# ASIA TRIP 2015: Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Singapore



## XKF (Jul 30, 2008)

I want more, more, more...


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 5. Shenzhen*

Continued from Houhai area of Shenzhen.

A pedestrian street crossing the neighborhood (Wenxin 1st Road)



Residential towers usually have street level shopping and service outlets


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 5. Shenzhen*

Elevated pedestrian crossing over the intersection of Nanhai Avenue and Chuangye Road. The escalator shall take me up



View from the elevated pedestrian walkway



Massive construction site


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 5. Shenzhen*

A smaller service street alongside Chuangye Road. Might look like there's nothing special in this pic but pay attention to that rising concrete core in a distance. It's China Resources Headquartershttp://skyscrapercenter.com/building/china-resources-headquarters/14589 coming up nicely. Potentially one of the most interesting skyscraper designs



Flags over Chuangye Road


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 5. Shenzhen*

Traffic


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 5. Shenzhen*

A good chunk of the area alongside Chuangye Road and Nanhai Avenue is being constructed. Not sure what exactly it will be but seems like a mixed-use complex or perhaps unrelated projects next to each other. One thing that you will see in Shenzhen all over the place is large construction sites and towering cranes


Intersection of Chuangye Road and Houhai Avenue


Wenxin 5th Road. Towering skyscrapers of the Houhai CBD. Despite some buildings being complete and parts of the area fully developed most of the surrounding wider area remains under construction and almost completely inaccessible. In a few years time it will become one of the main skyscraper areas in Shenzhen with a good number of supertalls, public parks and very importantly a beautiful waterfront with open access to Shenzhen Bay. Also a potentially much bigger Qianhai development is only a couple of km away to the West. This may well become the most important area of Shenzhen in the long-term future


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 5. Shenzhen*

When I mentioned that the area is mostly U/C I mean this. Move one block to the East of current Houhai central area and you'll see almost nothing but cranes and construction sites


The street network and other infrastructure seem complete and functional but the only access it provides is access to construction sites. The entire vast area which amounts to something in the range of 2 square kilometers is pretty much fenced off with streets serving only as access routes to the construction site gates. The only poeple you'll see there are construction workers and joggers or simply those looking for a quiet and more remote place to stroll in the evening


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 5. Shenzhen*

Year 2100. Colonization of Mars


I cannot show a 360 degree view of the place but it looks pure madness. Skyscrapers popping up all around. Literally. And many more will pop up later. This is where it really feels the immense scale and power of China's urban development


View to the other side. A bunch of towers rising up including the future landmark China Resources HQ. Here is a view of the area on qq maps streetview to have a better idea what it feels like. There is also a very cool feature of historic streetview imagery since 2011


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 5. Shenzhen*

Getting dark



Heung Kong Tower. The first supertall completed in Houhai area


ZTE HQ seen somewhere in a distance


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## XKF (Jul 30, 2008)

Great photos. :cheers:

Chinese modern architecture is getting better.


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

What's up with luxury cars on the roads? Everyone's filthy rich in Shenzhen?


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

El_Greco said:


> What's up with luxury cars on the roads? Everyone's filthy rich in Shenzhen?


I was questioning that when first saw that myself (also in Shenzhen back in 2011). The amount of premium/luxury car models is quite staggering. In Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou too. Less so in Nanning. I imagine that better off urban Chinese tend to dedicate a larger proportion of their incomes for a luxury/premium car than their counterparts in Europe or US. A lot of people in London or NYC could fairly easily afford a Ferrari or Maserati but go for a Ford Focus or VW Passat at best. I guess it has to to with the nouveau riche mentality. It applies not only to China but all countries which underwent similar transition.

Most rich people in China weren't so not too long ago. Many lived in poverty in their young days. Some in extreme poverty. So they are curious and excited to get things (such as nice cars) that previously seemed completely unthinkable and show off their new lifestyle. This is already evolving into other things or activities such as travelling and sharing experiences.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 6. Shenzhen*

Time for Day 6 of my journey and the last day in the beautiful Shenzhen.

