Vingroup Corporation has just sent a document to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, proposing to invest in a high-speed urban railway line connecting the center of Ho Chi Minh City with Can Gio district.
According to the proposal, the metro line will start from Nguyen Van Linh Street, the section between the intersection with Nguyen Thi Thap Street and Ly Thuc Man Street, in Tan Phu Ward, District 7.
The metro line will extend to a 39ha land area, adjacent to the Can Gio Sea-crossing Urban Tourism Area project, in Long Hoa commune, Can Gio district.
The railway line will pass through District 7, Nha Be District and Can Gio District, with a total length of about 48.5km, operating at an elevation.
In particular, the project will build an overpass over the Soai Rap River, combining both railway and road to optimize connectivity.
This metro line is designed according to double track standards, 1,435mm in size, with a maximum speed of 250km/h. The metro line will have two main depots, one in District 7 (land area 20ha) and one in Long Hoa commune, Can Gio district (land area 39ha).
The route is capable of transporting 30,000 - 40,000 passengers per hour in each direction.
The total preliminary investment is estimated at about 102,370 billion VND (4.09 billion USD), of which the cost of site clearance is about 8,664.7 billion VND, the construction cost is 37,537 billion VND, the equipment cost is 25,777 billion VND, along with other expenses such as taxes, reserves, project management and consulting.
Vingroup Corporation proposed to implement the project in the form of public-private partnership (PPP), with a Construction - Ownership - Business (BOO) contract. The enterprise will invest with its own capital and mobilized capital according to regulations, then own, exploit and operate the metro line after completion.
The project is expected to start from 2025 with a preparation phase, including preparing and completing a pre-feasibility study report, submitting it to competent authorities to include in the urban railway development plan, appraisal and approval of the feasibility study report, and at the same time completing site clearance work.
From 2026 to 2027, the project will enter the construction phase, ensuring the progress and quality of the project. By 2028, the metro line will be put into trial operation before being officially handed over and put into operation.
Vingroup Corporation recommends that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee consider, approve and give instructions to relevant units to support and guide the implementation of related work to be able to soon complete the investment and construction of the project.
At the 16th meeting of the State Steering Committee for important national projects and works, key to the transport sector (March 19), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assigned Ho Chi Minh City to urgently study and implement urban railway projects connecting Can Gio and Long Thanh airport. The city needs to report the results before April 2025.
Can Gio District is about 50km from the center of Ho Chi Minh City, the only district bordering the sea with 70% of its area being mangrove forests and canals.
Ho Chi Minh City aims to turn Can Gio into a regional and international tourism urban area.
The Can Gio coastal urban tourism project with an area of 2,870 hectares in Long Hoa commune and Can Thanh town is being planned with a total capital of 282,800 billion VND.
The project is expected to welcome 9 million tourists/year, create 36,000 jobs and be home to more than 228,000 people - 3 times the current population.
However, traffic connecting Can Gio is still limited. Currently, there are only Rung Sac and Binh Khanh ferry routes, while the Can Gio bridge project, despite being proposed for many years, has not yet been implemented.
