Singapore- 2) Singapore at Night

The view of Singapore from CE LA VI Sky Bar at Marina Bay Sands was spectacular, especially at night! For the $30 I got to access the rooftop bar, the amount is credited towards your drink and food.

From there, I saw the Singapore skyline illuminated with countless lights, including iconic buildings like One Raffles Place, the UOB Plaza, and the OCBC Centre. A stunning view of Marina Bay Sands, the ArtScience Museum, the Singapore Flyer, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, and the Spectra Light and Water Show. Additionally, you can marvel at Gardens by the Bay with its Supertree Grove, Flower Dome, and Cloud Forest conservatories.  From there you can also see the MBS Spectra Light and Water Show by Marina Bay Sands.  

View from CE LA VI Skybar

MBS Spectra Light and Water Show

My first impression in Vietnam

After having just visited Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, it was logical for me to want to visit another neighboring country, Vietnam.  Ho Chi Minh City is considered a historical city with a booming atmosphere. 

In the summer of 2019, upon arriving in the city, we learned from the taxi driver that there were more motorists in the city than any other country in Asia.  These video clips prove it the night we went out! The next morning, I decided to take a walk near the hotel we stayed at.  What I found out was that those motorists were not tourist friendly, simply put, they do not stop for pedestrians at any time, I meant even if you have a walk light on.  It was a very scary experience for me for the first time when I had to cross the street!  That day, there were a couple of tourists in the same situation as me.  In the end, you just need to be brave, close your eyes and cross your heart that these motorists won’t kill you and go for it!

Ho Chi Minh City - a mixing pot of new and old

In their long-term planning, Vietnam plans to develop the southern key economic region, taking Ho Chi Minh City as the central hub, into an economic engine for the whole country. I saw majestic hotels, skyscrapers, spacious, clear and beautiful spaces. The old side of the city shows the city's dirty and poverty. Here are some of the photos taken walking around this part of the city. The first half represents new, and the second half represents old.

 

Ho Chi Minh City- City skyline

Bitexco Financial Tower is a skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City. At its completion in 2010, it became the tallest building in Vietnam and kept this status until January 2011. It was surpassed by Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower. On the 52nd floor, the EON Helibar is a great place for a drink and to see the city through glass windows. Photos were taken from there. Enjoy!

Saigon Water Bus ride

To reach another part of downtown Saigon and by doing so, also to see the city on the water bus.  My cousin calculated where we should get off so we can have the best view.  However, by the time we got there, it was not really what we expected.  Somehow, the taxi driver took us to a nice resort for lunch and we ended up visiting a gallery nearby.   Here are the photos taken on the water bus and couple of pieces in the gallery from the art exhibit called “Necessary Fictions”

Here is the description for the work:   The circumference of the exhibition tells a tale of Narcissus who falls in love with the mask he wears to the world.  He is re-birthed as a daffodil and soon re-populated the land. This is a land whose sense of rationality reigns supreme (though slightly askew), whose purpose is mapped for you to decipher, with its towers and fortresses and doorways providing curious order for its people.  Beyond, nature watches, as human desire struggles beneath its destructive renewal, the daffodil eventually consumed by its descendants, again.