Transportation
Hieu Thien (30 years old, Japanese language teacher and event MC in Hai Phong) has just had a memorable 3D2D trip to Brunei during the holiday from April 30 to May 4. He has been to most of Southeast Asia, except Brunei and East Timor, so he took advantage of this opportunity to explore the land that can only be seen through books or the internet.
The young teacher said that there is currently no direct flight from Vietnam to Brunei, so he chose to take a connecting flight from Hanoi to Kuala Lumpur airport (Malaysia) and then to Brunei. This route is quite fast and has the cheapest cost, ranging from 8-10 million VND/round-trip ticket, depending on the time.
Currently, Brunei has eased restrictions on the Covid-19 epidemic, visitors can enter this country easily. However, visitors should pay attention to comply with the regulations and requirements at the airport because Brunei customs performs very strict baggage check.
According to data from the World Bank, Brunei is a rich country with GDP per capita in 2021 reaching nearly 32.000 USD (more than 750 million VND). However, coming here, visitors will not see skyscrapers like other rich countries but only see the luxury from beautiful and unique architecture.
"The inside of the mosques is also splendidly designed with Arabic carpets, European brick walls and gold inlaid everywhere or crystal chandeliers weighing several tons," said Hieu Thien.
Brunei is a small kingdom located on the island of Borneo, surrounded by Malaysian territory. It is famous for its museums, gilded cathedrals and many beautiful beaches, wild natural forest reserves or the largest floating village in the world.
Experience
During the days of exploring in Brunei, Hieu Thien couldn't help but be impressed with the deserted street scene, with very few people passing by. The Vietnamese boy was overwhelmed by the gilded Islamic architecture and the largest Royal palace in the world.
During his 3-day experience in Brunei, the Hai Phong guy also spent time visiting and checking-in at many famous destinations such as the Brunei International airport mosque; 6 star hotel The Empire; Jerudong Park; Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin's mosque; Brunei Government Religious Building; Royal Regalia museum; Istana Nurul Iman royal palace.
In addition, he also went to the Gadong Night Market, the floating village of Kampong Ayer and played in the Yayasan Complex shopping center.
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The young man checked-in in the campus of The Empire - the most famous and luxurious 6-star hotel in Brunei with a view of the South China Sea. The cost per night to stay here ranges from 6 to 8 million VND.
Although impressed with the architectural works in Brunei and satisfied with the services and tourism here, Hieu Thien admitted that the problem of booking a taxi made him feel a bit inconvenient.
In Brunei, the price of gasoline is very cheap, only about 0,45 Brunei dollars per liter (nearly 8.000 VND), cheaper than a bottle of mineral water that costs 1 Brunei dollar (more than 17.000 VND). However, public transport such as taxis and buses are rare because most people own 1-2 cars.
If you want to use a taxi, instead of just going to the street and waving the car, you must book at least an hour in advance and tell the driver specifically about the pick up and drop off time.
The bus ticket here is very cheap, only 1 Brunei dollar (more than 17.000 VND) but only one trip every half an hour because few people use it, mainly for foreigners coming here for work or work.
In addition, visitors cannot find pubs, beer shops, nightclubs, discos or karaoke in Brunei. The shops here also close very early (about 7am - 8pm).
In particular, the young man was also impressed with Bruneian cuisine when he had the opportunity to enjoy a variety of delicious dishes such as Ambuyar palm porridge, Brunei grilled fish, toasted flour cakes, grilled chicken, fried lamb, fried noodles with lamb. , ketupat rice cakes,…
note
To avoid trouble when traveling to Brunei, visitors need to respect the local culture and adhere to Islamic principles such as not eating pork, not using alcohol.
In terms of clothing, visitors should not wear clothes that are too short (women do not wear skirts or shorts, men must wear long pants) in public places. When entering the mosque, female guests are required to wear a head covering, hair and a long black robe that covers their heels.
The people of Brunei are Muslim, so they do not eat pork. Coming here, visitors can enjoy local dishes from chicken and lamb (Photo: Sate House Brunei).
Besides, tourists should note some other things such as: No smoking and littering in public places because the fine is very heavy; Do not eat with your left hand because people here believe that the left hand is not clean; Do not shake hands with Muslim women, just put one hand on the heart and slightly bow to greet; Do not bring durian or mangosteen into the hotel to avoid the smell…
Summing up the trip, Hieu Thien said that he spent about 25 million VND, including 10 million VND round-trip airfare, 6 million VND / 7 nights/person rent a room at The Empire hotel, and 2 million VND for 5 nights/person. for eating and moving, 3 million for buying souvenirs.
Phan Dau – Photo: Hieu Thien
