Vietnam"s biggest bus station opens in HCM City

The new Mien Dong Bus Station, the largest in the country, has officially opened in HCM City’s District 9 after nearly four years of construction (Photo: VNA)

HCM City - The new Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station, the country’s biggest bus station, has been officially put in use in Ho Chi Minh City’s district 9 after nearly four years of construction.

The station launch had been delayed many times due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The station at 501 Hoang Huu Nam Street in district 9 covers 12.3 ha in district 9 and 3.7ha in Di An town in the southern province of Binh Duong.

The Saigon Transportation Mechanical Corporation (SAMCO), the station’s operator, said the new station is nearly three times as big as the old one in Binh Thanh district.

It can serve about 21,000 passengers per day with 1,200 buses, and during peak times, 52,000 passengers and over 1,800 buses.

More than seven million passengers each year are expected to travel on 71 long-haul routes from the city to eastern provinces and localities in the central region and northern Vietnam.

Construction of the new facility began in 2017, with a total cost of more than 4 trillion VND (172.6 million USD).

The new station has four floors and two underground basement floors, with waiting areas, pickup and drop-off areas, transit and cargo trade areas, logistics services, parking areas and a wastewater treatment station.

It is a multi-functional complex with a commercial centre, entertainment area, restaurants and other service areas.

Advanced technology is used for station management and operations.

In the first phase of operation, buses on 24 long-haul routes will run from the new facility to the central province of Quang Tri and northern provinces.

Buses will be allowed to pick up and drop off passengers at the old station for no more than three months from the opening date of the new station while all necessary procedures are being completed.

SAMCO General Director Tran Quoc Toan said the location of the new station is suited to urban development associated with the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) model.

It will be an important traffic hub, contributing to the development of the proposed smart city of Thu Duc in HCM City's eastern area, he said.

The station will serve as a transit hub for passengers going to Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai province and as an international multimodal transport station to some countries in Southeast Asia.

It is connected to inner-city public bus routes and inter-provincial bus routes between HCM City and Dong Nai province.

It will also be connected to the city’s Metro Line No 1, which will extend from Ben Thanh Terminal in district 1 to Suoi Tien Terminal in district 9.

It is expected to better serve passenger demand and contribute to HCM City’s transport development.

The city has several main 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.