trains, each with three cars and a capacity of 930 passengers (147 seated and 783 standing).
During the initial phase, nine trains will operate daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., providing around 200 trips. Trains will run every 8-12 minutes, and the journey from Suoi Tien Station in Thu Duc City to Ben Thanh Station in District 1 takea approximately 30 minutes. Each stop on the line takes about 30 seconds.
