Three days date with Vancouver

With a population of over 603,000 people from all over the world, this coastal city in British Columbia is also known as a multi-ethnic city with a rich and diverse culture. The best time to visit Vancouver is from March to June, when the North American land has just entered spring. The city in this season is as beautiful as a colorful picture, with the green of the trees, the pink of cherry blossoms, the yellow of the sun and the deep blue of the sea.

“Fly with Canada”

I arrived in Vancouver on a clear day, although sunny but still quite cold. However, the cold this season is not too harsh. Three layers of clothes and a thin scarf were enough for me to start my journey. From YVR airport, I took the subway to the famous Water Front station, stepped onto the ground and walked about 200m to see the seaport and Canada Place. I still remember how speechless I was when I saw the scene at that time. The blue of the sky mixed with the deep blue of the water, the white sails and a bit of yellow sunlight made me feel this place was strangely peaceful and quiet.

From the central square of Canada Place, I took a small boat called Sea Bus around the sea, departing every 15 minutes. The beautiful and poetic seaport is one of the prides of the coastal city of Vancouver. Before coming to Canada, I heard about the “Fly Over Canada” performance, an experience of flying over the Canadian sky with extremely realistic 5D images and was voted by Tripadvisor as one of the things tourists must try when coming to Vancouver.

I got to watch a 5D movie about the breathtaking landscapes of Canada from the perspective of the passengers on the plane. To participate, passengers also need a boarding ticket, fasten their seat belts and take off like on a real plane. Through the white clouds, Canada appeared before my eyes full of surprise and wonder. I saw myself flying through the snow-capped mountains with tiny drops of water hitting my face cool, I saw myself flying past a herd of horses running along the fields with the characteristic sweet scent of flowers and grass. Then I flew over a peaceful and tranquil river or dangerous waterfalls. I was impressed by the majesty of nature with beautiful real scenes from an unprecedented perspective - from an airplane - as if watching a flycam movie. This is definitely an unforgettable experience in my life.

Capilano, the longest suspension bridge in North America

When talking about Vancouver, we must mention the longest and highest suspension bridge in the world, built in 1889: Capilano Suspension Bridge. Standing on the 137m long and 70m high suspension bridge, looking out at the evergreen trees with the waterfall flowing from a precarious height, I felt like I was in the middle of a tropical rainforest. Because of my fear of heights, I was hesitant to walk at first, but when I witnessed the magnificent scenery from the bridge, my fear suddenly turned into excitement. I love the feeling of being completely immersed in nature, relaxing under the green foliage, beside the hundred-year-old trees and the cool, blue water.

Exploring Capilano, I was particularly impressed by the colorful wooden statues in the forest. Later, when I brought the photos I had taken and asked the locals, I learned that they were wooden Totem statues carved in the 1930s by the local Indians. These Totem poles are considered cultural symbols of the Canadian Indians living in the western Pacific region. That is also the reason why this place is known as the land with the most Totems in the world. This is one of the popular images not only in Capilano but also throughout Canada. Totem statues represent the craftsmanship, aesthetics, identity, national pride, humanistic concepts and beliefs of the Canadian people in the past.

Stanley Park

After admiring Vancouver from above and swaying on the suspension bridge, I continued to explore Stanley Park - one of the largest urban parks in North America and ranked first in the top 25 most beautiful parks in the world (with an area of ​​about 1,001 hectares). I came here in the late afternoon and strolled under the shady canopy on the 23km long walking path. Vancouver is still the same, always making me moved by its serenity and pristine beauty.

Vancouver Aquarium is a must-see wonderland when you visit Stanley Park. The aquarium houses 70,000 animals, big and small, including beluga whales, sharks, giant Amazon fish, otters and sea lions. I watched thousands of marine animals from all over the world through the large underwater windows or from the observation platform above. This was a great opportunity for me to learn about underwater animals.

My journey to explore Vancouver ended after three days. Of course, that amount of time is not much for someone who loves to travel and explore like me. But I know, “we” – Vancouver and I – spent a beautiful and memorable time together. And for me, that was enough for a romantic date across half the globe.

More information:

+ Time: The best time to travel to Vancouver is from March to June with temperatures ranging from 13-19 degrees Celsius. However, you should still prepare a thick coat to avoid unusual changes in the weather during this season.

+ Itinerary: From Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, you can fly to Vancouver with Vietnam Airlines, Korean Air or Eva Air... However, the flight to Vancouver is long, so you will have to transit through many stages. A suggestion to save time is to fly with Korean Air, you only need to change stations once in Korea and then fly straight to Vancouver.

+ Getting around Vancouver:

- To get to Canada Place, from YVR airport take the Skytrain to Water Front station, walk up to the ground and you will see Canada Place. Here, you can buy tickets directly to experience “FlyOver Canada” or book tickets online. For more information, visit: www.flyovercanada.com.

- From Canada Place there is a free shuttle bus to Capilano Suspension Bridge.

- Getting to Stanley Park is very flexible, you can walk, bike or take public transport.

+ Cuisine: Vancouver is known as a multi-ethnic and culturally diverse city, so the cuisine here is also very rich. You can enjoy the famous lobster dish and is a characteristic of this coastal city. In addition, you can also enjoy Asian dishes, especially Chinese dishes in China Town at reasonable prices.

+ Tourist gifts: Because Canada is the land of maple leaves, the typical gifts to give relatives and friends after this trip are maple leaf products. In particular, maple syrup or biscuits, maple leaf candy... are typical products to give as gifts. In addition, Canada is also famous for its ice wine which is also very famous and highly appreciated, suitable as a gift.

+ Exchange rate: 1 Canadian dollar is equivalent to 16,000 VND.

Article and photos: Thai Hang

The Thanh