Building an inter-regional metro system

City authorities are urgently reviewing and aligning the urban railway development plan with the new administration model, focusing on station locations, depots, underground zoning and urban development following the transit-oriented development (TOD) model.

Prior to the merger plan, HCM City had approved 12 metro lines with a total length of about 510km, of which seven priority routes spanning 355km are expected to be completed by 2035. In parallel, two additional lines — Thu Thiem – Long Thanh and District 7 – Can Gio — are being stepped up through private investment. The total investment required is estimated at over VND1.2 quadrillion (US$47.06 billion).

Meanwhile, Binh Duong planned 12 metro lines with a total length of 305km, Ba Ria – Vung Tau planned three lines totalling about 125km. Once merged, the enlarged HCM City metro system will extend nearly 1,000km — excluding that national rail routes being adjusted to allow multimodal transport integration.

Currently, Metro Line No. 1 (Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien) has been in operation for over six months, surpassing expectations with more than 10 million passenger trips. Building on this momentum, Metro Line No. 2 (Ben Thanh – Tham Luong) is expected to break ground by late 2025.

In Binh Duong, a line linking Binh Duong New City to Suoi Tien (connecting to HCM City’s Metro Line No. 1) is also being prioritised. Stretching over 29km, the line is set to cost more than VND46.7 trillion and has attracted considerable investor interest.

To the southeast, the Thu Thiem – Long Thanh railway is envisioned as a backbone route connecting Tan Son Nhat and Long Thanh airports. Meanwhile, Ba Ria–Vung Tau is pushing forward with plans for Metro Line No. 3, which will run through Vung Tau – Ba Ria – Phu My to Long Thanh Airport in Dong Nai province.

Pushing ahead with special mechanisms

Dr Pham Viet Thuan, Director of the HCM City Institute of Natural Resources and Environment Economics, perceived that the merger of the three economic hubs will create conditions for strongly attracting investors to future metro development. He emphasised the importance of applying digital technologies across investment, operations, and data synchronisation to cut costs and boost efficiency.

The city is already preparing university land plots and potential large land banks in southern HCM City to build depots and stations. New support mechanisms must be implemented during the preparation phase for upcoming metro lines.

Ngo Viet Nam Son, President of NgoViet Architects & Planners, said that in order to develop a fully integrated inter-regional metro system across HCM City, Binh Duong and Ba Ria – Vung Tau, including connections to Long Thanh Airport, metro lines should be built under the TOD model so that each station can become a nucleus for urban development, driving up land value and attracting investment.

Son noted that to make TOD implementation effective, stronger policy support and flexible financial mechanisms are needed. When TOD is properly developed, metro lines will drive urban growth wherever they go, while also generating stable revenue for reinvestment.

Dr. Thuan added that means of transport should be categorised by speed. For trips within 30km (such as those linking with Binh Duong), metro lines with speeds around 80km/h are suitable. For longer routes like HCM City – Vung Tau, high-speed railways with speeds of at least 160km/h is necessary to reduce travel time and enable inter-regional commuting and living.

Private firm proposes investment in HCM City's 47-km metro line

Sovico Group, a founding shareholder of budget airline Vietjet Air, has put forward a proposal to invest in Ho Chi Minh City’s metro line No 4, a 47km route linking Hoc Mon district to Nha Be district.