Long Thanh Airport by Metro: The Rail Lines Coming to Connect It

Will there be a Metro to Long Thanh Airport? It is the question every traveller ends up asking, and the answer is yes, in time. Several rail and metro lines are planned to link the new airport with central Ho Chi Minh City, aiming for a run of around thirty minutes into the centre. None of them is running yet. This guide is about that rail future: the lines on the drawing board, how far along they are, and when you can realistically expect to ride one. For the airport itself, its opening and how to reach it by road, see our Long Thanh airport guide and transfer guide.

At a glance. No rail link to Long Thanh Airport is running yet. Two projects will connect it: the Thủ Thiêm to Long Thanh line, a purpose-built airport line of about 41.8 kilometres with 20 stations, which broke ground in July 2026, and a planned eastward extension of Metro Line 1 toward Đồng Nai. The goal is roughly thirty minutes between the central Bến Thành area and the airport. Completion is targeted around 2031. Until then, the airport is reached by road.

Why the airport needs a rail link

Long Thanh sits well east of the city, in Đồng Nai province, far enough that the road transfer runs over an hour in normal traffic. That distance is exactly why a fast, fixed-time rail connection matters so much: as Long Thanh takes on more of the long-haul international flights that once used Tân Sơn Nhất, the number of travellers making that trip will only grow. A train removes the traffic uncertainty from the equation. For the precise distance, opening timeline and the road options available today, our airport guide is the place to look; this article stays with the rail plans.

The rail lines planned to reach Long Thanh

There is not one project but several, and together they explain why the airport is expected to feel much closer within a few years. Ho Chi Minh City is building out a wider urban rail network, described in the Ho Chi Minh City Metro plans, and the Long Thanh links are a headline part of it.

The Thủ Thiêm to Long Thanh line. This is the airport line proper, and the one most travellers will eventually use. It runs about 41.8 kilometres with 20 stations, from Thủ Thiêm on the eastern side of Ho Chi Minh City out to Long Thanh, with 11.7 kilometres inside the city and the rest through Đồng Nai province. Construction began in July 2026. Because Thủ Thiêm is itself being knitted into the city’s rail network, with a short Bến Thành to Thủ Thiêm section of its own under way, this line ties the airport into the centre rather than leaving it stranded on the eastern edge.

An extension of Metro Line 1. The existing Bến Thành to Suối Tiên metro, the city’s first line, is planned to be extended eastward toward Đồng Nai and the airport. Building on a line that already runs gives this option a head start, and it would let travellers connect to Long Thanh from the same network they use for Thảo Điền and the eastern suburbs.

The goal: about thirty minutes to the centre

The stated target across these projects is a trip of around thirty minutes between the central Bến Thành area and Long Thanh, once the network is complete. That would be a dramatic change from the current road transfer, and roughly in line with the kind of airport-to-centre rail times travellers know from other regional hubs. As with any target, treat the thirty-minute figure as an aim rather than a promise until the lines actually open.

When will the rail be ready?

Not before the end of the decade. The Thủ Thiêm to Long Thanh line broke ground in July 2026 and is targeted for completion around 2031, with the Metro Line 1 extension still working through its approvals. Timelines on infrastructure of this scale routinely shift, so if rail access matters to your trip, the sensible move is to check the latest locally as your travel dates approach, rather than assuming a particular line will be running.

Getting to Long Thanh until the rail opens

For every trip in the next few years, plan around the road rather than the train. A private car or an arranged transfer along the expressway is the comfortable choice, especially with luggage after a long flight. We compare all the current options, with real prices and journey times, in our Long Thanh to District 1 transfer guide.

What it means for your trip

In the long run, the rail network will make Long Thanh one of the better-connected airports in the region, with a fast, fixed-price ride into the centre. For now, though, it remains a plan under construction, so it should not change how you travel or where you stay just yet. Base yourself centrally, arrange a transfer for arrival and departure, and keep an eye on the rail progress for future visits.

Frequently asked questions

A central base whichever airport you land at

The Myst Đồng Khởi is a 108-room boutique heritage hotel in the heart of District 1, an easy point to reach from both airports. Inducted into the Michelin Guide Hotels and Stays selection and named 2025 World Luxury Hotel Awards Country Winner for Vietnam, its reservations team takes airport transfer requests and coordinates a private car so your arrival from Long Thanh or Tân Sơn Nhất is smooth from the moment you land.

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