Symphony on Marina Bay

With an important geopolitical position in the region, being a junction on the vital maritime trade route connecting the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Strait of Melaka, the fishing village that year with an average income per capita of less than 400 USD (in 1959) has now grown into an Asian dragon with an average income of more than 91,000 USD (in 2023), the highest in Asia and among the top 5 in the world. The mark of success of that caliber of financial center can be seen in the prosperity over the years on the Marina Bay, which is brilliant both day and night - a place that no tourist does not stop to explore when setting foot in Singapore.

Merlion Park

Every new day begins here with the poetic clarity of dawn at Lion Park overlooking the Marina Bay Sands building with its architecture like a spaceship reflecting quietly. The legendary Merlion symbol with a lion's head and a fish's body, 8.6m high and weighing 70 tons, originally located at the mouth of the Singapore River, was inaugurated in 1972 and moved to Merlion Park in 1997, standing right in front of the Fullerton Hotel overlooking Marina Bay. After more than 50 years, the statue is not only a source of inspiration for tourists, but also a historical witness to the transformation of this island nation. The bustling morning in Singapore usually starts at around 7am and the most convenient way to get to Merlion Park is to take the train to Raffles Place MRT station and walk about 10 minutes to the park.

From Lion Park, walking on Jubilee Bridge, visitors will walk along Singapore's "Wall Street on the harbor", which is the Raffles Place complex with modern skyscrapers, headquarters of many banks, insurance companies, and financial institutions. The Global Financial Centers Index (GFCI) ranks this place 3rd in the list of the world's largest financial centers, showing the potential strength, stability and influence on the economic level of Asia in particular and the world in general of Singapore.

Shopping mall inside Marina Bay Sands building

On the other side of the Jubilee Bridge is the Esplanade Theatre, also known as the Durian Theatre - an arts complex including a theatre, concert hall, and library. This is also an architectural symbol that Singaporeans have been very proud of for more than 2 decades. The Esplanade has a total area of about 6 hectares, with an impressive exterior appearance that is no less than the "clamshell" Opera House in Sydney (Australia). The capacity inside the auditorium is up to more than 2,000 spectators. The Esplanade Mall shopping and entertainment area is open until 10:00 p.m. with an area of up to 8,000 square meters, enough to serve visitors of all ages and needs.

Go another 500m past the outdoor performance area (DBS Foundation Esplanade Outdoor Theatre) in front of Esplanade Mall to reach the world's largest floating stadium (Marina Bay Floating Platform). This stadium is built from a steel platform measuring 120x83m with 27,000 seats and can withstand a load of more than 1,000 tons to serve festivals, national days, and international outdoor music and sports performances.

From the stadium, you will also see the Helix pedestrian bridge connecting the Bayfront area to Marina Center. 280m long with a double helix design simulating the unique DNA structure in the world, the Helix bridge symbolizes connection, inheritance, and eternal development. This project was inaugurated more than a decade ago and has now become an indispensable "virtual living" coordinate for tourists.

Singapore sunrise seen from Merlion Park

At the end of this bridge, people set foot on the largest luxury hotel, commercial and entertainment complex in Singapore. The 55-storey Marina Bay Sands building consists of 3 separate towers standing next to each other, connected at the top by the Skypark outdoor park at a height of 200m and the impressive 150m long Infinity Pool, worthy of the name "infinity" swimming pool. The luxury hotel has up to 2,590 luxury rooms along with a giant shopping mall and a large-scale casino. The superiority in aesthetics, with the "spaceship" architecture and the completely glass exterior design combined with the elaborate canal system inside, is like an affirmation of Singapore's "unique wonder" to the world. Standing on Marina Bay Sands, people are even more impressed when taking in a 360-degree panoramic view of the bay and the purple horizon at sunset, which is beautiful and splendid. To end a long day, every evening at 8pm, the bay hosts the Spectra light party - a free water music show combined with visual art telling the story of Singapore's founding history in a modern way with symphony and colorful laser lights.

With the title of “global metropolis”, Singapore is truly a story of a Southeast Asian miracle that people will forever talk about. Not only is it a stop for inspiring art, a paradise of high-class taste with 44 Michelin-starred restaurants, a link between the wild past and the current prosperous island nation, this place is also honored by the rare combination of green natural space with luxurious and brilliant artificial architecture – a youthful, modern, and admirable “sea lion” Merlion.

Source: https://heritagevietnamairlines.com/ban-giao-huong-tren-vinh-marina/