Singapore Island State — Asia's “European” Metropolis

In April 1996, after a three-hour flight from Hanoi, I arrived at Changi Airport to begin my tenure as Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of Singapore. This beautiful island has made more than a name for itself internationally, such as “the Garden City”, “the Lion City”, “Switzerland of Asia” or “the world's only shopping mall with a seat in the United Nations”. Having lived and worked for close to four years in Singapore, it has left deep impressions on me of the country and its people.