Despite its modest size, Singapore has developed at the top of Asia and is known as the “Asian dragon”. With its bustling and clean commercial centers, Singapore is always an ideal destination for tourists. Recently, Quan Ma spent 4 days visiting many destinations in this lion island.
The trip to Singapore was Quan Ma's first trip abroad. Before that, he only knew about foreign countries in general and Singapore in particular on Youtube and reviews in groups. Quan Ma is a person who likes to go sightseeing more than eating, so he always looks for places to eat close to the hotel to save time and avoid having to travel a lot because in Singapore, people mainly use public transport, the rest of the time they walk a lot.
Ghost Army at Changi Airport Waterfall
Before going to Singapore, he had to research very carefully to see what necessary procedures and documents were needed such as: SG Arrival Card, passport, PC Covid, plane ticket, Singapore currency exchange... Quan Ma exchanged 500 Singapore dollars, the rest will be counted as spending by visa card.
4-day itinerary to explore the lion island nation
For a 4-day trip, the total cost is $500 (equivalent to VND 8,700,000) not including food and drink.
The first night, Quan Ma landed at Singapore airport and checked into a hotel. Since he was traveling alone, he booked a capsule hotel in Geylang (about $90). There were two reasons for choosing this location.
One is because hotel rooms in Singapore are quite expensive, so he wanted to choose a cheaper place to save money. The hotel is small but very clean. Although this place is far from the center, it is on the green line (this line can go straight to Changi airport without having to change lines, and it is also convenient if connecting to other lines), only 200 meters from Aljunied MRT station and bus stop.
His trip cost 8,700,000 VND in total.
Second, it's right next to the Food Court, which has Chinese food, Vietnamese food, and especially two famous dishes: frog porridge and crab sauce.
In the evening after landing at the airport at 5pm at Ter.1, it was still too bright so he decided to play at the Jewel area and go around the giant Rain Vortex waterfall, around the artificial rainforest. What he found interesting was that the waterfall occasionally emitted smoke, which looked extremely magical. After returning to the hotel to check in and eat Singapore frog porridge at 4 Lor 19 Geylang, he took the MRT to Merlion Park, where the lion statue was to watch the water music at 9pm. The water music was extremely spectacular and completely free. Then he took the MRT back (should return before 12pm to catch the train).
Day 1: Going to "money-losing" places
After researching, Quan Ma visited the Art Science Museum, Future World ~$10.50, National Gallery ~$10 (discount because of flying Scoot), Garden by the bay (Flower Dome + Cloud Forest) ~$28.
Because he was afraid of the flight being delayed, he did not book tickets online. For places like this, when he got there, if he felt interested, he would buy tickets directly.
Skylight at Fort Canning Park
Because there was still time, Quan Ma stopped by the "skylight" at Fort Canning Park. If you follow Google to this place, you will have to walk quite a bit. So he got off at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, took Exit B and walked across Penang Road, turned left. At this point, he would immediately see the Fort Canning tunnel and go straight to the skylight. This place is usually quite crowded, so he tried to take quick photos to make room for the next people. However, the day Quan Ma went, it was around 5:30 - 6:00 and it was not too crowded.
I also took a walk around the city to visit some cool coffee/milk 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 virtual photos at "free" places
Quan Ma chose to book the double-decker bus (Big bus Singapore Hop On Hop Off Tours) and Duck tour. This tourist bus and duck bus will take visitors to all the famous places in Singapore. With the Big bus, visitors will be given a map, a headset to listen to the commentary (in Vietnamese) and the bus will run continuously. Tickets are valid for 24 hours with classic tickets. Pick-up times and waiting points will be updated on the Big bus app. Quan Ma commented that this tour is quite convenient and you can get off at any point you like and then get back on.
Singapore's area is quite modest but the streets are extremely clean and have little dust.
