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Despite its relatively small size, Singapore has achieved remarkable development, becoming a leading city in Asia and earning the nickname "Asian Dragon." With its bustling and clean shopping centers, Singapore is always an ideal destination for tourists. Recently, Quân Ma spent four days exploring various destinations in this island nation.
The trip to Singapore was Quân Ma's first time traveling abroad. Before that, he had only seen foreign countries in general, and Singapore in particular, on YouTube and in reviews on social media groups. Quân Ma is someone who prefers sightseeing to eating, so he always looked for places to eat close to his hotel to save time and avoid unnecessary travel, as public transport is the primary mode of transportation in Singapore, and walking is quite common.
Ghost Army at Changi Airport Waterfall
Before arriving in Singapore, he had to thoroughly research what necessary procedures and documents were required, such as: Singapore Arrival Card, passport, COVID-19 prevention certificate, plane ticket, exchange Singapore dollars… Quan Ma exchanged 500 Singapore dollars, and the rest would be covered by Visa card.
A 4-day itinerary to explore the Lion City.
The 4-day trip cost a total of $500 (equivalent to 8,700,000 VND), not including food.
On his first night, Quân Ma landed at Singapore airport and checked into his hotel. Since he was traveling alone, he booked a capsule hotel in Geylang (around $90). There were two reasons for choosing this location.
Firstly, hotel rooms in Singapore are quite expensive, so he wanted to choose a cheaper place to save money. The hotel was small but very clean. Although it was far from the city center, it was located on the green line (this line goes directly to Changi Airport without changing lines, and is also convenient for connecting to other lines), only a 200-meter walk from Aljunied MRT station and the bus terminal.
His trip cost a total of 8,700,000 VND.
Secondly, it's right near the Food Court, which has Chinese and Vietnamese food, and especially two famous dishes: frog porridge and crab in sauce.
In the evening after landing at Terminal 1 at 5 PM, it was still quite light, so he decided to explore the Jewel area and visit the giant Rain Vortex waterfall surrounded by a man-made rainforest. What he found interesting was that the waterfall occasionally emitted smoke, creating a truly magical effect. After checking into his hotel and having some Singaporean frog porridge at 4 Lor 19 Geylang, he took the MRT to Merlion Park, near the lion statue, to watch the water show at 9 PM. The water show was spectacular and completely free. Afterwards, he took the MRT back (it's best to get back before midnight to catch the train).
Day 1: Visiting places that cost money
According to my research, Quân Ma visited the Art Science Museum, Future World (~$10.50), National Gallery (~$10, discounted because I flew Scoot), and Gardens by the Bay (Flower Dome + Cloud Forest) (~$28).
Because he was afraid of flight delays, he didn't book tickets online. For places like this, if he likes it when he gets there, he'll buy tickets directly.
Skylight at Fort Canning Park
Since he still had time, Quân Ma visited the "sky well" at Fort Canning Park. If you follow Google Maps directions, you'll have to walk quite a bit. So, he got off at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, exited at Exit B, walked across Penang Road, and turned left. He immediately saw the Fort Canning tunnel and went straight to the sky well. Normally, there are long queues here, so try to take pictures quickly to make way for the next people. However, when Quân Ma went, around 5:30-6:00 PM, it wasn't too crowded.
While I was at it, I wandered around the city and stopped by some cool cafes/bubble tea shops in Singapore such as: Liho Tea, Hey Tea, Original Koi Thé, Missus (Hamilton Road), Leckerbaer (Keong Saik Rd), Wanpo Tea (Tan Quee Lan).
Day 2: Check in and take photos at "free" spots for social media.
Quân Ma chose to book the Big Bus Singapore Hop On Hop Off Tours and the Duck Tour. These tourist buses and "duck" vehicles take visitors to all the famous landmarks in Singapore. The Big Bus provides passengers with a map, an headset for commentary (in Vietnamese), and runs continuously. The classic ticket is valid for 24 hours. Pickup times and waiting points are updated on the Big Bus app. Quân Ma found the tour quite convenient, allowing visitors to get off at any point they like and then get back on.
Despite its relatively small size, Singapore has extremely clean streets with minimal air pollution.
