KUCHING: Two Vietnamese women, Van and Duc, who are currently on an official visit here, think Kuching City has some of the best malls and eating places in this part of the world.
Van, 44, and her friend, Duc, 31, are here for five days to represent Vietnam at the 23rd Meeting of ASEAN Sub-Committee on Culture (SSC) and 11th Meeting of ASEAN Plus Three Cultural Cooperation (APTCCN) being held at the Waterfront Hotel.
They were extremely excited when I bumped into them at Carpenter Street.
Both were happily taking photos along the street when I spotted them and requested for a brief interview.
They obliged and told me that they arrived in the city on Wednesday (July 27) for the five day event which began on July 28.
“We are so excited to discover what Kuching has to offer,” Van said, adding that upon their arrival, together with the other delegates and officials, they all dined at the Roots Restaurant located at the Old Courthouse.
“We are going to discover more. We understand that Kuching has also been declared as a City of Gastronomy so we are both very excited to see what it has to offer,”she said.
She added that despite their official schedule, they would take the time to explore and visit the Borneo Museum which they had heard a lot about.
“We need much time to walk around. This is a peaceful city with a fascinating view of the Sarawak River,” she said.
While tourists are impressed with what Kuching City has to offer, what about the locals?
I discovered that generally, Kuchingites were happy with the infrastructure development in the city and the state. But there were complaints about the roofless bus stop in front of Riverside Majestic Hotel here.
“Can you imagine the feelings of those who have to endure the hot sun and rain while sitting on the shoddy tiled seat while waiting for the bus or other modes of transportation?,” asked Hasif Ramli, 44, a Skateboard shop owner at Parkson Shopping Mall.
“Previously, the bus stop was very nicely constructed with a proper roof and stainless Steel seat. I don’t know why they need to destroy that and build this shameful looking bus stop in the centre of the city.
“It is very embarrassing, especially when the tourists want to board the free bus rides to tour the city,” he added.
His friend, shop assistant, Afiz Ramlee, 29, agreed, adding that the authorities should look into the matter.
They also complained about the uncompleted construction work at the Polyclinic near Padang Merdeka and the bridge at Kampung Masjid and Kampung Bintangor area.
“They have been working on the bridge for almost two years now. I hope that the government will look into the problems faced by the local folk as well,” said Hafiz, who said the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) was doing a good job.
“I am a registered voter and I have cast my votes twice so far,” he revealed.
Yong, 25, a shop assistant at a souvenir shop at Main Bazaar, complained about the lack of parking spaces at the Kuching Waterfront because more events were taking place there.
“I hope the relevant authorities will properly manage the traffic congestion,” she said.
“So far, so good,” quipped Kevin Bong, 29, assistant business owner of his family’s Mei Zhong Mei Goldsmith shop at Main Bazaar.
“I have no opinions on politics. To me, as long as everyone is doing their own thing, everything is fine,” he said.
He, however, hoped the government would focus more on the people’s welfare.
‘So far, the government is doing well by doing many things like introducing the hydrogen bus system that gives a free ride to the people and improving the roads and tourism infrastructure,” he said.
Bong also finds the traffic congestion here manageable and not as bad as in Malaya.