An interesting permanent 'monument' to what seems to be a graffiti in OCT Loft



New apartment towers rising alongside old industrial buildings (Xiangshan East street)


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Fuzhong 1st Road near Lianhuashan Park and the Civic Center. Ping An tower is well visible from the area



Near Shenzhen Library and Concert Hall



Constructions still taking place all around Futian CBD. Not sure what this building is


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 6. Shenzhen*

View of Futian CBD from Lianhuashan Park. It's a very popular and busy recreational ground for Shenzheners. Flying kites seems to be a big thing for kids



Ontop of the hill. A statue (albeit not too large in size) of the man thanks to who China has become what it is today - an economic giant on its way to becoming a superpower one day. Not to mention hundreds of millions of people who were lifted out of poverty in China thanks to his reforms. Deng Xiaoping might be gone but his legend will stay alive forever. I'd say he deserves a much bigger monument than that but I suppose it may have to do with the fact that he was strictly against personality cult that he himself witnessed (and suffered from) during Mao's era



This is the view that Deng's statue is facing to. I'm sure he'd be quite happy to see that in person


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 6. Shenzhen*

Even despite rainy weather crowds of poeple were climbing the hill to take a photo of themselves near the statue and the skyline of Shenzhen



View to the Eastern part of Shenzhen with KK100 on the far left


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 6. Shenzhen*

Constructions in Futian CBD. It's not visible of course but underneath all that there is another giant construction (should be nearly finished by now) taking place, Futian Railway Stationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futian_Railway_Station. It will be buried underground and if I'm not mistaken will be the first new large HSR station located in the central area of the city instead of outskirts as is the case with most new HSR stations in China. It will provide connections to the rest of China and in the future to Hong Kong which should take a few minutes to Kowloon by a shuttle train. While transportation links in Futian are by no means bad or inadequate this will bring transport to a whole new level





Ping An Tower. What a landmark. I wasn't too sure about the design of this building when I saw the first renders a few years ago bot now I really have to say I like it. Very distinct and unique


Civic Center




Kite


One of the entrances to Lianhuashan park. As I already mentioned weather wasn't that great: rainy and cloudy. However the park was pretty crowded


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 6. Shenzhen*

The last place in Shenzhen for now, Shenzhen North Railway Station from where I'll be leaving for Guangzhou. It was quite busy with lots of additional safety and security measures in place. Despite that everything was pretty quick and minutes later I was in the main waiting hall

View from East Square. It looks like a giant cunami falling on you. A very, very impressive building. Without any doubt my favorite railway station in China


Main entrance from East Square


First level of security is ticket stamping. You have to show your ticket and ID to the security guard who puts a stamp on the ticket


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 6. Shenzhen*

Main waiting hall. Pay attention to that ceiling structure. I really liked that. There are some convenience shops and fast food restaurants in the waiting hall including McDonald's, KFC, noodle house and other foods





Boarding. This is my least favorite part of travelling by HSR in China. You can't simply go to the platform and wait for your train whenever you feel like. Station staff open boarding gates only about 10 minutes prior to departure of the train which results in a preprogrammed rush and stress for both passengers and staff. They have only about 10 minutes to get 1200 passengers onto the train. If you want to take some photos of the train (I noticed quite a few passengers do that, especially with kids) you'll have only a couple of minutes to do that. This time I only had enough time to go straight to my coach, get into my seat and the train departed a few seconds later. They really have to change the boarding procedure to make it less stressful. Other than that travel on China's CRH trains is a pure pleasure and by far the best train experience (and comfort) I've ever had on any train service


I took a very short video from the train (two coupled CRH3) which was reaching over 300km/h by the end of the video






Next is Guangzhou


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Fabulous pictures of Schenzhen.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 10. Nanning*

A lone traffic cop watching an intersection during the evening rush hour


Another traffic cop


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 10. Nanning*

Minzu Avenue. The street fills up with cars and especially scooters during the the evening rush hour


While traffic does get more intense during rush hours but it's nothing compared to Beijing or even Shanghai


