Speaking on February 9 during a visit and Tet greetings to the Party Committee, government and people of Ho Chi Minh City, General Secretary To Lam emphasized the requirement to invest in synchronous and modern transport infrastructure, shortening the travel time from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh airport to about 30 minutes.
Currently, the distance of about 50km from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh can take more than 1 hour if it is clear, and double when congested.
Ring Road 3 or Ben Luc - Long Thanh expressway when completed in 2026 will contribute to "sharing the fire".
But that is still road infrastructure, depending on vehicle density, weather and traffic awareness.
Only the metro is the least risky solution.
First of all, the metro does not depend on ground congestion. The Thu Thiem - Long Thanh line, 42km long, if operated at high operating speed and with reasonable parking organization, can completely take passengers from the center to the airport in about 30 minutes.
Second, large and stable transport capacity. A metro train can carry passengers equivalent to hundreds of private cars.
Third, the metro helps save indirect costs, reduce pollution, create a foundation for sustainable urban development according to the TOD model, and develop urban areas associated with public transport.
However, the issue is how to complete the metro soon and put it into operation.
The Thu Thiem - Long Thanh route is expected to start construction on June 30, 2026 and be completed in 2030.
This period of time is not long if considering the huge workload, from completing investment procedures, allocating capital, site clearance, technology selection, bidding, synchronous construction.
The key solution is first of all a special mechanism to shorten the investment preparation process. Approval and technical adjustment steps need to be carried out in parallel instead of sequentially, avoiding prolonging for many years like some previous projects.
Second, site clearance must go one step ahead. With a 42km long line, passing through many rapidly urbanized areas, if the site is not clean on schedule, the entire project will be chain-delayed. Lessons from previous metro projects show that this is the decisive stage.
Third, ensure stable and transparent capital sources. The preliminary total investment of nearly 84,8 billion VND is a large number, requiring a clear capital mobilization plan, avoiding the situation of slow construction due to lack of capital.
Finally, organize synchronous connection.
If the Metro wants to be effective, it must be associated with a transit system, parking lots, and buses connecting to the center, and it is not possible to let passengers take the metro and then get stuck at the end.
30 minutes is not just a technical number, but a measure of the infrastructure organization capacity of a leading city.
