The 50th anniversary of Saigon-Gia Dinh officially being named Ho Chi Minh City on July 2, 1976, prompted Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Company Limited (HURC1) to announce a fare-relief initiative for Line 1 on July 2.
HURC1 will provide 100% fare relief for all passengers using Line 1 on July 2. Passengers can ride free through three methods: 1) using a chip-enabled CCCD card at fare gates; 2) generating a QR code in the HCMC Metro HURC app and scanning it at fare gates; 3) receiving a free paper ticket with a QR code at self-service kiosks to scan at gates. The program applies only to these methods; passengers who purchase tickets by standard methods will be charged according to regulations, but refunds will not be issued. The 'QR HCMC METRO' feature in the HCMC Metro HURC app will be updated from July 2 and will be valid only on the day of the free-ticket program.
To accommodate travel demand during the celebration, Line 1 will operate 248 train trips on July 2, with service from 5:00 to 23:00. Additionally, from 20:30 to 22:00, the interval between trains will be shortened to 6 minutes per trip to increase capacity for activities and fireworks.
From June 29 to July 2, Ho Chi Minh City organized a range of anniversary activities, including a photo exhibition chronicling the city’s 50-year journey under Uncle Ho; a conference recognizing exemplary families; a flower-offering ceremony at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum; groundbreaking ceremonies for technical and social infrastructure projects; welfare activities; a heritage walking program; 3D mapping performances; fireworks; and a children’s book festival.
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