Phu Quoc

Phu Quoc is well-known for the name “Pearl Island “ and also as the biggest island in Vietnam. With blue jade seawater, white-sandy beaches, pleasant weather all year round, and a big system of hotels and resorts for travelers, Phu Quoc is a real beach paradise, becoming one of the top choices of almost all sea-lovers.

Photo: didauchoigi.net

Along with beaches, Phu Quoc is also sought after for the best sunset, evergreen tropical forests, the national park, traditional villages, and especially the top-notch seafood cuisine. Therefore, there are dozens of things in Phu Quoc waiting to be discovered during your week-long holiday.

Best time to visit

Phu Quoc weather is divided into two seasons, the rainy (from April to September) and the dry (from October to next year March). 

 Dry season ( October to next March ) is the best time to visit Phu Quoc

Despite the rain, which comes fast and dissolves at the same speed, the temperature in the Pearl Island remains at a mellow approach all the time. The average hovers around 28 degrees Celsius with the clear sky covered, leading Phu Quoc to its prestigious title of winter vacation favorites. 

However, remember to check the weather forecast during the rainy season to avoid any chance of a storm. Sea travel is not so wise if a storm may happen.

The best time to visit Phu Quoc is the dry season when the humidity drops low, and the heat has mostly evaporated. That is the ideal time to give yourself a treat to idyllic beaches.

How to get there

Phu Quoc island belongs to The Gulf of Thailand and is around 45km from Ha Tien city, Kien Giang province. There are 3 ways to reach Phu Quoc is by plane, high-speed boat, and ferry.

By flight

 Phu Quoc International Airport

There are many flights from different provinces to Phu Quoc airport. It takes around 2 hours from Hanoi and 1 hour from Ho Chi Minh city. The airport is around 14km far from the center and it costs you around 20 minutes by taxi.

By high-speed boat

You can take a bus to Rach Gia or Ha Tien (both in Kien Giang), then take a high-speed boat from there to Phu Quoc island. It takes you 1.5 hours from Ha Tien and 2.5 hours from Rach Gia pier.

By ferry

Ferry leaving the harbour of Ha Tien and heading Phu Quoc

More popular for locals, the ferry starts from Ha Tien and can carry both vehicles and nearly 400 guests. It takes 2.5 hours on the sea this way.

Best places to visit

If you can ride onbe, the best means of traveling on Phu Quoc island is by motorbike. Rent one at local service and set your map to three directions to explore, North, South, and East. Otherwise you can call a metered taxi to take you around town.

Exotic beaches

With a length of more than 20km, Long Beach is one great place to witness the glorious magenta sunset. Sao Beach is another beautiful beach on the East Side of the island, belonging to An Thoi town. Visitors can make an afternoon stride along the 7km sand strip, dip their toes in the warm water, swim around the blue sea, and listen to the echoes of gentle waves. With these conditions, Sao Beach can host various water sports activities.

 Long Beach in Phu Quoc

See the full list of Phu Quoc beaches for you to uncover.

Phu Quoc National Park

 National Park in Phu Quoc Island

Located on the Northern tip of the island, Phu Quoc national park stretches over 31.000 ha of land. The forest is home to various rare plants and animals, along with abundant nature formation. Visitors can cross majestic rivers such as Tranh, Da Ban, Da Ngon or conquer the Chua Mountain during trekking trips. From the peak, the colorful rug is all revealed.

Rach Vem fishing village

 Rach Ven fishing village

20km southward of Duong Dong town is the picturesque Rach Vem fishing village. The village lies peacefully beside the starfish beach. In the low water season, the red creatures dot the yellow sand and crystal water with their packs. And among the poetic landscape is many floating houses and wooden bridges. They contribute to blush the attraction with the rustic feeling of the fishers’ simple life. Coming here, travelers can have the chance to taste the sea through many simple yet flavorful dishes, handmade by the locals.

