The Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways has asked the city government to study extending Metro Line 3, designed to link central Vung Tau with Ba Ria and Phu My, to Long Thanh International Airport.
As currently drawn, the roughly 40-km line would terminate at National Highway 51 near the Dong Nai border, with no link to any other rail. The authority says ending it there wastes the investment and leaves the coast cut off from the region's main transport hubs.
Long Thanh airport is due to open commercially late this year as Vietnam's largest and is already planned as the hub of three major railways: the North-South high-speed line, the Thu Thiem-Long Thanh line, and an extension of the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro.
Splicing Line 3 into that web would hand travelers from Vung Tau, Ba Ria and Phu My a one-seat ride to both the airport and downtown Ho Chi Minh City.
For now, reaching Long Thanh from the coast means driving highways such as National Highway 51, which is already straining under traffic.
