Overview
Hanoi Metro (Vietnamese: Đường sắt đô thị Hà Nội, romanized: Duong sat do thi Ha Noi, literally "Hanoi urban railway") is Vietnam's first operational rapid transit system. It is owned by Hanoi's People's Committee and operated by Hanoi Metro Company (HMC), and it combines elevated and underground sections. The first line, Line 2A, opened on 6 November 2021; the first section of Line 3 opened on 8 August 2024. Daily ridership was around 12,000 when the system opened, and the network is projected to grow to 18 lines totalling 979 km by 2045.
Riding it end to end as a visitor is straightforward. Enter a station, buy a ticket from a vending machine or ticket counter (cash is accepted), pass through the gate, go to the platform and wait behind the safety line, board the train, then exit at your destination and return your ticket. Accessible options are available for passengers with disabilities. Trains on Line 2A have four carriages, reach a top speed of 80 km/h and run at roughly 35 km/h in service, covering the full line in about 23 minutes.
Be aware that the two operating metro lines currently use separate ticketing systems, so you need a separate ticket for each line. A unified multi-modal smart ticket covering buses and metro was launched on 2 September, initially for subsidised services, with future expansion planned for public bicycles, taxis and other passenger transport providers.
The network
Hanoi's public transport is a mix of a young metro, a dense city bus network, mainline railway stations and airport buses. There are no ferries or trams in the current network described in the sources.
- Metro Line 2A – Cat Linh–Ha Dong (Vietnamese: Tuyến 2A Cát Linh – Hà Đông): The first operational line, opened 6 November 2021. It runs 13.1 km with 12 elevated stations between Cat Linh (Dong Da District) and Yen Nghia (Ha Dong District), serving Dong Da, Thanh Xuan and Ha Dong districts. The stations are Cat Linh, La Thanh, Thai Ha, Lang, Thuong Dinh, Vanh Dai 3, Phung Khoang, Van Quan, Ha Dong, La Khe, Van Khe and Yen Nghia. Cat Linh is the most convenient station for city-centre visitors.
- Metro Line 3 – Nhon–Hanoi Station (Vietnamese: Tuyến 3 Nhổn – Ga Hà Nội): The pilot line, whose elevated section opened 8 August 2024. Phase 1 is 12.5 km with 12 stations, of which 8.5 km is elevated and 4 km underground, serving Nam Tu Liem, Bac Tu Liem, Cau Giay, Ba Dinh, Dong Da and Hoan Kiem districts. The underground section is still under construction, with full opening expected in 2027.
- City buses: The network has 154 bus routes — 132 subsidised, 8 unsubsidised, 12 adjacent routes and 2 city tours — serving all city wards.
- Mainline rail: Hanoi railway station (Ga Hà Nội) handles most daily services from southern cities such as Hue and Nha Trang, while some northern trains and the international train from China terminate at Gia Lâm railway station (Ga Gia Lâm), about 5 km northeast of downtown. Hanoi Train Street is a separate mainline rail attraction with its own timetable, not part of the metro.
- Future lines: Under the approved plan the system will eventually consist of 8 lines. Line 1 (Long Biên Line, Ngọc Hồi – Gia Lâm) is a 15.4 km elevated and surface route in the detailed design phase, to be built in three phases. Line 2 (Hoan Kiem Line) is planned to run from Nam Thăng Long towards Trần Hưng Đạo, with a longer-term corridor including Noi Bai Airport, Thuong Dinh and Hoàng Quốc Việt.
Tickets & fares
Fares below are approximate and change; treat them as a guide rather than a fixed price.
- Metro single ticket: 8,000–15,000 VND on Line 2A. Under the electronic payment scheme, metro fares are calculated as a base fare of 8,000 VND plus 850 VND per km.
- Metro day ticket: 30,000 VND.
- Metro monthly ticket: 100,000–200,000 VND. Free tickets are available for eligible groups with valid documents.
- Bus single ride: With electronic payment, from 3,000 VND plus 450 VND per km. Cash fares are rounded based on the route endpoint.