Dinh Cau night market

 Dinh Cau night market- Photo: vietnamphuquoc.com

Dinh Cau night market is the symbol of bustle night of Duong Dong town. Stepping into the place, visitors may be overwhelmed by a wide range of simple stalls filled with fresh seafood, sweet snacks, Phu Quoc specialties, and souvenirs. The prices are all displayed on the front board, so there is no need to fear scams. The market runs from 5 pm to 11 pm every weekend.

Thom islet

 Thom Islet on Phu Quoc Island

Coming to Phu Quoc, one can not miss discovering pristine islets. Accompanied with the largest scale cross-ocean cable car in Asia, Thom islet is the best tourist attraction. The place is occupied by a vast blue ocean and greeny hills. It is also the perfect site for coral reef scuba diving, night squid fishing, and kayaking. Aquatopia Water Park with a mount of adventure games sure does more good for your little ones than you can imagine. On the road to Thom islet, travelers can consider stopping by the Mong Tay peninsula, Gam Ghi, and May Rut islet.

VinWonders entertainment complex

Amusement park Vinwonders on Phu Quoc Island

One of the most frequented places in the North Island is VinWonders entertainment complex, a product of Vin Group. It includes a Safari, a Golf course, an aquarium, and amusement park. If you want a compact holioday, you may choose to stay at one of the many hotels and resorts inside the complex. The area is especially popular among local holiday makers during summer vacation. 

Others 

Pepper garden on Phu Quoc Island

Besides the major attractions, pepper plantations, pearl farms, fish sauce factories are popular visit routes. You can stop by to learn of the island specialties and their making process, or get some home for friends and families too.

Best things to do

Checking out Phu Quoc beaches

It must be a mistake if you ignore the stunning white sandy beaches on Phu Quoc island. Sao Beach, Dai Beach, Truong Beach, Ong Lang, or Ganh Dau Beach are the 5 most pristine and beautiful ones where you can watch the beautiful sunset and savor a lot of tasty seafood.

Photo: blog.travel.com

Strolling around the island by a motorbike

Motorbike is the most suitable vehicle to discover many on-land attractions like Dinh Cau, Ham Ninh fishing village, Phu Quoc national park, Tranh Stream, pearl farm, Duong Dong night market, Coi Nguon museum, Phu Quoc prison, etc.

 Ham Ninh fishing village

Snorkeling to see the coral reef

Snorkeling on Phu Quoc Island

One of the must-try activities when visiting Phu Quoc is snorkeling. Due to the super clear and clean water, you can immerse yourself in the cool water and witness the beauty of the coral reefs under the sea.

Taking a black pepper or fish sauce tour: Black pepper and fish sauce are specialties that almost tourists want to try and buy some to home. Taking a day trip to a Black pepper farm or a fish-sauce factory to see how locals grow and harvest pepper as well as how fish sauce is fermented and bottled is an interesting thing to try.

Where to stay

Resorts are the favored option for most travelers when coming to Phu Quoc. Some of the best resorts that must be mentioned are Vinpearl Resorts, Movenpick Resort Waverly, Fusion Resort, Sol by Melia, Best Western Premier Sonasea Phu Quoc, La Veranda Resort M'Gallery, to name a few.

Movenpick Resort Waverly

For a more affordable accommodation, Phu Quoc also has a variety of hotels or homestays to choose from like Seashells Phu Quoc hotel & spa, M Hotel, Ocean Pearl Hotel, Sen Hotel, Banana Homestay, Lang Chai Homestay, Nani Homestay, etc.

Visit our Phu Quoc Hotel guide and pick one yourself!

Food to try

Your beach holiday will be complete with a full stomach of all the best local cuisines. Sourced from local fishing boats, Phu Quoc seafood is very diversified and among the best-quality seafood in Vietnam. Some typical dishes you can try are raw herring salad, echinus, grilled trachurus, slipper lobster, Ham Ninh crab, fried squid with fish sauce, ken noodles and noodle soup with fish cakes.

Photo: dulichphuquoc.com