Ho Chi Minh City’s Metro Line No. 2 between Ben Thanh and Tham Luong has secured a new consultancy contractor, clearing the way for construction to proceed after years of delays. The Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) awarded the VND175 billion package to a consortium comprising Guangzhou Metro Design & Research Institute (China), Southern Transport Design Consultancy JSC, Port & Seafield Engineering Design Consulting JSC, and France-based ARTELIA SAS.
The consortium will revise the feasibility report, update technical designs to meet current standards, and support tendering for construction packages. This step follows the cancellation of a previous consultancy contract with European and Vietnamese firms due to disputes, which had stalled financing and procurement. The project’s funding model has since been shifted to public investment to avoid dependency on foreign loans.
Metro Line 2 will run 11 km with nine underground stations and one elevated station, linking key corridors such as Truong Chinh and Cach Mang Thang Tam before terminating at the underground Ben Thanh hub. With an estimated cost of VND47.8 trillion, the line is now slated for completion by 2030, four years later than initially planned. The government recently approved using domestic funds, with utility relocations expected by year-end to allow construction to commence.
