Metro Line 1: Which Stations Are Actually Worth Using

Which stations should you actually use?

Bến Thành, Opera House, Ba Son, Tân Cảng, Thảo Điền and Suối Tiên. The other eight are not worth getting off for as a visitor.

That is not a criticism of the line — it is a commuter railway that happens to have three very useful stops in the historic core. The independent caveat worth repeating is that not all stations justify disembarking, because pedestrian infrastructure at the outer stops is poor.

What does it cost and how do you pay?

7,000–20,000₫ by distance in cash, 1,000₫ less contactless, or 40,000₫ for a day pass. Tap a contactless bank card at the gate.

Tapping a contactless credit or debit card straight at the gate is the thing to know. Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, UnionPay and NAPAS cards all work for single journeys. The local e-wallets require a Vietnamese bank account and are not realistic for a short stay. Ticket machines take notes up to 100,000₫ — not 200,000₫ or 500,000₫.

The operator's app is listed in the app stores as HCMC Metro HURC. If you install it, check that the publisher is the city's urban railway company — copycat transport apps exist — but you do not need it. Tap your card.

Every so often the ride is free: the operator waived fares on New Year's Day 2026, for example. Those are announced a few days ahead and are not something to plan around.

A first ride on Line 1, filmed after opening. Useful for seeing the gates and the platforms before you go. Video by Where Can I FLY.

When do the trains run?

From 05:00 every day, until 22:00 Monday to Thursday and 23:00 Friday to Sunday, roughly every 6 to 15 minutes.

That is the 2026 timetable. The operator trims the number of trips in school holidays without changing the first and last trains, so off-peak waits stretch towards the top of that range in summer. You do not need to check a timetable; you will rarely wait long.

Why the line matters more than the ridership suggests

It turns the Bến Thành–Opera House–Ba Son walk into a 7,000₫ hop, which changes how you plan the middle of a hot day.

The historic core is walkable in theory and punishing in practice between 11:00 and 15:30. Three underground stations along that stretch is the practical difference, and it is why most getting-around advice written before December 2024 is now wrong.

For context on the project: 19.7 km and 14 stations, largely funded by Japanese development assistance, and years late against its original target. The first weeks after opening were free. Line 2, from Bến Thành to Tham Lương, began construction in January 2026 with a 2030 target, so for now Line 1 is the whole network.

What the metro does not do

It does not go to the airport. There is no rail link at all.

The airport is 7 km from the centre and there is no metro or rail connection to it — airport transfers are on Klook instead — which surprises people who have used the line and assumed it extends. Plan on a bus, a ride-hail or a taxi.