Unveiling Ho Chi Minh City’s 9 Metro Lines: A $37 Billion Investment Priority for the Next Decade

Mr. Nguyen Duy Thach, Director of the Investment Preparation Board – Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board, said that after expanding the administrative boundaries, Ho Chi Minh City has a total of 27 metro lines, with a total length of 1,012 km needing investment. Of these, the old Ho Chi Minh City area has 12 lines, the old Binh Duong area has 12 lines, and the old Ba Ria – Vung Tau area has 3 lines.

This system will form a high-capacity public transport framework, seamlessly connecting Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Vung Tau. It will also link with national railway lines and Long Thanh Airport, creating a modern transport network that alleviates the severe congestion on the existing road system.

According to the Urban Railway Management Board, the old Ho Chi Minh City area previously planned 12 urban railway lines with a total length of 582 km and the use of 16 depots.

The old Binh Duong area also detailed plans for 12 metro lines, with 2 main depots. These lines are designed to connect urban areas, large industrial zones, and integrate with Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai.

Meanwhile, the old Ba Ria – Vung Tau area has 3 lines connecting coastal tourist centers, industrial zones, and seaports, while also integrating with the national railway system, Ho Chi Minh City metro, and the airport.

Before 2035, Ho Chi Minh City will prioritize investing in 9 metro lines with a total capital of approximately $37.15 billion. The old Ho Chi Minh City area will invest in 6 lines; the old Binh Duong area is expected to have 2 lines, and the old Vung Tau area is expected to have 1 line, which is Line 3 connecting Vung Tau – Ba Ria – Phu My, 63 km long, including the connection to Long Thanh Airport.

Details of the 9 metro lines Ho Chi Minh City will invest in before 2035

Line 1 (An Ha – Suoi Tien) has a total length of 40.8 km, including 15.5 km underground and 25.3 km elevated. This line is expected to have 30 stations, including 14 underground and 16 elevated stations, using the An Ha Depot and Long Binh Depot.

The route is divided into two segments: The An Ha – Ben Thanh segment, 21.1 km long, runs from An Ha Industrial Zone to Le Van Quoi, Hoa Binh, Ong Ich Khiem, Lanh Binh Thang, Ly Thai To, Nga Sau Cong Hoa, Cong Quynh to Ben Thanh Market.

The Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien segment, 19.7 km long, runs from Ben Thanh Market through Le Loi, Ba Son Station, Van Thanh Park, Vo Nguyen Giap Road, Thu Duc intersection to Long Binh Depot.

The preliminary total investment is $3.28 billion, equivalent to 86,521 billion VND.

Metro Line 2 (Thu Thiem – Cu Chi)

This line has a total length of 62.17 km, including 12.83 km underground and 49.34 km elevated, and is expected to have 42 stations, including 12 underground and 30 elevated stations.

The Thu Thiem – Cu Chi metro will use the Binh My Depot (Cu Chi), Tham Luong Depot, and Phuoc Hiep Depot.

The route starts from Thu Thiem, passing through Mai Chi Tho, Ham Nghi, Ben Thanh, Le Lai, Cach Mang Thang Tam, Truong Chinh, An Suong Bus Station, National Highway 22 to the Northwest Cu Chi Urban Area, with a branch to Cau Phu Cuong to connect with Binh Duong.

The preliminary total investment is $2.77 billion, equivalent to approximately 73,176 billion VND.

Metro Line 3 (An Ha – Hiep Binh Phuoc)

Metro Line 3, prioritized for investment before 2035, has a total length of 45.81 km, including 16.05 km underground and 29.77 km elevated.

This line is expected to have 35 stations, including 15 underground and 20 elevated stations, using the An Ha Depot, Tan Kien Depot, and Hiep Binh Phuoc Depot.

The route runs from An Ha Industrial Zone through Le Minh Xuan, Tan Kien Station, Kinh Duong Vuong, Hong Bang, Hung Vuong, Nga Sau Cong Hoa, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Xô Viet Nghê Tinh to National Highway 13, ending at Hiep Binh Phuoc.

The preliminary total investment is approximately $5.05 billion, equivalent to 133,308 billion VND.

Metro Line 4 (Dong Thanh – Hiep Phuoc)

According to the plan, this metro line is expected to have a total length of 47.32 km, including 25.62 km underground and 21.7 km elevated.

The line includes 37 stations with 21 underground and 16 elevated stations, using the Dong Thanh Depot (Hoc Mon) and Hiep Phuoc Depot.

The route runs from Dong Thanh through Ha Huy Giap, Nguyen Oanh, Nguyen Kiem, T1 and T2 Tan Son Nhat Stations, Truong Son, Nguyen Van Troi, Hai Ba Trung, Pasteur, Ben Thanh, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ton Dan, Nguyen Huu Tho, and follows a new road to Hiep Phuoc Urban Area.

The preliminary total investment is $5.96 billion, equivalent to 157,405 billion VND.

Line 6 (Inner Ring Road)

This metro line has a total length of 53.8 km with the largest total investment, exceeding $8 billion, and is identified as a priority project.

According to the plan, this metro line includes 45.6 km underground and 8.2 km elevated. The entire line is expected to have 38 stations, including 32 underground and 6 elevated stations, using the Binh Hung, Binh Trieu, Hiep Binh Phuoc, and Long Truong Depots.

The route is divided into three segments: from Phu Huu Station to Ba Queo Station; from Ba Queo Station to Phu Lam Intersection; and the third segment from Phu Lam Intersection back to Phu Huu Station.

