New tourist center
With an area of 2,954km2, Kaohsiung is the second largest city in Taiwan (China), located in the south of the island. Possessing one of the largest seaports in the world, the city is considered a key industrial, economic and cultural center on the island.
In the past, Kaohsiung tourism was often a side trip for many international visitors when exploring Taipei and Taichung. However, in recent years, this port city has gradually proven its independent appeal with many unique destinations, experiences and cuisines.
The direct flight from Hanoi to Kaohsiung takes only about 2.5 hours. At the airport, visitors will encounter local staff who can speak Vietnamese and are ready to assist with the visa and immigration procedures.
Located in the subtropical monsoon climate zone, Kaohsiung's weather is quite pleasant, suitable for year-round travel. The streets here are also planned to be more spacious and airy than those in Taipei. Traveling in the city regardless of weekdays or weekends, visitors will rarely witness crowded scenes or traffic jams even during rush hour. Therefore, visitors can travel by taxi, bus or train, all of which are very convenient.
Kaohsiung does not have many buildings that are massively designed or painted in bright colors. Instead, the architectural works here are moderate in scale with dark tones, each building is solidly built, well-resistant under the conditions of frequent earthquakes.
As the only city on the island that possesses a full range of mountain, sea, river and harbor views, Kaohsiung’s natural geology has created hundreds of hot mineral springs, attracting both locals and international visitors. For just NT$50 (about VND40,000), visitors can comfortably soak their feet, or even immerse themselves in the natural hot springs, which contain many minerals that are good for health.
For spiritual tourism “believers”, the Fo Guang Shan complex is a unique destination, rich in cultural and religious values that cannot be missed. Located on Dong Ling Road, Da Shu District, the temple is the headquarters of the Fo Guang Shan International Buddhist Organization, and is also known as the center of Buddhism in Taiwan.
Covering an area of 100 hectares, the temple was built in the shape of a lotus flower on the top of the mountain, surrounded by beautiful landscapes. The highlight of Fo Guang Shan Temple is the giant Buddha statue, the tallest in the world, along with massive architectural works including 8 stupas, 4 Chanh Giac Towers, 48 underground palaces, 8 heavenly palaces and tens of thousands of large and small Buddha statues. In particular, the temple is also the place to keep the Buddha's tooth relic preserved at the Jade Buddha Temple along with many other Buddhist treasures and antiques, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to visit and worship every year.
If you are an explorer and experience lover, you can participate in many other activities such as: Take a cruise to explore Kaohsiung port, check in Cijin island with many ancient architectural works, rich in cultural and historical values, or participate in classes to make pineapple cakes, cereals, enjoy tea in Luc Qui primeval forest...
Unique cuisine
One of the “specialties” of Kaohsiung in particular and Taiwan (China) in general is probably the bustling night markets, bustling with people. In the port city, Liuhe, Ruifeng and Ziqiang are the three busiest night markets.
According to local guides, most Kaohsiung residents do not have the habit of cooking at home. Therefore, in the evening, people often flock to large markets to eat, date, have fun... together with both migrant workers and tourists, creating a more crowded and bustling atmosphere than during the day.
Kaohsiung Night Market sells everything from clothes, jewelry, daily necessities to handicrafts, souvenirs, video games... In particular, there are hundreds of stalls with all kinds of delicious street food and local cuisine for visitors to enjoy such as beef noodles, stinky tofu, grilled meat skewers, steamed buns, lemongrass hot pot... With just a few hundred NTD (about 200,000 - 300,000 VND), visitors can walk around the night market and eat all kinds of unique dishes with a full stomach.
Besides the night market “specialty”, Taiwan (China) is also known as the homeland of the famous milk tea. Coming to Kaohsiung, there is a milk tea street located right next to Yancheng walking street, with dozens of different brands for visitors to freely explore. Many famous brands here such as 50 Lan (Koi The), Gau Nho milk tea, Shuang Fei Milk Tea... are processed according to their own recipe with a light, delicious sweetness and priced at only a few dozen NT dollars (about 30,000 - 50,000 VND).
If you want to learn more about local cuisine, you can visit famous restaurants and eateries right in the city. Typical examples include Da Tan goat meat, which has existed for three generations on Shouhua Street, the "small but mighty" Gang Yuan beef noodle shop on Dacheng Street, or the signature Ai Ngoc jelly at the Lu Gui primeval tea forest, which allows visitors to make and enjoy themselves... The plus point is that Kaohsiung is not too crowded, so visitors will not have to wait in line to be served like many other tourist cities in Asia.
With more and more unique new experiences and services, Kaohsiung is gradually proving its attraction, becoming a new tourist center of Taiwan (China). The port city has both modern beauty and rich cultural and historical values, friendly people and unique cuisine, promising to be an attractive destination for many Vietnamese visitors in the future.