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 10. Nanning*

At first I thought it was some police advert campaigning against bad driving or something of the sort. Apparently this has something to do with the 'New Golf' instead


Traffic on Minzu Avenue


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 10. Nanning*

Scooter traffic on a dedicated scooter/bicycle lane on Minzu Avenue


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 10. Nanning*

Traffic on the bridge over Nanhu Lake



Apartments


Made in Korea. The only other national 'brand' that I have seen advertised in a shop window was 'Made in Germany'. That was in a bicycle shop in London


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## hhung (Sep 26, 2015)

Great trip! Lovely pictures! Love the angle you take the photos! Thanks for sharing!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 11. Nanning*

The last bit from Nanning and China for this trip.

Nanning Wuxu International Airport (NNG). While the airport in this location (about 30km from the city center via G7211 expressway) was operating since long ago what is seen in the following photos is essentially a whole new airport built instead of the old one. Opened just over a year ago in September 2014. The new terminal is spacious and convenient designed to serve 16 million passengers annually. Albeit a little quiet as of yet serving just under 9.5 million passengers in 2014. Probably some more this year

Check-in area


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 11. Nanning*

Lower concourse (arrivals/meeting area)


McDonald's located in a corner of the lower concourse area. There are a few (seemingly decent) places to eat besides McD


Departures drop-off area


Departures area (after passing security and passport control). Not much happening in the international departures area. Just one or two flights including mine were departing from the entire Southwestern wing of the airport (where international flights operate)


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 11. Nanning*

My flight was operated by China Eastern B737-700 just like this one






The flight occupancy was less than 50%. Flight between Nanning and Hanoi takes less than an hour. Takeoff and landing is pretty much all there is to it


This is all from China this time. Next destination is Hanoi followed by a train journey to Ho Chi Minh City accross Vietnam.


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Pansori said:


> At first I thought it was some police advert campaigning against bad driving or something of the soft.


Don't jump red light.


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

The airport looks really impressive, just like the city! When visiting China I found it interesting to watch the transportation and equipment of the Chinese police, I saw police bikes, small mini cars and some kind of police kiosks. They have a large appearance and it felt very safe walking around in Chinese cities.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Nightsky said:


> The airport looks really impressive, just like the city! When visiting China I found it interesting to watch the transportation and equipment of the Chinese police, I saw police bikes, small mini cars and some kind of police kiosks. They have a large appearance and it felt very safe walking around in Chinese cities.


Yes lots of police presence. Or at least the impression of that. Overall can't complain about public safety anywhere that I've been in China. Overall first tier Chinese cities feel very safe in any location at any time of day (and in any condition of the observer ). Albeit not sure if that's because of police presence or natural social culture of China. I suspect it's more to do with the latter.

What police _could_ dedicate more resources for is traffic policing. That seriously needs improvement.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi*

The next location of my trip is Hanoi. The capital of Vietnam.



Only an hour's flight from Nanning. From a European tourists's point of view despite all the modern infrastructure and transport in China arriving in Hanoi (where I had never been before) it somehow felt a bit like coming back to a familiar environment: more people able to communicate in English, familiar writing style, VISA and Mastercard (instead of only UnionPay) signs everywhere and a general feeling of comfort and security. It's almost as if I was coming back home even if actually it was very far from that 

Banh mi (baguette) shop in the Old Quarter where I spent the night. A sign of French presence in Vietnam long ago. It's a bit like a Vietnamese version of Subway but simpler and available on virtually every corner in Hanoi. I noticed that quality of baguette sandwiches differes quite alot despite similar price. This particular one was very good


Typical view at the Old Quarter


A dense network of streets (quite narrow) with virtually no pavements (usually used up by nearby shops)


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## KoolKool (Aug 4, 2009)

Hey Pasori, every foreigner usually come to Old Quarter,but there are many other interesting places....

if you want to take some skyline photos,you can go to some high skybar from Sofitel Plaza,Lotte Center...

