Metro plan outline for HCMC airport

HO CHI MINH CITY Ho Chi Minh City authorities are working on a long-range plan to construct a metro line connecting Tan Son Nhat Airport to a nearby park that would reduce  congestion around the entrance of Vietnam’s biggest airport.

Local media reported the 2-km metro route would connect Hoang Van Thu Park in Tan Binh district to the international airport, but it will not be ready for use until 2024 if the current approval and financing schedule is adopted.

The short line between the park and the international terminal will be a spur joining one of the major lines on the planned Metro system that will link the city centre with residential suburbs.

Consultants from South Korea have completed a feasibility study, which will be sent to the prime minister in the first quarter of 2017 for review.

A detailed plan will be submitted in 2018 to seek approval for financing estimated at USD250 million, of which USD224 million would raised in loans from the South Korean government while the rest would be funded by the national budget.

The construction is anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2019 and should be completed in 2024.

Ho Chi Minh City is expected to host 5.1 million international visitors and 21.8 million domestic tourists this year. Tourism will generate USD4.8 billion in revenue.

Last year, the city welcomed 4.6 million foreign visitors and 19.3 million domestic tourists, up 4.6% and 13% year-on-year, respectively. Tourism earnings reached over USD4.1 billion, a 10% increase year-on-year.