Many residents in Ho Chi Minh City rode metro trains to their workplaces or schools on Monday after the city's first metro line, which stretches from Ben Thanh Station in District 1 to Suoi Tien Coach Station in Thu Duc City, began its official service on Sunday morning.

The metro is expected to change residents’ commuting habits, meaning that they will use public transport modes rather than private vehicles.

Thanh Tien, a resident of Binh Duong Province, a neighbor of Ho Chi Minh City, said that he decided to get to work by metro on Monday, one day after its official launch.

“Before the metro line began its operations, I had been making a 40-kilometer round trip to work by motorcycle daily for nearly 10 years,” he said, explaining that his company is located in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, some 700 meters from Ben Thanh Metro Station.

“I was so pleased to see the line open to traffic,” he shared.

He recounted that he got up at 5:30 am on Monday, and then took an electric bus at the nearest bus stop to National University Station in Thu Duc.

“At 6:15 am, I was standing at the metro platform and ready to board,” he said. 

He finds the metro both convenient and comfortable, allowing him to avoid traffic congestion and reduce exposure to air pollution.

On Monday, the stations along Vo Nguyen Giap Road and Hanoi Highway were not as crowded as they were on the opening day of the metro.

In addition to workers, residents were eager to experience the new transport service.

Mai Nhi, a 20-year-old resident of Thu Duc, said that she traveled to school by metro on Monday.

Before the metro’s launch, it took her nearly two hours to commute by bus between Thu Duc and District 4.

She felt hopeful and happy as the travel time by metro was just 40 minutes between her residence and Ben Thanh Station, which is one kilometer from her university.

The metro line spans 19.7 kilometers, including 2.6 kilometers of underground railway and 17.1 kilometers of elevated track.

Operating daily from 5:00 am to 10:00 pm, the metro offers 200 trips per day, each taking approximately 30 minutes, with intervals between trains ranging from eight to 12 minutes.

Free rides are available to passengers through the first 30 days of the metro line's operations.

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