The enormous central station of the Ho Chi Minh City Metro

A profile of the 3-line Ben Thanh Station of the HCMC Metro, plus a proposed Kota Kinabalu Sky Train and Hat Yai Monorail, and more updates on major railway projects around Southeast Asia.

April 21, 2021

Having been based in Saigon (off and on) since the start of the metro construction, I’ve been following with great interest the construction progress of the first metro line.

Living here and following the news, all we hear about are the delays and controversies that are following this project around. The mood isn’t helped by the sight of the blue construction fences that dominate the area from Ben Thanh Market to the Opera House.

The week’s post is about the Ben Thanh Station, which will be no ordinary metro station. I’ve written this partly to remind myself what an amazing project it is, and to also send to people who haven’t grasped the enormity of the station.

To have a new metro start off by building a 3-line interchange station from the beginning might be a world first (I’m still looking for examples). It’s certainly a first in Southeast Asia.

Bangkok built their BTS with the 2-line interchange at Siam (which is a great example of how to do an interchange). KL has some multople line interchanges, but they were added after the fact and the interchanging is messy. Singapore has a 3-line interchange at Dhoby Ghaut, but that wasn’t prebuilt with the first line.

Manila is currently building a 4-line station at North Triangle Common Station on top of an old station, but one of the lines is several hundred metres away. This is a station that will also be worthy of a future feature.

Here is a look at what will make Ben Thanh so special, once it is finally built.

Latest Posts At Future Southeast Asia

Ben Thanh Station is the future central station of the Ho Chi Minh City Metro. The station will be an interchange for three lines, and it will include a remodeled pedestrian area and an underground shopping plaza.

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