According to reports, this is the ninth time the line has been delayed.

Ever since work began on the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line in 2011, the project has faced delays. Both Chinese contractors and Vietnamese officials hoped to get the line operational by the end of this year, but this is likely to be delayed until next, VnExpress reports.

Construction on the 13-kilometer track, built by contractor China Railway Sixth Group Co Ltd, is 99% complete. Due to a lack of safety certificates, however, the opening date has been delayed.

Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung set a new deadline for the end of this year. Transport ministers have suggested offering a temporary safety certificate to enable the metro line to open as soon as possible.

Construction was initially forecast to be completed in 2013 until financial issues with constructors delayed the project until 2017. Project costs have also risen sharply from US$378 million to US$774 million.

In March this year, excited Hanoians caught a rare glimpse of the trains operating during a test run. Constructors then set an April 2019 deadline, but we all know what happened to that.

While no sections of Hanoi's metro system are operational yet, city officials are already planning massive extensions for future lines. Municipal leaders presented ambitious plans in a report sent to the National Assembly earlier this week.

Under the proposal, the Cat Linh-Ha Dong Line would be extended farther west to Xuan Mai Town. This would lengthen the line from 14 kilometers to 34 kilometers. Elsewhere, the line set to run from Noi Bai International Airport to Ha Dong District would be extended by nine kilometers to Soc Son District, on the northern outskirts of Hanoi.

Finally, the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station Line would be a remarkable 30 kilometers longer under the proposal, reaching all the way to Son Tay.