The Ghost Army checked in at the following locations: Marina Bay Sands, Merlion statue - Merlion Park, Botanic Garden, Apple Store, Mica Building, library on the 3rd floor of Orchard Gateway, Little India: India Arcade, House of Tan Teng Niah, Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple
In the evening, Quan Ma enjoyed crab at No Signboard Seafood. Din Tai Fung, Ah Chew mango dessert, Lallao at Bugis Junction.
Day 3: Explore Arab Street, China Town
On the third day, Quan Ma explored Arab Street at Haji Lane, Sultan Masjid Mosque. In Singapore, shops will choose a day off on the 2nd or 4th week, not selling to clean. He was impressed by the mosque here because it was beautiful and majestic.
China Town
What Quan Ma is most excited about when coming to Singapore is China Town. This is truly a must-visit street with unique architecture that blends classic and modern, delicious food and murals in the alleys that you cannot help but check in. Regarding cuisine, the food in this neighborhood is very delicious and diverse. Quan Ma went during the Mid-Autumn Festival so the whole neighborhood was covered in red and lanterns brilliantly.
The places I checked in are: Potato Head (there is a famous rooftop bar where you can chill at night), Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, food court, and alley with murals.
Some dishes that Quan Ma tried in Singapore
Day 4: Breakfast at Toast box, Sentosa Island and return to Vietnam
Quan Ma had breakfast at Toast box. Then, he went to Vivo city and took the Express train to Sentosa island to play Universal Studio and aquarium. He chose Universal Studio (about 79$), this place is quite suitable for children.
Because it was his first trip abroad, Quan Ma encountered many difficulties when arriving in Singapore. Since it was his first time here, he did not know the way so he wandered around quite a bit. He spent 30 dollars for the Ez-link card because he did not know the way so he had to go back. Moreover, to understand the MRT matrix map, Quan Ma also spent a lot of time because it looked quite complicated and the MRT station had many floors and many sides. But anyway, that also brought him many memorable memories when he got to know new friends who were also tourists, and asked the locals to take pictures for him.
Sultan Masjid Mosque
“Most people, when they know I am in Vietnam, are very excited and also share that they really want to visit Vietnam. And really, everyone takes photos very thoughtfully. I am satisfied with all of my photos, even if they were taken for me. Moreover, Singapore is a very clean, civilized city, with orderly traffic and lots of trees,” Quan Ma said.
Besides sharing about the itinerary of the trip to the lion island, Quan Ma also gave some notes and tips for Vietnamese visitors when coming to Singapore for the first time.
First of all, you should plan your itinerary in detail, the more detailed the better because it will limit the risk when you encounter unexpected situations. At the same time, read the reviews on the group. Air tickets can be booked at a Vietnamese agent so that if any problems arise, it will be easier to speak Vietnamese.
In addition, you need to know English. In Singapore, most people will speak English, so prepare some basic sentences to communicate when you need to order, book tickets, ask for directions. Moreover, when entering the airport, they will ask your name, what you are doing here, who you are with, how many days you are traveling and where you are staying.
Next are the procedures when flying: SG Arrival Card (fill out the entry form 2 days in advance), valid passport and PC Covid. Besides, cash exchange is also required. Quan Ma shared, if you have booked a hotel room, you only need to exchange 500$, the rest can be spent on your visa card. Important documents should be kept carefully, especially for capsule rooms where you stay alone, you need to keep them in a separate locker with a lock. Finally, you should book a double-decker bus tour because they will go around the city. Convenient for your trip without having to waste time looking for bus routes or MRT.
According to Quan Ma, the more detailed the itinerary for the trip, the better because it will limit the risk when encountering unexpected situations.
Sharing about this trip abroad, Quan Ma believes that each person will have a different travel hobby: some like trekking, some like backpacking, some like photography, some like relaxation, some like exploring cuisine. But no matter what your travel hobby group is, after each trip, you will have more confidence, openness, receive more knowledge about culture, people and help yourself love life more.
“Or to be a little 'superstitious', once you have opened your 'overseas supply', don't worry about the cost, you will still be able to set foot in many other new lands and have more motivation and inspiration to work,” Quan Ma added.
