Phu Quoc archipelago is located in the Gulf of Thailand, about 400 km west of Ho Chi Minh City. This place attracts domestic and foreign tourists through various types of tourism, with rich marine and island resources; diverse forests, and marine ecosystems.
Phu Quoc sea area has 22 large and small islands, with a total area of about 589.23 km2. In particular, the largest Phu Quoc island is usually divided into the north island and the south island. Duong Dong town is located in the center. Most of the attractions and attractions are located in the southern part of the island.
What season is beautiful in Phu Quoc?
The most ideal time to travel to Pearl Island is from about November to April next year. This is the dry season in the South, there is little rain, the sea is calm, the waves are calm and the sun is warm, suitable for outdoor tourism activities. This season is suitable for resort tours, not suitable for backpackers or backpackers.
From about May to October is the rainy season, sometimes there are storms, but Phu Quoc is still crowded due to the summer vacation period. If you go to Phu Quoc this season, you should come around the end of April, at this time the guests are still not crowded and the weather is still beautiful, the prices are not too high like the peak season. October is also the time of change of seasons, so there is little rain.
Move
Vietnam Airlines, Bamboo Airways and Vietjet Air offer direct flights to Phu Quoc from Hanoi, Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Buon Ma Thuot… Airfares It’s not too expensive, if you’re lucky, you can hunt for cheap tickets around one million dong for both the way and the return.
Phu Quoc’s airport is only 15 to 20 minutes away from the center of the island. Some luxury hotels and resorts often have a free shuttle service from the airport. You should ask more about this service when booking in Phu Quoc.
In addition to direct flights, visitors have more interesting options when traveling from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc such as motorbikes, cars, coaches, speedboats or ferries.
First-time visitors to Phu Quoc should take a speedboat to avoid seasickness. There are two routes to Phu Quoc, the journey from Rach Gia is about 120 km and takes 2 hours and 30 minutes, and the journey from Ha Tien is about 50 km and takes 1 hour and 30 minutes. You should depart from Ha Tien to shorten the travel time on the sea, and the ticket price is also cheaper. Please call the station in advance to buy tickets, and make sure the schedule is as planned.
If you drive your own car, you should go at night to get on the ferry at about 4 am, and experience the sunrise at sea. The route takes about 6 hours from Ho Chi Minh City to the ferry terminal in Ha Tien. You need to prepare food, drinks, blankets, pillows… and it’s best to have two people take turns driving so that the night bus ride is smooth and safe.
If you take a bus, you can depart from the center of Ho Chi Minh City. There are many high-quality flights to Ha Tien, the fare is about 150,000 VND to 230,000 VND per person, depending on the bus operator. Some high-quality bus companies you can refer to are: Phuong Trang, Mai Linh, Kumho.
The most popular means of transportation on Phu Quoc island are taxis and motorbikes. Usually, taxi companies and car rental services offer packages to explore the south and north of the island in half a day or a day for between 500,000 – 700,000 VND. The driver will take you to the most popular attractions
In addition, you can rent a motorbike for 100,000 – 150,000 VND a day, excluding gas. Guests need to reset their identity card or citizenship when renting. Before moving, you should carefully check the brakes, turn signals and lights.
There are buses operating on most routes and attractions from the airport, to Duong Dong town, An Thoi port with ticket prices from 10,000 to 40,000 VND. However, the tourist spots are far from the main road, so going by bus will be inconvenient.
Hotels, resorts
Visitors can find on Phu Quoc from affordable guesthouses to high-class international-class resorts. If you want to save money, you can stay in a homestay. If traveling with a company or a family with young children, the best choice for you is a hotel in Duong Dong town, convenient to attractions and shopping.
Some 5-star hotels such as Saigon Phu Quoc Resort, Eden Resort often cost over 1,500,000 VND per room per day. The price of 3-4 star hotels is from 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 VND. 2-star hotels such as Gold Hotel, Lavita Hotel, Sea Star resort, and Kim Hoa usually cost 600,000 – 800,000 VND.
Unlike Nha Trang with beaches that are easy to access from the main road, to Phu Quoc visitors often have to go far to get to the beach. So if you want to be quiet and relaxing, you should stay at a resort, villa or bungalow near the beach.
You can choose a beautiful resort by location , room rates range from 1,800,000 to 7,000,000 VND per night. In the North of the island there are Vinpearl Phu Quoc Resort, Nam Nghi Coral Peninsula Phu Quoc, and Fusion Resort Phu Quoc. On the east side of the island is Rocks Beach Boutique Phu Quoc, in Ham Ninh commune, which has just opened in early 2022, and is likened to “miniature Maldives”.
