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Overview
Five minutes after you
arrive, you will realize that Hong Kong is like no other metropolis on
earth. It is a pulsating, densely populated fusion of East meets
West, lit by neon lights at night, famously fuelled by nonstop yum cha, dressed in fake
Prada and
serenaded by crazy Cantonese pop songs. Despite its very British colonial
history, the city has always stuck to its roots. Hong Kong's culture beneath
the glitz is pure Chinese, but of course with a vibrant twist. And with
just over 3h from
Bangkok, it makes for a perfect short holiday, be it for partying,
shopping or just realxing.
A bit of History
Occupied by the United
Kingdom in 1842,
Hong Kong was formally given up by China the following year. Several
adjacent territories were added later in the 19th century. In accordance
with an
agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, the city state
became the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" (SAR) of China on 1
July 1997. In this contract, China has promised that, under its "one
country, two systems" formula, the socialist economic system of
Mainland China will
not be imposed on Hong Kong and that the city will have a fairly high degree
of autonomy in all matters except foreign policy and defense affairs
until 2047.
How to Get There
Both
Thai Airways
as well as Cathay
Pacific offer multiple daily flights between Bangkok and Hong
Kong. In addition to that, also
Emirates,
Kenya Airways and
Royal
Jordanian,
SriLankan Airlines and
Ethiopian
Airlines offer flights between these two major Asian cities.
Competition is quite strong on this route so there are usually good
deals to be had on cheap air tickets. And
Hong Kong Airlines also recently
started to fly between the two cities.
The Highlights
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Shop for your
favourite international brands in one of the many shopping
centers |
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Cross the harbour
aboard the famous Star Ferry |
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The the train up
Victoria Peak and enjoy the views of the city |
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Sip a cocktail
during sunset at one of the many bars overlooking the harbour
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Take the ferry to
Macau and gamble until you won enough money to buy a BMW |
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City Profile
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City |
Hong Kong |
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Major Gateways |
Hong Kong (HKG) |
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Population |
6.8 million |
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Languages |
English, Mandarin,
Cantonese |
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Main Religions |
Confucianism, Buddhism,
Taoism, Christian |
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Currency
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Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) |
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Time Difference with Thailand |
+1h |
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Calling Code |
+852 |
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Best Time to Visit |
All year round |
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Visa Requirement for Thai Citizens |
Visa on arrival |
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Travel Time from
Bangkok |
2h (nonstop) |
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More info |
www.discoverhongkong.com
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Map |
Click here
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Flag |
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