- Bus passes (12-month): Single-route 790,000 VND for eligible passengers or 1,580,000 VND standard; multi-route 1,580,000 VND for eligible passengers or 3,158,000 VND standard.
- Integrated bus + metro 12-month pass: 2,820,000 VND for eligible users or 5,640,000 VND for regular users.
- Time-based tickets: Daily, weekly, monthly and long-term passes (2–12 months) are valid for one passenger and activate from first use. Integrated bus + metro tickets are calculated by time usage.
Buy metro tickets at vending machines or ticket counters; day and monthly tickets are sold at counters, and cash is accepted. The unified smart ticket allows a single tap-to-ride card across public transport modes, starting with buses and metro. Before full automated fare collection integration, temporary guidance is issued to keep services running, and agencies monitor and adjust the system. There is no tourist-specific pass mentioned in the sources; the day ticket and time-based passes are the closest options for short stays.
From the airport
Nội Bài International Airport (HAN) lies about 35 km north of the city centre. International flights use Terminal 2, which opened in 2015; a shuttle bus links the domestic and international terminals, or you can walk between them in about 15–20 minutes. As of March 2025, Terminal 2 is undergoing large-scale expansion works, planned for completion by December 2025.
- Express bus 86: 45,000 VND, running 06:20–22:00 every 25 minutes and taking about 45 minutes. It uses the expressway non-stop to the Tay Ho area, then continues with limited stops to Long Bien bus station near the Old Quarter, the Opera House, Melía Hotel and the railway station. Towards the airport, buses leave 05:05–21:40 from a booth at the south end of the main railway station.
- Public bus 07: 8,000 VND, running 05:00–22:00 every 15 minutes and taking 60–90 minutes. It crosses the Thang Long Bridge to the Daewoo Hotel in west Hanoi, from where the Old Quarter is about an hour on foot. You may have to walk about 1 km west of the airport to catch it if it does not leave in front of the terminal.
- Shuttle bus: Hourly between the airport and the Vietnam Airlines downtown office at 25 Tràng Thi / 1 Quang Trung, just south of the Old Quarter. It was unclear whether these were still running as of June 2022. Tickets are sold at the airport in the building where the minibuses park, or you can pay the driver directly; prices are shown on a sticker on the bus body.
- Taxi and ride-hailing: Taxi stands are just outside arrivals — turn right from the Domestic Terminal (T1) or left from International (T2). Ignore touts inside the arrivals hall and head for the official stand. Mai Linh and Taxi Group are generally considered the safest companies, and many taxis including Taxi Group and ABC accept credit cards if you ask first. A ride into the Old Quarter should cost around 300,000–350,000 VND and take 30–40 minutes on the new highway depending on traffic; the French Quarter or the south side of Hoan Kiem Lake may be slightly more but still under 400,000 VND. Make sure the meter starts shortly after the taxi moves off. Downloading the Grab app helps a lot, with fares around 300,000 VND to the city centre depending on demand, or about half that by motorcycle.
- Hotel transfer: If you already have a hotel booked, you can ask the hotel to dispatch a driver; nicer hotels will do this and add the fare to your room bill.
Etiquette & customs
- Maintain cleanliness and order in stations and on trains, and keep noise low.
- Give up priority seating to those who need it.
- Avoid flash photography on the metro.
- Follow staff instructions at all times.
- Wait behind the safety line on the platform before boarding.
- On Line 2A, remember to return your ticket when you exit.
- At peak times (roughly 07:00–08:30 and 16:30–18:00) trains run every 6 minutes and are busiest, so allow extra time and let passengers off before boarding.
Survival terms
- Subway/metro: Đường sắt đô thị (Duong sat do thi)
- Ticket: Vé (ve)
- Line: Tuyến (tuyen)
- Entrance: Lối vào (loi vao)
- Exit: Lối ra (loi ra)
- Transfer: Chuyển tuyến (chuyen tuyen)
- Single fare: Vé lượt (ve luot)
- Day pass: Vé ngày (ve ngay)
Keep small change and a few 8,000–15,000 VND notes handy for metro vending machines and bus fares, since cash is still widely accepted alongside the new smart ticket.