http://lottecenter.com.vn/eng/top/information.asp

http://ngoisao.net/tin-tuc/thu-gian/an-choi/7-diem-hen-tren-cao-lang-man-tai-ha-noi-2999434.html


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi*

Continued from Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam

Street scenes of the Old Quarter


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

I like the look of Hanoi.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi*

This I believe is Phung Hung street



Laptop shop


Not sure what this building was (Google Maps didn't help much either) but I guess some government building. It's on Ly Nam De street. The uniformed gentleman seen in the photo was approaching me with his AK-47 (or was it AK-74? Can't tell from a distance. But certainly an AK of some sort) was looking in a very angry way at me and was saying something in Vietnamese. I had to walk away before taking more photos of the beautiful building


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## moon993 (Oct 29, 2011)

^I think that was a military building (guessed based on the words on the building).


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi*

Continued from Hanoi

Typical view in the Old Quarter



Traffic


Monument to the Socialist heroes (I'm guessing). The style of the statue very much resembles statues if the USSR and China in some instances


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi*

Old Quarter


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi*

Phan Dinh Phung street


Standard street name marking in Hanoi (and Saigon). Really helpful


Cua Bac Catholic Church


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi*

Hanoi continued.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. One of the must-see objects in Hanoi. I didn't visit inside but from what I understand no cameras are allowed and strict code of conduct must be obeyed by visitors


Guard next to the Mausoleum


Picture time


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi*

Ho Chi Minh Museum




Back to the streets of the Old Quarter


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

The Old Quarter looks very neat. But not old enough...


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi*

Hanoi continued

Traffic


Tourist taking a photo of something with his iPad. Wonder what could it be? You can see something in his iPad's screen viefinder but what could it really be?


That's right, Lenin. I didn't know there was Lenin's statue in Hanoi. I came up by it by accident and was like 'wtf is this???'.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi*

Streets of the Old Quarter


Railway crosses the city with some level junctions. This scene reminds me of Bangkok (photo taken in 2013 by me) which also has railway level crossings and uses the same meter (1000mm) gauge tracks


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi*

Hang Da Market and the traffic junction next to it. Hanoi isn't the most pedestrian friendly place one Earth as evident in this photo. There hardly are any dedicated pedestrian spaces in the Old Quarter which can actually be fit for purpose - be used by pedestrians. So you just walk on the street. Crossing busy streets also requires some understanding of how traffic works in Hanoi. I witnessed some radical improvements in Saigon in this respect (I'll show it a little later) and hope Hanoi will follow suit. Old Quarter really does need to become more pedestrian friendly. This whole area in front of Hang Da Market will one day become a pedestrian-only space. Hope it will be sooner than later


Back to the streets of the Old Quarter


These two just kept staring and taking photos of the traffic. Just like me. After all there aren't that many places in the world where you're going to see this kind of traffic craze


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi*


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi*

SOme other random street of the Old Quarter. The whole area is so busy and vibrant. Perhaps too much for me. I'm not a fan of busy and crowded places. Not for extended periods of time anyway.


Skewed meat being cooked right on the pavement. These guys on the motorbikes are actually waiting in the queue


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi*

Continued.

My stay in Hanoi was very short and perhaps nowhere near enough to experience the city to a full extent. On the 2nd day in the evening I made my way to Hanoi Railway Station from where I was about to travel to Saigon. The journey took about 32 hours including 2 nights spent on the train in a soft-sleeper cabin.

Normally you won't do the entire route in one go. There are other places to see like Da Nang and Hue which are worth to stop and spend a few nights. However I was extremely short of time and wanted to have a full Vietnam train experience. 32 hours on a train in Vietnam ticked a very important box on my rail experiences list. I will go as far as saying that it was the most interesting and enjoyable railway journey I've ever had. Sure it's not quite as fast as China's CRH trains and nowhere near as modern but it allows to see the country, people and understand the place a little better. Very, very highly recommended. 

