The Ho Chi Minh City subway network is planning to extend eastward, and a rail line to Long Thanh Airport is planned to land with British funding. The UK Export Credit Agency plans to provide up to $2.5 billion in export credit to support the construction of this extension line in the form of loan guarantees. This funding will also become a large single support from Western institutions for Vietnam's urban rail transit.

Basic Overview of the Line

The project is an extension of the Binh Thanh Quang Line of Ho Chi Minh City Subway Line 1, with a total length of approximately 44 kilometers. Only 2.9 kilometers are located within Ho Chi Minh City, while the rest of the route is spread out in the province of Thong Nai, with a designed maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour. The Vietnamese government has listed it as an emergency construction project and implemented it using the PPP-BT model. Financing comes with hard conditions, and at least 20% of the project's goods and services need to come from the UK. In addition to the funds used for the procurement of civil engineering vehicles and electromechanical systems, an additional $173 million has been arranged for the purchase of trains to alleviate the current shortage of transportation capacity on the line. The Ho Chi Minh City Subway Line 1 was put into operation at the end of 2024, with a total length of nearly 20 kilometers, 14 stations, and 17 three car trains. It achieved profitability last year.

Fund binding project node

Learning from the lessons of early subway project delays, Vietnam plans to directly link fund disbursement with project milestones. If the project is implemented, it will become one of the largest single funding supports from the West for Vietnam's urban rail transit. The bidding time for the project depends on the credit terms and approval progress. British companies can also enter the Vietnamese rail transit procurement market through this opportunity. Keywords: Ho Chi Minh City Subway, UK Export Credit

British companies continue to expand their presence in Vietnam

Recently, British capital has continued to increase its investment in Vietnam's rail transit sector. In July 2025, the Vietnamese Ministry of Construction and the British Ambassador to Vietnam reached a consensus on railway cooperation. In January 2026, the British Trade Envoy led a team to visit Vietnam and signed a memorandum of understanding on BIM cooperation. British Jardine Matheson Group holds 26.6% equity in Vietnam's Changhai Group and intends to participate in investment after the approval of the North South high-speed railway.Editor/Min Jing