New Eastern Bus Station in HCM City to open next month

The new Mien Dong Bus Station in HCM City’s district 9 will replace the old station in Binh Thanh district. (Photo: VNA)

HCM City - The new Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station in HCM City’s District 9 will open on October 10 after repeated delays due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the city’s Department of Transport.

Buses will be allowed to pick up and drop off passengers at the old Eastern Bus Station in Binh Thanh district for no more than three months from the opening date of the new station, while completing all necessary procedures.

In the first phase, buses will run from the new facility on long-haul routes to the central province of Quang Tri Trị and northern provinces.

Construction of the new station, worth more than 4 trillion VND (172.6 million USD), began in April 2017. It was scheduled to open at various times, on Tet 2018, early 2019, at the end of April and mid-August, but the city delayed its launch because of the resurgence of COVID-19.

According to the operator, Saigon Transportation Mechanical Corporation (SAMCO), the new station, the country’s largest bus station, is nearly three times as big as the old one. It is expected to reduce traffic in the city centre, particularly in areas around the old station.

It covers a 16ha area, including 12.3ha in Long Binh ward in the city’s District 9, and 3.7ha in the southern province of Binh Duong’s Di An district.

The station is designed to serve more than seven million passengers each year who travel to eastern provinces and localities in the central region and northern Vietnam.

It includes high-rise parking, repair areas, refueling stations, transit and cargo trade areas, and commercial and service areas.

The station can serve about 21,000 passengers per day, with 1,200 buses departing. This will increase to 52,000 passengers and over 1,800 buses on peak days.

The new station will be connected with HCM City's Metro Line No 1 that will extend from Ben Thanh Terminal in District 1 to Suoi Tien Terminal in District 9.

The city has a network of bus stations, including Mien Tay (Western) Bus Station in Binh Tan district, An Suong Bus Station in Hoc Mon district and Nga Tu Ga Bus Station in District 12.