Ho Chi Minh City: Metro Line 1 will offer free fares during the New Year and Lunar New Year holidays in 2026.

On December 19th, the Ho Chi Minh City Metro Line 1 (HURC 1) announced that it will update its cashless fare collection system and implement various promotional programs to encourage passengers to use Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien) from the beginning of 2026.

Passengers traveling on the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line.

Accordingly, from January 1, 2026, passengers paying with Visa cards will no longer be charged the 6,000 VND verification fee per scan at the ticket gate. The system will automatically calculate the total number of trips and deduct the fee once at the end of the day.

During this period, HURC 1 will also cease selling paper tickets with QR codes at three stations: Ben Thanh, National University, and Suoi Tien Bus Station. Passengers can purchase tickets using automatic ticket machines, kiosks, e-wallets, bank cards, or the HCMC Metro HURC app. The operator encourages passengers to experience the " VPBank tap and go" feature on the HCMC Metro app. For assistance, passengers can contact station staff directly for guidance.

HURC 1 will stop selling paper tickets with QR codes at three stations: Ben Thanh, National University, and Suoi Tien Bus Station.

To celebrate New Year's Day and Lunar New Year on January 1st, 2026, all passengers on Metro Line 1 will receive free tickets. Passengers can choose to scan their chip-based ID card, use the "QR Code" on the HCMC Metro HURC app, or receive a QR code ticket at an automated kiosk. On this day, if tickets are purchased through the regular method, the system will still charge a fee and no refunds will be given. The "QR Code" function on the HCMC Metro HURC app will be available from January 1st, 2026, and will only be valid for use on that day.

During the New Year's Day and Lunar New Year (January 1, 2026), all passengers on metro line 1 will receive free fares.

In 2026, many other promotional programs will continue to be implemented, such as 100% fare waiver for Vikki cardholders; cashback when using VPBank's contactless payment method on the HCMC Metro HURC app; ticket refunds with Sacombank Mastercard Metro Pass; or a 50% discount when paying via ZaloPay with the code ZLPMETRO.

HURC 1 stated that expanding payment methods and applying extended incentives will contribute to attracting people to use the metro, reducing traffic pressure in the central area, and promoting urban development.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/tp-ho-chi-minh/tp-ho-chi-minh-metro-so-1-mien-phi-ve-dip-tet-duong-lich-and-tet-nguyen-dan-2026-20251219193729854.htm