Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) belongs to the genus Metapneumovirus of the family Pneumoviridae. It was first discovered in the Netherlands in 2001. hMPV can cause repeated infections in infants, the elderly and immunocompromised population, and is one of the major pathogens causing severe acute lower respiratory tract infections. hMPV has spread across the world, becoming a serious public health and financial burden. Vaccination is supposed to be one of the most important means to prevent hMPV infection, transmission and reduce severeness of symptoms. Up to now, there is no approved hMPV preventive vaccine, and most clinical treatments are limited to symptomatic reduction. In recent years, significant progress has been made in the research on hMPV vaccines. Many vaccines have entered the clinical research stage, and there are numerous studies in the preclinical stage. This review will discuss the virological characteristics, epidemiological features and molecular mechanisms of hMPV infection of host cells, introduce the latest clinical development of hMPV vaccines, and present the preclinical research and development of hMPV vaccine from the perspective of different technical strategies, hoping to provide references to accelerate hMPV vaccine development.