After six years of construction, one of three underground terminals of HCMC’s first metro line is nearly complete. 

The four-floor terminal is one of three subway stations on the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien line. A key feature is its black metal ceiling, which simulates the architecture of the Saigon Opera House that stands nearby on the ground.

Ticket vending machines and automatic toll gates will be installed next to the ticket office.

A B1 information station.

The spacious waiting lobby features a four-meter-high aluminum ceiling equipped with LED lights.

Empty frames await advertising boards.

The terminal has designated routes for the disabled.

Two escalators, two stairways and an elevator lead 36 meters underground. Trains will stop on the second and fourth levels, with the two remaining floors reserved for staff, electrical equipment, ventilation, sewage systems and disaster control.

The second floor (B2) has completed basic construction, including waiting lanes for passengers.

Two 2.6 km-long tunnels will connect subway stations along the route.

The terminal provides five entrances and exits, installed near the theater and Nguyen Hue walking street.

Entrances and exits consist of steel and tempered glass. The Saigon Opera House is on the left side.

Roads and buildings above the station. The entire site covers over 2,000-square-meters, with construction completed  127 days earlier than planned. The metro line spans from Long Binh Ward in District 9 to Ben Thanh Ward in District 1 with a total 14 stations, 11 elevated and three underground. It was approved in 2007 at a cost of VND17.4 trillion ($747 million).

Last November, the National Assembly allowed city authorities to approve a new cost estimate of VND43.6 trillion ($1.87 billion) after design changes and a strengthening of the Japanese yen increased the price. The line is now 72 percent complete. By the end of this year, it is expected to reach 85 percent, with the aim to bring the project into operation by the end of 2021.