The Ghost Army checked in at the following locations: Marina Bay Sands, Merlion Park, Botanic Garden, Apple Store, Mica Building, the library on the 3rd floor of Orchard Gateway, Little India Arcade, House of Tan Teng Niah, and Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple.
In the evening, Quân Ma enjoyed crab at No Signboard Seafood, Din Tai Fung, Ah Chew mango dessert, and Lallao at Bugis Junction.
Day 3: Exploring Arab Street and Chinatown
On Tuesday, Quân Ma explored Arab Street at Haji Lane and the Sultan Masjid mosque. In Singapore, shops usually close on the second or fourth day of the week to clean up. He was impressed by the mosque's beauty and grandeur.
Chinatown
What Quân Ma enjoyed most about Singapore was Chinatown. It's truly a must-visit street, with its unique blend of classic and modern architecture, delicious food, and murals in the alleyways that you simply can't miss. The food in this area is incredibly tasty and diverse. Quân Ma visited during the Mid-Autumn Festival, so the entire area was brilliantly covered in red and lanterns.
The places he checked in at were: Potato Head (there's a pretty popular rooftop bar where you can chill in the evening), the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, the food court, and the alley with murals.
Some of the dishes that Quân Ma tried in Singapore.
Day 4: Breakfast at Toast Box, Sentosa Island, and return to Vietnam.
Quân Ma had breakfast at Toast Box. Afterwards, he went to Vivo City and took the Express train to Sentosa Island to visit Universal Studios and the aquarium. He chose Universal Studios (around $79), which is quite suitable for children.
As it was his first trip abroad, Quân Ma encountered quite a few difficulties upon arriving in Singapore. Because it was his first time there, he didn't know his way around and ended up getting lost. He even wasted $30 on an Ez-link card because he didn't know the way and had to turn back. Furthermore, understanding the complex MRT map took Quân Ma a long time because it looked quite complicated and the MRT stations had many levels and different layouts. Nevertheless, it brought him many memorable experiences, including making new friends who were also tourists and having locals take photos for him.
Sultan Masjid Mosque
“Most people, when they find out I’m in Vietnam, are very excited and share that they really want to visit Vietnam. And honestly, everyone takes really good photos. I’m happy with all the photos I take, even though they were taken for me. Moreover, Singapore is incredibly clean, civilized, has orderly traffic, and lots of trees,” Quân Ma said.
Besides sharing details about his trip to the Lion City, Quân Ma also offered some tips and tricks for Vietnamese travelers visiting Singapore for the first time.
First, create a detailed itinerary; the more detailed, the better, as this will minimize risks in case of unexpected situations. Also, check reviews on online groups. Booking your flight tickets through a Vietnamese agency will make it easier to communicate in Vietnamese if any problems arise.
In addition, you need to know English. Most people in Singapore speak English, so prepare some basic phrases for communication when ordering, booking tickets, or asking for directions. Furthermore, at the airport, they will ask your name, what you are doing there, who you are with, how many days you will be staying, and where you will be staying.
Next are the procedures for flying: SG Arrival Card (fill out the immigration form 2 days in advance), a valid passport, and a COVID-19 prevention certificate. In addition, you'll need to have some cash. Quân Ma shared that if you've already booked a hotel room, you only need to exchange $500, and you can use your Visa card for the rest. Important documents should be kept safe, especially if you're staying alone in a capsule room; keep them in a separate, locked locker. Finally, you should book a double-decker bus tour as they will take you around the city. This is convenient for your trip and saves you the trouble of searching for bus or MRT routes.
According to Quân Ma, the more detailed the itinerary for a trip, the better, as it will minimize risks when unexpected situations arise.
Sharing his thoughts on this overseas trip, Quân Ma said that everyone has different travel preferences: some like trekking, some like backpacking, some like photography, some like relaxing, and some like exploring culinary delights. But regardless of your travel preferences, after each trip, you will gain more confidence, openness, acquire more knowledge about different cultures and people, and become more optimistic about life.
"To put it a bit superstitiously, once you've opened the 'gate to overseas travel,' don't worry about the cost; you'll have the opportunity to set foot in many more new and exciting places, and gain even more motivation and inspiration to work," Quân Ma added.
