The information was announced by Urban Railway Company No. 1 (HURC 1) on December 19.
Passengers can choose one of the following three options to enter the ticket gate and take the train for free:
Method 1: Use a chip-embedded ID card or Citizen ID card, scan directly at the ticket gate.
Method 2: Use QR codes on the HCMC Metro HURC application. Passengers download the application, select the "QRet Nhat" function to create tickets and scan the QR code at the ticket gate.
Method 3: Receive free paper tickets containing QR codes at automatic ticket kiosks and scan at ticket gates to board the train.
HURC 1 noted that during the implementation of the free program, passengers only use the above forms to get free tickets. In case of still purchasing tickets in normal forms, the system will charge a fee and the Company will not refund the amount paid.
The QR Rising function will officially be displayed on the HCMC Metro HURC application from January 1, 2026 and will only be valid for the day.
Stop selling QR paper tickets at the counter from January 1, 2026
Also according to HURC 1, from January 1, 2026, the Company will stop selling paper tickets with QR codes at the counters at Ben Thanh Station, National University and Suoi Tien Bus Station. From this point on, the form of selling QR paper tickets at the counter no longer applies on Metro Line 1.
Passengers can still buy tickets using current payment methods such as: Buy tickets at automatic ticket machines (TVM), Automatic Kiosk; pay by bank card, e-wallet; buy tickets via the HCMC Metro HURC application; pay directly at the ticket gate via the "VPBank touch and Go" feature on the HCMC Metro application.
In addition to the free ticket program for the New Year, HURC 1 also launched many long-term promotional programs.
100% free ticket price for passengers using Vikki cards scanning directly at the ticket gate to - from the stations. The program will be applied from December 16, 2025 and is expected to last until December 31, 2026.
Refund 100% of the payment value to passengers using VPBank's "Touch" form on the HCMC Metro HURC application (Pay By Account). The program is applied from December 17, 2025 to March 17, 2026, with a maximum refund of VND 100,000/passenger/month and VND 300,000/passenger/the entire program.
Continue to refund 100% of ticket prices to passengers using Sacombank Mastercard Metro Pass cards, expected to be applied until December 31, 2025.
For passengers paying by ZaloPay, enter the code ZLPMETRO to get a 50% discount on ticket prices (up to 10,000 VND) when taking the Metro by "Tap & Go" or buying tickets at Kiosk. The program is applied until February 28, 2026.
After 1 year of operation (as of December 15, 2025), Metro Line 1 has operated 78,194 trains safely, serving about 18.95 million passengers, reaching 114.21% of the plan.
On average, Metro Line 1 serves about 1.5 million passengers per month, equivalent to 52,000 per day; during holidays and Tet, the number of passengers will exceed 110,000 per day.
Metro No. 1 is gradually becoming a regular means of transportation for people, instead of just an experience as in the initial stage.
