Metro Line 1 of Ho Chi Minh City officially launched, a symbol of the City’s rising-up aspiration

VOV – On the morning of December 22, Ho Chi Minh City held a ceremony to officially launch metro line 1 (Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien). Mr. Nguyen Van Nen, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee; Mr. Ito Naoki, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Vietnam attended the event. Metro line 1 is 19.7km long, passing through districts 1, 2, 9, Binh Thanh, Thu Duc City and Di An City (Binh Duong), of which 2.6km is underground and more than 17.1km is elevated.

A symbol of the relationship between Vietnam and Japan

Metro Line 1 will significantly change the lives of Ho Chi Minh City residents by connecting areas with high transportation demand, contributing to a major shift in people’s travel methods. The project also marks an important milestone in realizing the planning of the public transport system, meeting people’s travel needs, reducing traffic pressure and reducing environmental pollution.

Bui Xuan Cuong – Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee said that the official operation event is an important milestone in the history of public transport development in Ho Chi Minh City. Metro Line 1 is not only a modern urban transport project but also a symbol of Ho Chi Minh City’s aspiration to grow, integrate and develop sustainably.

Funded by Japan’s ODA, the project is a symbol of the relationship between Vietnam and Japan. “In the relationship with Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City, based on this cooperative relationship, Japan hopes to carry out necessary cooperation for the extension of Ho Chi Minh City metro line No. 1 and Hanoi metro line No. 2,” said Ambassador Ito Naoki.

Modern public transportation in the new era

From 22 December 2024, the Metro Line 1 officially opened to serve the public. Operating hours are from 5am to 10pm every day with a total of 200 trips/day. There are 9 trains on the line, each train can carry up to 930 passengers. The travel time from Ben Thanh Station to Suoi Tien Bus Station is about 30 minutes.

For the City residence, this first metro line has been expected in the past decade. Not only contributing to reducing traffic congestion, the metro line 1 will shorten travel time and contribute to building a modern urban area. This is the aspiration of Ho Chi Minh City to rise up in the new era.

A boost for tourism in Ho Chi Minh City

Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, emphasized that the quick, time-saving, and cost-effective means of transport is ready to provide residents and tourists with a unique experience while exploring the city. The metro line connects the central and eastern areas of the city, bringing tourists closer to prominent attractions such as Ben Thanh Market, the Opera House, the City Hall, Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street, Fine Arts Museum, and more.

Following Metro Line 1, the construction for Metro Line 2 (Ben Thanh-Tham Luong Line) is also being urgently implemented. To date, the project has completed 100% of the land clearance procedures. The project has constructed electrical, water supply, drainage, and signage components. Recently, the relocation and connection of the 110 kV underground high-voltage cable system serving the construction of Tao Dan Station has also been completed.

Currently, more than 200 cities in the world have urban rail systems and 32 more are continuing to deploy. Many large cities in the world have made breakthroughs in building hundreds of kilometers of metro in a short time. In cities with completed metro networks, people only need to walk 5-10 minutes to reach the station, creating conditions for public transport and tourist to develop.

An increasing demand – In the first week from December 22 to December 28, Statistics on passenger volume on Metro Line 1 of the Urban Railway Company Limited No. 1 (HURC1) show that the line carrying out 1,362 trips transported a total of 707,161 passengers, exceeding the original plan by 22 trips. The increase in the number of trips was mainly due to the sudden increase in passenger demand on the official launch day and Christmas.

Sources: VOV, Tuoitre online, Nhandan.