Map of the approximate route. That's 1700km worth of railway. It's a single-track meter gauge (1000mm) railway completed in 1936 by the French colonial rulers. It remains the backbone of Vietnamese railway system today and plays a very important role in transporting passengers and goods. A bit of an engineering marvel (which is particularly visible in the stretch between Hue and Da Nang) and one of the most interesting and scenic railways anywhere on earth. A plan for a new hi-speed railway exists but it doesn't look like it will get done anytime soon


Main hall of Hanoi Railway Station. The station is pretty compact. Even small I would say. Despite the size of the city (7+ million people) it looks nothing like railway stations in larger cities in China where some of the stations are perhaps 50 times the size. There is no rush, no crowds, no hassle. Just some people hanging about waiting for their train. Many of them foreign tourists with big backpacks. A very relaxing and completely stress-free experience. Something I didn't really expect . There are a few snack kiosks where you can buy some drinks and snacks. Although that isn't really necessary as you'll be able to buy everything on the train


The train (SE3 22:00) was stationary on the platform long before departure. It was open for boarding but I decided to explore the station a little more. Information displays are placed in main locations, the premises of the station are clean and feel secure and safe with plenty of station staff


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi*

Coaches of the train. Not sure what particular make or model.





View of the platforms from a pedestrian overpass. Some train is moving here and there but generally not touch traffic


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi Railway Station*

View to the other side. Main station building is on the right (Ga Ha Noi)


Time to get on the train (still about 30 minutes to departure).

The soft sleeper coaches are seemingly refurbished quite recently, are definitely quite comfortable and, of course, air-conditioned as one might expect in this climate. Soundproofing seems good too as even on bumpy stretches of track the noise inside is quite acceptable. This would be the equivalent of 1st class in terms of comfort and service.
There are other classes including regular 2nd class and even 3rd class 'hard-seating' typically used by those who cannot afford more expensive fares. Also by foreign tourists who want some more 'real' experience. Top Gear Vietnam Special episode featured this railway too. They traveled (or at least filmed) in the 3rd class . All coaches are air conditioned. There is a dining coach which has a variety of food and drinks (including beer)




Free bottles of water


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12. Hanoi-Saigon railway*

Space at the end of each coach



Passageway in the soft-sleeper coach


Sinks at the end of the coach. That handsome gentleman in the mirror is me


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 12-13. Hanoi-Saigon Railway*

Dining car. This is the place to be. The liveliest place on the train. You can get food and beer (other drinks too). And they definitely don't charge a fortune. So you can basically stay there all day and keep eating and drinking. The guys on the bottom left corner (one of them is not in the picture) definitely had quite a few Tigers and 333's


Some random flat landscape somewhere between Hanoi and Da Nang


Buffalos and the beautiful mountai backdrop. No idea where that is. Somewhere not too far from Da Nang I suppose


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Vietnam looks really interesting, seems like the traffic is even more chaotic there then in China. In 5-10 years I think much will be improved. Was it cloudy all the time in Vietnam just like it often is in China?


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Nightsky said:


> Vietnam looks really interesting, seems like the traffic is even more chaotic there then in China. In 5-10 years I think much will be improved. Was it cloudy all the time in Vietnam just like it often is in China?


Yes traffic is more chaotic 
Much of that probably has to do with tha fact that Hanoi's Old District is all narrow streets and alleys as opposed to China's wide avenues. That creates an impression of heavy traffic.

As for cloudy I guess you meant smog? It wasn't smoggy at all.


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Interesting and beautiful train pics!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 13. Hanoi-Saigon Railway*

Continued from SE3 train from Hanoi to Saigon

Dong Ha station. A rather typical sight at a railway station in Vietnam. Things do look tired and in a need of upgrade. However free internet is available in some (or all?) stations which in some cases works in the train too so allowing to check my emails and Facebook updates during the few minutes when the train is stationary


Crossing a river


Another river with a boat


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 13. Hanoi-Saigon Railway*

Another small station. Note the Western tourists. There were quite a few on and off during the entire journey. Vietnam turned out to be more touristy than I might have anticipated


