Ho Chi Minh City offers free metro rides for Reunification Day

The complimentary service will be available on Wednesday and Thursday, as announced by the metro operator, Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway No. 1 Co. Ltd., on Tuesday evening.

The initiative, supported by Hoa Sen Advertising Trading JSC, aims to facilitate convenient travel for residents and visitors during the significant national holiday, which lasts from April 30 to May 4.

Passengers can access the free rides by directly scanning their chip-based national ID cards at the fare gates or by using a dedicated ‘Independent QR’ code generated within the HCMC Metro HURC mobile application.

This special QR code will appear on the app starting April 30 and will expire after May 1.

The operator reminded passengers that only these two methods – the ID card scan or special QR code – will grant free access.

Standard payment methods like bank cards, e-wallets, or regular QR tickets purchased via the app will still incur charges, and refunds will not be provided.

To accommodate the expected increase in commuters during the holiday period, the operator will extend operating hours on the metro line from 4:30 am to 11:00 pm on April 30, with an increased frequency of 240 trips.

The extended schedule will continue through May 4.

This announcement follows a previous decision by the city's Department of Transport and Public Works to also offer free travel on all public bus routes on April 30 as a gesture of gratitude to bus passengers.

All passengers traveling on city and interprovincial bus routes connected to Ho Chi Minh City will enjoy free service.

The waiver also applies to oversized baggage that would normally incur additional fees.

Passengers will still receive bus tickets and full service rights as usual.