Ho Chi Minh City proposes extending metro line No. 3 to Long Thanh airport

Under the current plan, metro line No. 3 will run about 40 kilometers, linking Vung Tau, Ba Ria, and Phu My.

The route is planned to begin in central Vung Tau Ward, follow National Highway 51 to Phu My Ward, and end at the border with Dong Nai City.

However, the current proposal does not include connections with other planned urban railway projects.

Meanwhile, several major urban railway and railway projects have already been planned to serve the Long Thanh airport area, including the North–South high-speed railway, the Thu Thiem–Long Thanh railway, and a project to extend metro line No. 1 to the administrative center of Dong Nai City and Long Thanh airport.

MAUR said studying an extension of metro line No. 3 through Dong Nai City to Long Thanh airport, while integrating it with other urban railway lines leading to central Ho Chi Minh City, is essential to creating a more connected regional rail network.

According to preliminary studies, express services on the proposed metro line would reduce travel time between Vung Tau and Long Thanh airport to about 30 minutes, while regular services stopping at more stations would take around 50 minutes.

The project would also improve rail connectivity along two key transport corridors: Vung Tau–Ba Ria–Phu My–Long Thanh–Bien Hoa and Vung Tau–Ba Ria–Phu My–Long Thanh–Ho Chi Minh City.

Ho Chi Minh City is also moving ahead with the 48-kilometer Thu Thiem–Long Thanh railway, which is scheduled to break ground in September this year.

If metro line No. 3 is extended to Long Thanh airport and includes a branch connecting to the Thu Thiem–Long Thanh railway, it would create a continuous urban rail corridor linking Thu Thiem directly with Vung Tau.

Ho Chi Minh City accelerates urban railway development

Following its merger with former Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provinces, Ho Chi Minh City's urban railway network is planned to comprise 27 lines with a combined length of more than 1,000 kilometers.

The city aims to complete about 200 kilometers of urban railway by 2030.

Since late 2025, Ho Chi Minh City has begun construction on metro line No. 2's Ben Thanh–Tham Luong and Ben Thanh–Thu Thiem sections, and the 54-kilometer Ben Thanh–Can Gio railway.

Together, the three projects cover approximately 71.5 kilometers.

The city plans to start construction on four additional urban railway projects totaling about 138.8 kilometers: Thu Thiem–Long Thanh, metro line No. 1 linking Binh Duong New City with Suoi Tien, metro line No. 2 connecting Thu Dau Mot City with Ho Chi Minh City, and the first phase of metro line No. 6 linking Tan Son Nhat International Airport with Phu Huu by the end of 2026.