Thu Thiem – Long Thanh Line

According to the pre-feasibility study report by the Railway Project Management Board (Ministry of Construction), this line is 41.83 km long, with an expected investment of $3.21 billion, equivalent to 84,752 billion VND, directly connecting from central Ho Chi Minh City – Thu Thiem Station to Long Thanh International Airport.

This line is expected to have 40.67 km elevated and 15.13 km underground, with 0.43 km on the ground, and 20 stations, including 16 elevated and 4 underground stations.

This is a high-capacity passenger transport line, with a capacity of 30,000–40,000 passengers/direction/hour, and a design speed of up to 120 km/h on the main line and 90 km/h in tunnels.

The Prime Minister has assigned Ho Chi Minh City as the managing agency to implement this project.

Recently, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee sent a document to the Dong Nai People’s Committee to discuss the procedures for assigning a locality as the competent authority to prepare the investment for the Thu Thiem – Long Thanh railway line.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, the city has received much interest from investors in the Thu Thiem – Long Thanh Railway Project. Investors mainly propose public-private partnership (PPP) models, specifically the Build-Transfer (BT) contract.

To expedite investment preparation, it is necessary to agree on assigning a locality as the competent authority for implementation.

The old Binh Duong area has 2 priority lines for investment before 2035: Line 1 (New Binh Duong City – Suoi Tien) and Line 2 (Thu Dau Mot City – Ho Chi Minh City).

Metro Line 1 New Binh Duong City – Suoi Tien

Metro Line 1 connects from New Binh Duong City to Suoi Tien Station of Metro Line 1 Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien, with a total length of 32.43 km, including a 29.01 km main line entirely elevated and a 3.42 km depot connection.

The line starts at S1 Station in the center of New Binh Duong City and ends at Suoi Tien Bus Station of Metro Line 1 Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien. The entire line is expected to have 19 elevated stations and 1 depot located in Binh Duong Ward. The total investment is expected to be $2.27 billion, equivalent to 46,725 billion VND.

On August 16, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee issued a decision assigning the Urban Railway Management Board as the investor to prepare the investment for this metro line.

Metro Line 2 Thu Dau Mot – Ho Chi Minh City

Metro Line 2 Thu Dau Mot – Ho Chi Minh City is 21.87 km long, entirely elevated; it starts at S5 Station of Metro Line 1 New Binh Duong City – Suoi Tien and ends at km24+865 in Binh Hoa Ward.

The entire line is expected to have 13 elevated stations and 1 depot shared with the depot of Metro Line 1 New Binh Duong City-Suoi Tien.

The total investment for this line is expected to be $2.27 billion, equivalent to 59,968 billion VND.

Metro Line 3 Vung Tau- Ba Ria-Phu My

The old Ba Ria – Vung Tau area, according to the plan, has 3 metro lines. In the phase before 2035, Ho Chi Minh City will prioritize investing in Line 3 connecting Vung Tau – Ba Ria – Phu My.

This line is 63 km long, including a 23 km connection to Long Thanh Airport (previously planned at 40 km). It starts at Cua Lap – Bung Vung Vanh Intersection – National Highway 55 – Hoa Binh Park Intersection – National Highway 51 – Phu My Industrial Zone, connecting to Long Thanh Airport.

The expected investment is $4.83 billion, equivalent to 127,645 billion VND.

Additionally, during this phase, 2 important metro lines will also be invested in: Line 12 Ho Chi Minh City – Can Gio and Line Ben Thanh-Tham Luong.

At the Ho Chi Minh City Socio-Economic Meeting for the first 10 months of 2025 on October 31, Mr. Tran Quang Lam, Director of the Department of Construction, said that the department is completing procedures for Metro Line 2 Ben Thanh – Tham Luong to start construction by the end of this year or at the latest in January 2026. This project is expected to complete the urban connection axis from the West to the Northeast of the city.

Regarding the metro line to Can Gio, Mr. Lam said that Vingroup is accelerating preparation steps, aiming to start construction by the end of this year. For this line, Ho Chi Minh City has agreed to adjust the starting point to Ben Thanh Station instead of Tan Thuan Station as previously proposed.

According to the new proposal, the segment from Ben Thanh to Tan Thuan will go underground; the segment from Tan Thuan to Can Gio will follow the original plan. According to the old design, the line is about 48.56 km long, expected to have 4 stations, combining underground sections in residential areas and elevated sections along the Rung Sac road. If following the new plan, the Ho Chi Minh City – Can Gio metro line will increase by about 5 km.

According to Mr. Nguyen Duy Thach, the Urban Railway Management Board is reviewing and updating the urban railway network planning to ensure effective connectivity among the three areas.

This includes assessing intersection locations, depot areas, unified control centers, and building a unified technical standard system for the entire network, ensuring the metro system operates synchronously, safely, and optimally across the city.

Currently, many private enterprises have actively participated in investing in the urban railway system in Ho Chi Minh City, such as Vingroup investing in the urban railway line connecting central Ho Chi Minh City to Can Gio District; Truong Hai, in collaboration with Hyundai Rotem, participating in the investment and construction of Metro Line 2 segments Ben Thanh – Tham Luong, Ben Thanh – Thu Thiem, and Thu Thiem – Long Thanh; and Sovico Group researching the urban railway line number 4 connecting Hoc Mon – Nha Be…