In the middle of the North Island and the center are Movenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc and Mango Bay Resort on Ong Lang beach. In the middle of Duong Dong town, there are Lahana Resort Phu Quoc, L’Azure Resort & Spa Phu Quoc, Anja Beach Resort, Pullman Phu Quoc or InterContinental Phu Quoc Long Beach Resort. JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay located on Khem beach or Premier Village Phu Quoc are outstanding accommodations in the South of the island.
Where to play?
The tourist attractions on Phu Quoc are divided into 4 main areas: the central area in Duong Dong town, the South island, the North Island and the East island. Depending on the schedule, you should spend at least two days if you want to explore all the fun spots on the island.
The North of Phu Quoc Island has a rich beauty with primeval forests. There are also pristine beaches and fishing villages, which have not been affected much by trade. Here are some attractions.
Phu Quoc National Park covers an area of over 31,400 hectares, and is home to hundreds of species of animals, plants and diverse ecosystems of mountains, forests, seas, waterfalls and streams. Here, you will discover lush vegetation, and admire pure streams such as the Tranh stream, Da Ban stream, and Da Ngon stream. If you join the 4-hour tour, visitors will conquer the top of Nui Chua, with an altitude of 565 m and admire the immense and colorful landscape of the park.
Located about 15 km from Duong Dong town, Rach Vem fishing village or “starfish kingdom” is one of the favorite photography spots of tourists. In addition to the clear blue sea, this place is also scored by many starfish. From December to April is the time when the sea is calm, the water is clear, so it is easy to see starfish. In the rainy season, the road to Rach Vem is difficult to go and the water is cloudy.
Raft houses and wooden bridges facing the sea are also one of the highlights of Rach Vem. Here, visitors can also enjoy a variety of fresh seafood, which is cheaper than in the central area. However, because most of the raft houses are processed by local people, they do not have elaborate decorations.
One of the most famous attractions in the north of the island is Vinpearl Safari , which takes care of more than 3,000 birds, mammals and reptiles of 175 species. Safari is divided into two open zoo areas, for visitors to visit the petting area and the semi-wild area, taking visitors by specialized vehicles.
Coming here, visitors with their families and friends learn about animals in their natural habitat. Nearby is the VinWonders entertainment complex with many fun or adventurous games, the aquarium is suitable for both children and adults.
Ganh Dau Cape is a land protruding into the sea, located in the northwest of the island. Due to the long-distance and not many tourists coming to visit, Ganh Dau cape has a wild beauty with rocky rapids of various shapes and clear blue beaches.
In the journey to discover the north island, visitors can visit pepper gardens, and buy specialties of the pearl island as gifts. Suggested pepper gardens are in Khu Tuong, where the most pepper is grown, on the way to Bai Thom commune. In addition, on the way to Ganh Dau, there are many pepper gardens for you to visit and take pictures.
Bai Sao is one of the most beautiful beaches in Phu Quoc, located in An Thoi town, about 28 km from Duong Dong town. This place has clear blue water, outstanding on the fine white sand strip more than 7 km long. Coming here, visitors can relax on the sandy beaches, listen to the sound of the waves at dawn or swim in the sea, and save beautiful photos.
In addition, this place has calm water and calm waves, so there are many water sports activities, especially kayaking. Boat rental price is from 100,000 to 150,000 VND.
Bai Truong is about 20 km long, and is one of the most beautiful sunset spots on the pearl island. Here, visitors can visit the Sunset Sanato Beach club. This place is decorated with many scenes from bamboo wood such as a bridge leading to the sea, a herd of water elephants, a house with shells, a swing… for visitors to save beautiful images in the orange-yellow afternoon light.
Dinh Ba and Dinh Cau are the two most sacred destinations in Phu Quoc, located in Duong Dong town. Associated with many legends about Uncle Quy, Uncle Tai, Lord of Jade Queen, and Thuy Long Thanh Mau, this is a place where fishermen come to pray for peace, good weather, for a good fishing season. On January 15 of every year, big festivals are held here.
Dinh Cau cape is the most beautiful place to watch the sunset with cliffs shaped like mountains reaching out to the sea. The sunset on Dinh Cau Cape is most beautiful from May to September. At this time, both the sky and the sea surface blend into a soft blue color that looks very impressive.
