HCMC Metro Line 1: A Rider Guide

Ho Chi Minh City's Metro Line 1 (Bến Thành – Suối Tiên) opened to the public in December 2024, becoming the city's first operating urban rail line after roughly two decades of planning and construction. It runs from Bến Thành Market in District 1 out through Thảo Điền, An Phú, and Thủ Đức to Suối Tiên in the far east of the city — a route that can take an hour or more by road in bad traffic, and typically well under half that on the train. This guide covers the stations, fares, hours, and where Line 1 is genuinely useful on a short visit.

What Line 1 is

Line 1 is a roughly 19-kilometre line with 14 stations — three underground in the central district, the rest elevated as the line runs east along the Hà Nội Highway corridor. It was built substantially with Japanese ODA financing, with trains supplied by Hitachi. Rides were free for a period after the December 2024 opening while the system bedded in; paid fares phased in over the following weeks. It's the first line of a planned multi-line HCMC metro network, though it remains — as of this writing — the only one running trains. For general orientation to the city it serves, see the Ho Chi Minh City overview.

The route and stations

The full line has 14 stops, including several elevated stations (Văn Thánh, Tân Cảng, Rạch Chiếc, Phước Long, Bình Thái, and Đại Học Quốc Gia) between the ones most relevant to a typical visitor. Here's what sits near the stations travellers actually use:

End to end, the ride typically takes somewhere in the range of 25–30 minutes — confirm current run times with the operator or app, since schedules have been adjusted more than once since launch.

Fares and ticketing

Fares are distance-based: a single ride typically costs somewhere in the 6,000–20,000 VND range depending on how many stations you travel, with day, multi-day, and monthly passes also available at a flat rate for unlimited rides. These figures have moved since the free-ride period ended, so treat them as a rough guide and confirm current pricing at a station ticket machine or the official app before you travel.

Tickets are sold as QR-code paper tickets or app-based digital tickets at machines in each station, which typically accept both cash and card. Gates use a tap-in, tap-out (or scan-in, scan-out) system, so hold onto your ticket for the whole ride — you'll need it again to exit, and losing it can complicate getting out. There has been discussion of integrating metro fares with the city bus network onto a single transit card; check locally whether that has rolled out by the time you ride.

Hours and frequency

Line 1 typically operates from early morning into the evening, roughly 5am to 10pm, though exact hours have shifted since launch and are worth confirming rather than assuming. Trains generally run every 8–12 minutes in most cases, with shorter gaps during morning and evening rush hours. As with fares, treat any specific timetable you see online as indicative rather than fixed, and confirm before planning a trip around a tight connection.

Why it matters for visitors: the Bến Thành to Thảo Điền corridor

For most tourists, the single most useful stretch of Line 1 is Bến Thành to Thảo Điền. Before the metro, a Grab or taxi between District 1 and Thảo Điền during rush hour could easily take 45–60 minutes fighting through Hà Nội Highway traffic. The train covers the same distance in a fairly consistent 10–15 minutes regardless of road congestion, which makes a half-day trip out to Thảo Điền's café and restaurant scene much more practical without booking a car both ways. The same logic applies further out: Suối Tiên Theme Park becomes a realistic family day trip by train, and Thủ Đức's local food scene is now a short, flat-fare ride rather than a negotiation with a driver. For where to base yourself near a station, the District 1 guide covers the western end of the line.

Getting to and from the airport

Line 1 does not currently run to Tân Sơn Nhất Airport — the airport sits on the opposite side of the city from the metro corridor, and no direct rail link exists between them at this time. Visitors still need a Grab, taxi, or airport bus between the airport and District 1 (see the Tân Sơn Nhất airport guide); once in District 1, the metro becomes useful for onward trips east. For getting around outside the metro's reach, Grab, Be and Xanh SM remain the practical default.

Future lines and where the network stands

HCMC's long-term transit plan calls for several more lines beyond Line 1, and Line 2 (Bến Thành – Tham Lương) is furthest along, with construction underway in stages. HCMC metro construction has a long history of delays — Line 1 itself took roughly two decades from approval to opening — so any completion date circulating for Line 2 or later lines should be treated as provisional. Lines beyond that remain in earlier planning and financing stages. For now, Line 1 is the only operating segment of a network meant to grow much larger, and it's worth checking current status before building a visit plan around future lines actually being open.

Practical tips for riders

• Bags typically go through a scanner at station entrances, similar to light airport-style screening — budget a few extra minutes at busy stations.
• Keep your ticket or QR code until you've exited through the gates at your destination; you need it to tap or scan out, not just in.
• Standing to one side on escalators and keeping aisles clear at doors is appreciated, as on any busy metro system.
• Peak commuting hours (roughly 7–9am and 5–7pm) see the heaviest crowds; travelling outside those windows is typically more comfortable.

Related

• HCMC District 1
• Thảo Điền (HCMC District 2 / Thủ Đức City)
• Grab, Be and Xanh SM: ride-hailing apps in Vietnam