On the morning of March 9, Ho Chi Minh City held the inauguration ceremony of Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien).
After being put into commercial operation from December 22, 2024, Metro Line 1 has served more than 5 million passengers and received many positive responses from the people.
Metro No. 1 has a total length of 19.7km, including 14 stations, connecting the center of Ho Chi Minh City with Thu Duc City. This is the first metro line in Vietnam with an underground section, applying many advanced and modern construction technologies.
The project has a total investment of more than VND43,700 billion from ODA capital from the Japanese Government combined with domestic counterpart funds, and is one of the key economic cooperation projects between Vietnam and Japan.
The operation of Metro Line 1 takes place in the context of the National Assembly's approval of Resolution 188, allowing Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to apply a number of specific mechanisms and policies, especially to promote the development of the metro system.
Along with the experience in the process of building Metro Line 1, Resolution 188 is considered an important premise for Ho Chi Minh City to be able to synchronously deploy 7 metro lines with a total length of 355km in the next decade.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc emphasized that the inauguration of Metro Line 1 is not only the pride of the city, but also marks the beginning of a new chapter in the journey to build a modern public transport system.
Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc also said that the phase of operation, exploitation and management of this metro line in a safe and efficient manner is the real challenge that the city has to face.
"The operation of Metro Line 1 needs to be given special attention to safe and effective exploitation options. The Urban Railway Project Management Board and relevant agencies need to have a detailed plan and scenario to ensure stable and long-term operation for this important project" - Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc emphasized.
The Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee also expressed his hope that people will continue to accompany, trust and support the city in the process of implementing upcoming metro projects.
Using the metro system in accordance with regulations and being aware of protecting the project will contribute to helping the public transport system of Ho Chi Minh City operate sustainably, bringing long-term benefits.
The road ahead is full of challenges, the set goals are very big, but with the spirit of solidarity, the cooperation of the entire political system, the consensus of the people, businesses and the support of international partners, Ho Chi Minh City will certainly complete the synchronous metro network in the coming time. This is an important step to bring Ho Chi Minh City to the level of major cities in the world - Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc affirmed.
Mr. Miyaji Takuma - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, said that Japan always hopes that Metro Line 1 will be widely used by the Vietnamese people and become a popular presence and love of Japan in Vietnam.
I believe that Metro Line 1 will help improve the living environment for the citys people, such as reducing traffic congestion, reducing air pollution, and contributing to improving the quality of life for the people - Deputy Foreign Minister of Japan shared.