Phu Quoc Prison is located in Cay Dua hamlet, An Thoi commune. The relic is a tourist attraction that attracts tourists. Some scenes have been restored to recreate history; Open from 7am to 5pm daily and free tickets.
Phu Quoc Night Market is located on Bach Dang Street, about 1 km from Dinh Cau. This place operates from 5pm – 11pm on weekends, including many stalls selling fresh seafood, and local specialties such as fish sauce, sim candy, pepper and handicrafts. In addition to sightseeing and shopping, do not forget to enjoy fresh seafood dishes sold and processed at the market. Some other suggested dishes are ice cream rolls, egg tarts, jaggery beef cakes…
In addition to the places mentioned above, the southern island also has a number of attractions such as a fish sauce factory, a pearl farm and a sim wine factory.
Coming to Phu Quoc, one of the most attractive experiences is visiting islands such as Hon Thom, Mong Tay, Gam Ghi, May Rut.
Hon Thom is the most exploited island for tourism, with beautiful beaches, coral diving, fishing, squid fishing, kayaking, and jet skiing. In particular, there is a water park with 20 thrilling games Aquatopia Water Park for visitors to have fun with their families.
If you love scuba diving, you can go to the ECO Beach area on the island. There is a package of 950,000 VND per person, 20 minutes of experience with a closed hat. If you choose an air tank like a diver, the service price is VND 650,000 per person. Some other services visitors can register for are 600,000 VND underwater video recording, 300,000 VND photography.
To get to the island, visitors depart at the cable car station. The station, designed and built in the ancient Roman style, is a favorite photo spot of many young tourists. Then, you will be able to ride on the world’s longest three-wire cable car, with a total length of 7,899 m. From the cabin, visitors can see the clear blue sea, and peaceful islands with boats going up and down.
In addition to booking tickets in advance, visitors can buy tickets outside the entrance to the cable car station. The price of the cable car package, water park and lunch buffet is 600,000 VND for adults and children over 1m tall. Guests from 1m to 1m4 tall buy tickets for 400,000 VND.
In addition, visitors can book an island tour to visit Hon Thom and the rest of the islands. In which the tour of 4 islands: May Rut Trong, May Rut Ngoai, Gam Ghi and Mong Tay islands in An Thoi archipelago is a popular choice.
Guests will be picked up at the hotel in Duong Dong town to An Thoi port and visited by canoe, snorkeling at Gam Ghi island. Services include filming packages and underwater shooting. A tour with lunch costs about 1,000,000 VND per person. However, the 4-island tour often moves a lot. Travelers with seasickness or poor health can choose a 2 or 3 island tour with fewer activities.
If you want to be more adventurous, you can explore Hon Dam , which is known as the Robinson island of Phu Quoc . Hon Dam has no internet, electricity runs from solar energy, and the whole island has only a few bungalows made of bamboo and wood, the back facing the sea.
Phu Quoc specialties
If you are a fan of real food, you should go to Phu Quoc between May and November. This is the beach season for locals, so there will be a lot of fresh seafood, and the price will be cheaper.
Herring salad: The first dish on the culinary list you must try in Phu Quoc is herring salad . This dish is sold throughout the restaurants and eateries from high-end to popular. Herring is preliminarily processed, rolled with vegetables and rice paper, and dipped with the fish sauce without any fishy smell.
Ham Ninh crabs: The crabs here are not big but are rated by diners as delicious, sweet and fresh. Depending on the time, the price of crabs will range from 200,000 VND to 500,000 VND per kilogram. You should choose 6 to 7 fish per kilogram, if you like to eat egg crabs, you can choose females, if you eat meat, choose male crabs. The best way to prepare it is to boil crab with salt, pepper, and lemon.
Grilled Bien Mai Whistle : Connoisseurs often love grilled chili with salt and pepper. The salty taste of salt, the spicy taste of chili and the sweetness of the Bien Mai horn mix create a very special flavor. Compared with stir-fried, boiled dishes, grilled Bien Mai still retains its crispy and chewy texture, so it is loved by the locals the most.
Sea cucumber: This is one of the famous specialties in Phu Quoc. This dish is popular with diners because of its high nutritional value and is considered a high-class food. Fresh sea cucumber is often processed into stir-fried dishes with bitter melon, and sweet peppers or stewed with goat meat, pork. Many people also use sea cucumber to cook porridge, improving health. Because it is a high-class food, the price of sea cucumber is also quite expensive, the price is usually around one million dongs per kilogram.
