People wait to board the metro train at Rach Chiec Station in Thu Duc City, Dec. 22, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran
Riding the metro to HCMC’s Thao Dien area to welcome the new year, I was pleasantly surprised by how orderly most passengers were, much like those in Singapore.
I had a meaningful experience taking the metro from Opera House station in District 1 to Thao Dien in Thu Duc City to ring in the new year.
From the moment I stepped onto the train, I was struck by the cheerful, yet surprisingly orderly atmosphere. Despite the train being crowded, there was no pushing or shoving, which really impressed me.
No one was speaking loudly, except for a few young people who were likely TikTokers filming videos. Most passengers were well-mannered, a far cry from the stories and criticisms I had heard before.
In fact, riding the HCMC metro made me feel like I was in Singapore, where people are known to be very self-disciplined, civilized, and polite. It reminded me that people can behave very differently given the right environment.
The train’s light blue color and the equipment inside the car made a particularly good impression on me. It was a soft, cool sky blue, completely different from the photos I had seen.
While the 17 years it took to complete the first metro line have brought many lessons, what matters most now is looking forward.
As I observed the passengers around me, I became confident that the next metro lines would be completed within the next 5-10 years, marking a breakthrough the city could be proud of.
Spending New Year’s Eve on the metro, I not only envisioned a radically transformed HCMC but also immersed myself in the experience of living in a civilized society.
Have you ridden HCMC’s first metro line?
*This opinion was translated into English with the assistance of AI. Readers’ views are personal and do not necessarily match VnExpress’ viewpoints.
