HCMC plans $1B compensation for metro linking Tan Son Nhat, Long Thanh airports

Ho Chi Minh City has budgeted more than VND26 trillion (US$1 billion) for acquiring land for the 23-km metro line between Tan Son Nhat airport and Phu Huu that will go on to Long Thanh airport.

The information is included in a feasibility study for the first phase of compensation, support, and resettlement for Metro Line No. 6 (Tan Son Nhat-Phu Huu) that the city Department of Agriculture and Environment has sent to relevant agencies for appraisal.

According to the HCMC Urban Railway Management Board, the project will impact 2,501 households and organizations. About 2,256 of these will require full clearance, while the remainder will face partial demolition.

More than 95 hectares of land will be acquired for VND26.336 trillion comprising compensation, support, and resettlement costs.

Pham Van Dong Boulevard, along which the Tan Son Nhat–Phu Huu metro line will run through. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Anh

The line will be 19 km underground and the rest above, have 17 stations, including 13 underground, and its depot will be in the Binh Trieu area of the former Thu Duc City.

The line will begin at Ba Queo Station (ST01) near the Tan Ky Tan Quy-Truong Chinh intersection, where it will connect with the Ben Thanh-Tham Luong metro line which is under construction.

It will run underground from there into Tan Son Nhat Airport, cross the Saigon River and then double back toward erstwhile Thu Duc City.

At the Vo Nguyen Giap-Ring Road 2 area, the line will gradually rise above ground before splitting into two branches.

One will terminate at Phu Huu Station, while the other will connect with the Thu Thiem-Long Thanh Airport route that connects to Long Thanh, which is set to begin commercial operation in December as Vietnam's largest airport.

The Tan Son Nhat-Phu Huu line is among the metro projects prioritized for investment by the city.

Construction is expected to begin at the end of this year and be completed in 2030, taking the city's total metro network length to 255 km.

For the land acquisition, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has called on relevant agencies and local authorities to review the route, project boundaries, existing land use, and related structures to ensure consistency with planning.

Areas where the project intersects with other projects also need to be reviewed to prevent complications.

The Department of Finance has been mandated to review funding sources and the city's financial ability.

Local authorities along the route will prepare compensation, support, and resettlement plans.

Metro Line No. 6 is planned as HCMC's inner ring metro line.

A map of Tan Son Nhat–Phu Huu metro line. Graphics by Khanh Hoang