During the Lunar New Year holiday, or Tet, Ho Chi Minh City witnessed a new trend in holiday travel as residents and visitors turned to the city’s first metro line as their mode of transportation, contributing to an impressive daily revenue of nearly VND1.3 billion (US$51,580).

Traditionally, people used motorbikes and cars to travel around the city during Tet, but this year, the metro line, which stretches 19.7 kilometers from Ben Thanh Station in District 1 to Suoi Tien Coach Station in Thu Duc City, became a popular alternative. 

The metro offers several advantages, including quick travel times, no traffic congestion, and clean, smoke-free rides, providing a fresh, exciting travel experience for residents and tourists.

A representative from Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway No. 1 Company Limited, the operator of the metro line, said on Monday that the metro ran 928 trips, serving some 522,840 passengers from January 29 to February 2, or between the first and fifth days of the lunar year. 

The peak day was the second day of the lunar year (January 30), with more than 120,000 passengers riding, generating an estimated revenue of VND1.83 billion ($72,620).

During the 10-day period, including five days before and five days after the holiday, the metro line served more than 761,000 passengers across 1,768 trips, earning over VND11.7 billion ($464,110), or approximately VND1.3 billion per day.

Key stations in the central area of the city such as Ben Thanh, Ba Son, and Opera House faced overcrowding between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm during Tet.

At Ben Thanh Station, long lines formed early on the second day of the lunar year, with both children and adults eager to experience metro rides.

The sheer number of passengers led to long waits to purchase tickets and go through security checks.

To address the congestion, with the approval of the municipal Department of Transport, the operator decided to increase the number of trips and reduced the interval between each trip to accommodate passengers from January 30 to February 2.

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