How Would You Describe S’pore? Expensive, Boring & Safe, Say Some Netizens On Viral Xiaohongshu Post

An overseas student based in Singapore recently took to Xiaohongshu to pen this prompt: "Use a word or phrase to describe Singapore."

Her post went viral, receiving over 100 comments, with netizens eagerly sharing their succint one-word or one-phrase takes on Singapore.

One of the most popular takes? Things here are expensive. Many agreed it's costly to live in Singapore, with one netizen calling our country "a paradise for the rich". Some also expressed their disbelief that bottled mineral water costs S$2 at 7-Eleven stores in the town area.

Another common opinion is that Singapore is warm — and by warm, they're referring to the weather, not the people. One Chinese netizen took to the chance to complain that "Singaporeans are not welcoming to Mainland Chinese tourists".

A handful of netizens also surmised that there wasn't much to do here. "Dull and boring," one netizen summed up. Another even likened Singapore to a huge shopping mall. 

There was feedback that came from Singaporeans too. "Why do Singaporeans like to complain so much? This is coming from a very kiasu and kiasi Singaporean," one commenter shared.

But it wasn't all bad news. There were also a handful of compliments from netizens who praised Singapore for being a safe place. 

"Singapore's salary can be considered high when compared to several other countries. It can also be said that the environment here is one of the world's safest and most civilised. Since it's summer all year round here, I don't need to worry about getting heavy winter clothes and being cold." 

The netizen also added: "I don't have to worry about being scammed by others when living here. A large majority of people don't have to take on heavy loans in order to buy themselves a house as well."

Well, scams do happen here, but we see your point. 

Funnily enough, others preferred to describe Singapore with famous names instead. Some folks immediately thought of JJ Lin and Stefanie Sun. True Singaporean icons indeed?

What phrase would you use to describe Singapore?

Photos: 春天/ Xiaohongshu, Unsplash/ Joshua Tsu