Lunch at the dining carriage. To my surprise it wasn't all that busy there and I got a seat. Can't remember the options on the menu but it was pork (pictured), chicken and perhaps something more. It doesn't look nothing fancy in the photo but it was very very yummy. Quite similar to what my mum cooks for me when I visit her but better (sorry mum). Anyway I highly recommend to get a meal or two in the train 



My coach


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## Asunhattan2016 (Jan 17, 2016)

awesome:cheers:


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 16. Singapore*

Trees provide the so desperately needed shade



The most spectacular residential building in Singapore
Singapore 2015 by Jo., on Flickr


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 16. Singapore*

Continued from Singapore. An evening stroll around Marina Bay Sands area which is now one of the most popular attractions of Singapore

Marina Bay skyscrapers


Taking that perfect shot


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 16. Singapore*

Visitors to the area can relax on the wooden beach beds. Although during the daytime it's a little too warm to stay in the open



Boat traffic in Marina Bay


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 16. Singapore*

LV shop and the iconic skyline



This skyline was just about half of what it is today before 2008 or so


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 16. Singapore*

Nighhtime in the CBD





The famous Fullerton Hotel


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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Dense and impressive city. Amazing photography! kay:


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## falp6 (Jun 26, 2013)

I think Singapore is one of the most incredible cities in the World.


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## DowntownKidz (Feb 26, 2015)

Brilliant updates Pansori! Keep it up


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Love it!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 16. Singapore*

Continued with Singapore night walk around Marina Bay and the CBD





Nighttime near Marina Bay Sands. The open pedestrian waterfront is lined with bars and restaurants. Those are not cheap places to hang out but it's worth it given the setup and views


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 16. Singapore*

People watching the evening light show. It's a nice feature of the area, although I was a little disappointed as the show seemingly didn't change since I first saw it back in 2012




New annex buildings of the famous Fullerton Hotel


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 16. Singaporeq*

The waterfront space is enormous and very popular with visitors both at day and night. There are places to eat and drink but those who want to save money get their own food and drinks and enjoy the view right on the pavement


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Day 16. Singapore*

Marina Bay Sands triplet towers and the amazing rooftop part which features the swimming pool (only for hotel guests), bars and a viewing deck



Nighttime meal at Lau Pa Sat


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Ahhh Lau Pa Sat. The Seafood stall was my favourite. They make killer Mee Goreng.


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## midrise (Feb 17, 2012)

Indeed beautiful pix....great post....The Sands sky park is heavenly. It sets the standard for others too follow...I asked a women that was in the Navy and traveled the world. Of all the places she had been what was her favorite?? Her response was Singapore..kay:kay:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Really great, very nice updates; well done :cheers:


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## DowntownKidz (Feb 26, 2015)

Thanks once again. I do like that area around the bay and the promenade ringing around it. It is an oasis of calm having that expanse of water in an otherwise compactly built-up urban environment.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

DowntownKidz said:


> Thanks once again. I do like that area around the bay and the promenade ringing around it. It is an oasis of calm having that expanse of water in an otherwise compactly built-up urban environment.


Thanks. Singapore generally does an incredible job in terms of providing sufficient open spaces for people despite dense urbanization. It's one of the densest yet one of the most spacious big cities in the world. Which is a bit of a paradox but it all comes down to wise poeple who are responsible for urban planning there.


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Great pics! Especially interesting since I think Singapore and Malaysia will be my next destination I have to save to! I'm considering Tokyo too, but after seeing these pics it seems Singapore might be the choice.
Especially crazy with the white bags of "cocaine" considering the high level of punishment there for drug dealing!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Nightsky said:


> Great pics! Especially interesting since I think Singapore and Malaysia will be my next destination I have to save to! I'm considering Tokyo too, but after seeing these pics it seems Singapore might be the choice.
> Especially crazy with the white bags of "cocaine" considering the high level of punishment there for drug dealing!


Thanks. If you haven't yet been to SG it's definitely one of the absolutely recommended destinations (on par only with Hong Kong perhaps). It's an absolutely incredible city. Almost too good to be real.


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