After long delay and cost overruns, Vietnam's first metro line begins service at last

Hanoi

AFTER a huge budget overrun and a lengthy construction delay, the first metro rail project in Vietnam finally started operations in Hanoi earlier this month - some 8 years behind schedule.

The 13-kilometre Ha Dong metro line - the first of 9 lines planned for the Vietnamese capital - runs from Ha Dong in Hanoi's southwest to Cat Linh, not far from the famous Temple of Literature and Hang Day Stadium.