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Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 29 April 2021 – Ben Thanh Station is the central station of the future Ho Chi Minh City Metro. The station will be a junction for three lines, making it one of the few metro stations in Asia that has a triple-line interchange. The station will include a new pedestrian area above the station and an underground shopping plaza that runs between Ben Thanh and the next station at Opera House.

Not only is this an unusually large station, but it’s possibly the world’s first metro system that is pre-building a purpose-built station for three lines.

Ho Chi Minh City was in the enviable position of having a large open space in the most central point of the city. This space has allowed the urban railway planners to design an ambitious radial metro network, with enough construction space to build such a large central station where three lines could intersect. The underground station is in front of the historic Ben Thanh Market, under what was Quach Thi Trang Square.

Once the system is complete it will be possible to travel from six different points in the city via the central station. This radial network design will mean that the HCMC Metro will get the most coverage with the least amount of lines.

Metro Lines At Ben Thanh Station
Technically there are four lines being planned that pass through [Ben Thanh Station], though in reality, it’s a three-line station with six platforms.

– Line 1 / Line 3A
Line 1 is the first line of the HCMC Metro, and it’s being built in conjunction with Ben Thanh Station. The line travels from Ben Thanh to the new Mien Dong (Eastern) bus terminal in the northeast of the city. Line 3A is the western extension of LIne 1, which will go from Ben Thanh to Mien Tay (Western) bus station.

– Line 2
Line 2 will travel from Cu Chi District to the Thu Thiem New Urban Area. The first stage of Line 2 begins construction in 2022.

– Line 4
Line 4 is a north-south line that will run from Thanh Xuan to Hiep Phuoc via Ben Thanh Station.

Underground Plaza

The station has four underground levels, with the first underground floor being dedicated to passenger movement and shopping space. The plaza is also planned to be extended underneath Le Loi Street from Ben Thanh Station to the Opera House Station.

Around Ben Thanh Station

A new pedestrian plaza will replace the traffic circle that was previously in front of Ben Thanh Market. This will make the middle of the city a pedestrian-friendly space, and a new meeting point of the city.

On the other side of the pedestrian plaza is the One Central HCM project. This is one of the biggest construction projects in Ho Chi Minh City, featuring two towers on top of a retail podium. The two towers symbolise dragons holding a pearl,  and this “double dragon” will be a new landmark of the city skyline.

To the east of the plaza is the historic Vietnam Railways Building, which is set to become a metro administration building.

To the west of the plaza is a park where the original Saigon Railway Station used to be. This park will be connected to the plaza and is planned to be landscaped.

Seeking Investors

While the station and two of the lines are in the construction phase, the city is now calling for investors for the underground shopping plaza section. Considering that the Ho Chi Minh City population is on the cusp of 10 million people, Ben Thanh will eventually be one of the busiest metro stations in Southeast Asia. The plaza will also become a destination in itself, so the surrounding retail area will be a sought-after address.

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Media Contact

James Clark
Future Southeast Asia
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
https://futuresoutheastasia.com/

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