Preparing to start construction of Ben Thanh - Can Gio and Ben Thanh - Tham Luong Metro
The Ben Thanh - Can Gio Metro is the opening project for the acceleration phase, expected to start construction on December 19, 2025. The route is nearly 53km long, standard double track, 1,435mm track gauge, maximum design speed of 350km/h. The project is proposed by VinSpeed High-Speed Railway Investment and Development Joint Stock Company, with a total capital of more than VND 86,650 billion. Metro is expected to be constructed until the third quarter of 2027, tested from the fourth quarter of 2027 and commercially exploited in the first quarter of 2028. The line uses an 8-carry train, with a capacity of 600 passengers; frequency of 3 pairs of trains/hour, serving nearly 44,000 passengers per day, equivalent to more than 15.9 million passengers per year.
Metro No. 2 (Ben Thanh - Tham Luong) is expected to be approved for adjustment before December 15, 2025 and start construction of the entire route on January 15, 2026, and be put into operation from December 2030. The project length after adjustment is 11.269km, of which 9.255km is underground, the rest is the elevated section and the depot access road. The line has 10 underground stations (including Ben Thanh station), one elevated station and one depot. The total investment is expected to increase to VND52,047 billion due to additional scale, technology updates and price inflation.
Metro section No. 2 (Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem) will also be constructed with about 6km of underground along Ham Nghi and Mai Chi Tho Boulevards.
In addition, the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh route is adjusted to an urban railway, about 42km long, double track, 1,435mm track gauge, designed speed of 120km/h. The line consists of 20 stations (16 elevated stations, 4 underground stations), with a total capital of about 3.21 billion USD. When completed, passengers from Tan Son Nhat airport can take Metro Line 2 to Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem and then continue along the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh route to Long Thanh airport.
Metro No. 6 (Tan Son Nhat - Phu Huu) is also considered a new strategic route, 53.8km long, with a total capital of more than 8 billion USD. The line directly connects all three terminals T1, T2 and T3 of Tan Son Nhat airport, and is also connected to Metro Line 2 at Ba Queo station and Thu Thiem - Long Thanh line at Phu Huu station. This will be an important transportation corridor between the two major airports, reducing pressure on the central area of Ho Chi Minh City.
The two metro lines connecting Binh Duong province were also previously prepared for investment. Metro No. 1 (Binh Duong New City - Suoi Tien) is 29.01km long, all of which are elevated, using the Long Binh depot with Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien Metro. The total investment capital of the project is VND 46,725 billion. Metro No. 2 (Thu Dau Mot - Ho Chi Minh City) is 21.87km long, running at high altitudes, with a total capital of about VND53,000 billion.
Lessons from site clearance from Metro Lines 1 and 2
According to Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction Tran Quang Lam, the six metro lines mentioned above have a total length of about 232km, with a total preliminary investment of nearly 19.67 billion USD. Of which, the central budget and the Ho Chi Minh City budget only meet about 66% of the demand.
Therefore, the city needs to soon develop a project to mobilize more resources, including exploiting land funds according to the TOD model (urban development associated with public transport), public-private partnership (PPP), especially the BT (build - transfer) method.
In addition to the capital problem, site clearance continues to be the biggest challenge. In reality, the progress of Metro No. 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) and No. 2 (Ben Thanh - Tham Luong) has been prolonged partly due to slow site handover. Metro No. 1 was once nationally sued by the contractor for slow site clearance, while Metro No. 2 took 5 years to complete the site for more than 11km of route.
Dr. Tran Quang Thang - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Economics and Management - said that in order for new metro projects to "run fast", Ho Chi Minh City must change the way of doing things: Prepare the site 1-2 years in advance, only construct when 90 - 100% of the site is ready; flexibly compensate, close to market prices to limit complaints; streamline the process, clearly stipulate the time limit for each household, to increase transparency.
Speaking at a recent meeting with the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board, Ho Chi Minh City Party Secretary Tran Luu Quang emphasized the need to prioritize resettlement arrangements for each project. During the time people have to relocate, but the resettlement area is not yet completed, the city will support the rent.
Ho Chi Minh City will also prepare additional pre-built housing funds in favorable locations with profit value to support special cases, ensuring people have a long-term housing and livelihood. The Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee also requested the digitalization of the entire resettlement process, ensuring transparency, accuracy and convenience for people affected by urban railway projects.
