The first metro line in Hanoi has come into commercial operation this month. I remember that the project started when I was in my first year of college, got delayed several times, several years. Eventually, after 10 years of waiting, Hanoian is finally able to experience the first metro line in the city.
Before, the only mean of public transportation was buses, which was obviously not enough to solve the congested traffic in this crowded city. This metro line, for locals, is like a dream come true, and expected to be a game-changer that will encourage people to use public transportation instead of personal vehicles.
The 13-kilometer metro line comprises 12 stations from Cat Linh to Ha Dong – the suburb of Hanoi. The whole metro system with travel routes around the city will be completed in 2050 expectedly. Commuters are allowed to travel for free in the first two weeks of operation. After that, it will cost about VND8,000 – VND 15,000 depending on the distance (US$0.35-0.66), and approx. VND 30,000 (US$1.30) for a day pass with unlimited rides during the day. In the first week of operation, thousands of people flock to metro stations despite complex Covid-19 situations. It is not that people take advantage of free tickets, but the excitement after a long time of delaying is actually what makes them cannot wait any longer. I was no exception. Although I had tried the metro in other countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Chile, etc while traveling there, checking out the metro in Hanoi, for me, is still a whole new and delighted experience to have.
Our plan was that we would take a round trip from Cat Linh to Ha Dong back and forth. To avoid the crowd, we decided to go in the second week of operation, after most people have tried in the first week. We even came in noon to make sure that there would not be many people gathering.
As expected, the train was quite deserted and there was a lot of space for us to take photos and tiktok videos. We stopped by every single station to explore around. Each station had a different theme and color, which was quite lovely to take photos with.
The ride was very smooth and fast, it took approx.. 20 minutes to go from the first to the last station.
Many young people came here to take photos, as it brought a new vibe as if they are in foreign countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, etc. As it is new, it is somewhat special and excited to locals. However, I believe it will just be like bus stations when people get used to it.
It was reported that approx. 80,000 passengers have boarded the train in the first weekend of operation.
Our intended plan was to have a food tour in Ha Dong, too. However, Ha Dong, at that time, was an alarming area of Covid-19, we decided to just go back to city center to have some coffee and foods.
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