Bun Ken: Not everywhere has bun trumpet, not only the name but also the taste of this type of vermicelli is very strange. Bun trumpet usually uses rice vermicelli, small fibers served with herbs, laksa leaves, cucumbers, grated papaya… The reference address is vermicelli Ken Ut Luom Street 30/4.
Melaleuca mushroom: This fungus usually grows after the first rains of the season in the Melaleuca forests in Phu Quoc. Mushroom season only lasts for more than a month, so visitors are not always able to enjoy this dish. The delicious dishes you should try are boiled chicken with mushroom soup or fish balls cooked with mushrooms.
Sea urchin: In the Central region, fishermen often take meat and eggs with spices and then stir-fry it before putting it in the porridge pot. And in Phu Quoc, the sea urchins that have just been caught will be cut, split in half, washed, and placed on a charcoal grill, adding onion fat to be eaten. In addition, visitors can also enjoy some other dishes such as lemon urchin, grilled urchin, porridge.
Abalone: Phu Quoc abalone is famous for its nutritional value and is considered a remedy in traditional medicine. Fresh abalone can be processed into many rustic dishes such as boiled, grilled, fried, cooked porridge…
In addition, Phu Quoc also has many attractive specialties such as myrtle honey, myrtle wine, pepper, fish sauce, king crab, grilled snail with salt and pepper, grilled scallops with onion fat, grilled squid… can be easily found in budget to high end restaurants.
Where to eat
As an island area, Phu Quoc is famous for fresh seafood dishes, notably crabs, urchins, herring, abalone, and snails. Fishing villages such as Ham Ninh, Cua Can and Rach Vem are also suggested destinations to enjoy fresh, cheap seafood in the local style.
One of the most famous seafood restaurants here is Ra Khoi restaurant , 30/4 street, Duong Dong town or Hello restaurant , with a sunset view, at 66 Tran Hung Dao, Duong Dong town. The average price is from 400,000 to 600,000 VND per person. Some other addresses are Com Bac restaurant 123 on 30/4 street), Quoc Anh restaurant on Bach Dang street, Phung fish cake soup near Dinh Cau.
Coming here, visitors should also enjoy the Kien Xay noodle soup , near Dinh Cau. This is a fresh noodle dish, served with squid, fish cake and shrimp cake. The highlight of Phu Quoc vermicelli is a bowl of “self-service” dipping sauce made from soup powder, sugar, main noodles, kumquats, and ground chili. Each bowl costs 35,000 VND.
Phu Quoc has many delicious restaurants introduced by locals and tourists as Ho Ky goat restaurant , 30/4 street; 100 Tran Hung Dao beef restaurant, Nha Xua rice pot restaurant, 68 Ly Thuong Kiet .
What to buy as a gift
Some famous specialties of Phu Quoc you can buy as gifts are pearls, fish sauce, pepper, sim wine…
Phu Quoc pearls are quite expensive, depending on quality, color and size. The prestigious pearl shopping address is Ngoc Hien and Quoc An pearl culture facilities.
Phu Quoc fish sauce is famous for its delicious, pure taste. Some reputable production facilities you can refer to are: Phung Hung fish sauce barrel house, Khai Hoan, Thinh Phat, and Hung Thinh production facilities.
Phu Quoc pepper has a spicy and aromatic taste, and firm seeds. You can buy pepper right at Khu Tuong pepper garden or Suoi Da pepper garden which are famous addresses.
Phu Quoc Sim wine is produced in the traditional way of fermentation from rose myrtle and white sugar. This wine has a good effect on digestion and cures aches and pains. The familiar places to buy sim wine are Sim Son and Bay Giao sim wine.
The seafood that tourists often buy as gifts is a sea cucumber, squid and dried fish. Duong Dong night market has many shops selling these products, the price depends on the season and size.
Note
Do not go to Phu Quoc in the rainy season.
Hotels, and motels in the peak season are often sold out, you should book about a month in advance.
Some places on Phu Quoc do not allow visitors to visit, you need to absolutely comply, and do not go into prohibited areas.
Ferries and speedboats in and out of the island usually run at fixed times. You should ask carefully the operation time so as not to miss the train or car.
If you get seasick, you should prepare some anti-sickness medicine because you have to move a lot on the sea.
If you ride a motorbike through the forest, you should find a map of Phu Quoc in case you get lost.
