Phuket is located in the South, is the second smallest province of Thailand and is about 1 hour flight from the capital Bangkok. Phuket includes Phuket Island, the largest island of the Golden Temple country and 32 other small islands. So what makes millions of tourists flock to Phuket every year ?
In the 16th century, Phuket was a famous trading port with abundant tin resources. This place attracted many Chinese merchants to trade and live. By the 1970s, Phuket planted rubber and coconut trees and invested in tourism development based on available resources. This was the premise for Phuket tourism to develop strongly, and today it has become a bright spot of Asian tourism.
Phuket is known as the “paradise island” with beautiful beaches like masterpieces of nature and famous delicious seafood. In addition to the beautiful natural scenery, Phuket also has many interesting entertainment services such as fishing, paragliding and jet skiing. Traveling to Phuket , you will have the opportunity to watch Muay Thai matches, stroll around the old town, enjoy street food or feast your eyes on the Simon Phuket Cabaret show.
The ideal time to travel to Phuket
Thailand has only two main seasons: dry season and rainy season. The dry season from November of the previous year to April of the following year is the best time to travel to Phuket . At this time, the sun is not too harsh, the temperature is only about 22 to 34 degrees, the climate is mild with cool monsoons. All too perfect for a sea and island trip, right?
In addition, June and July are also the ideal time to conquer the paradise island. Although it is summer, the weather is not too hot, great for swimming and experiencing fun and entertainment activities on the sea. Besides, you can travel to Phuket during major festivals of the year such as:
From May to October, Phuket is in the rainy season. Room rates and airfares are cheap, but the weather is not very favorable for exploring attractive destinations in Phuket. If you want to save money when traveling to Phuket , you should book air tickets and hotel rooms in advance on Traveloka.
What to prepare when traveling to Phuket?
Paperwork
Round-trip air tickets, passports, hotel booking confirmations, immigration forms... are the basic documents you need to enter Thailand. Regarding visas, Thailand exempts entry visas for 46 countries, including Vietnam. If you are a foreigner (or have foreign nationality) traveling to Phuket from Vietnam, you must have a visa.
The visa for entry into Thailand is valid for 30 days by air, and no more than 15 days by land. In addition, the entry form will be distributed on the plane, so you should fill it out in advance to save time instead of filling it out at the airport. Don't forget to be friendly with the customs officers!
Money
The currency of Thailand is Baht, 1 US dollar is equivalent to about 30 Thai Baht; 1 Baht is about 754 VND so 10 Baht will be about 7,500 VND. Thai paper money has denominations of 1,000 Baht, 500 Baht, 100 Baht, 50 Baht, 20 Baht. Meanwhile, dong has denominations of 10 Baht, 5 Baht, 1 Baht and coins are 50 Satang, 25 Satang.
One tip for traveling to Thailand is to exchange money in advance in Vietnam. You can exchange money at banks or gold shops at Ben Thanh Market (Ho Chi Minh City) or Ha Trung Street (Hanoi) to get the best exchange rate.
“How much money should I bring when traveling to Phuket?” is probably the question that most of you are wondering before starting your trip. Actually, depending on your personal spending level, you will balance and bring a reasonable amount of money. However, in general, each person should bring about $300, which is the average cost when traveling to Phuket on their own .
In addition, tourists should also bring US dollars to exchange when needed. Dollars are easier to exchange, if you don't spend them all, you can still bring them back to use for the next trip or keep them for a good value. In addition, some hotels, restaurants and some shops in Phuket accept payment by international credit cards. But it is best to exchange them to Thai or dollars for ease of use. In particular, limit withdrawals at ATMs because there will be a fee of about 150 Baht per withdrawal.
Transportation to Phuket
Plane
Airplane is the fastest and most convenient way to get to Phuket . Currently, you can fly directly or take a connecting flight here. Ticket prices range from 1,500,000 VND - 10,000,000 VND/trip, depending on the location and departure time, airline and whether you choose a direct flight or a connecting flight.
- Direct flight: In Vietnam, VietJet Air is a low-cost airline that operates direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Phuket with round-trip flights on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Flight time is about 3 hours.
- Connecting flights: You can fly from Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok, then book a connecting domestic flight from Bangkok to Phuket. There are many airlines operating flights to Bangkok such as: Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air, Pacific Airlines. From Bangkok, you can book tickets from Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, Thai Smile,... These are the airlines that tourists often choose.
Bus
After flying to Bangkok, you can choose the bus instead of taking a domestic connecting flight to Phuket. The bus will depart from the Southern Bus Terminal. This is a double-decker bus, clean, high quality and very attentive service. You can book bus tickets in advance at this website http://www.bustophuket.com/ or take a taxi to the Southern Bus Terminal after getting off the airport to buy tickets directly.
Bus fares to Phuket range from about 450,000 VND to 700,000 VND. You can choose bus companies such as: Phuket Travel, Bus Express, Phuket Central. These bus companies all have express and VIP classes. BestPrice suggests you choose Phuket Central VIP class, the ticket price is about 540,000 VND. Departure times from the station: 7:30; 17:30; 18:30; 19:15 and 20:00. This is also an economical option. However, BestPrice does not recommend you to take the bus to Phuket, because it will be very time-consuming. Travel time is about 12 hours.
Train
There is currently no direct train to Phuket, so if you want to travel by train you will need to take another bus to get to Phuket. Trains run from Hua Lamphong Station in Bangkok to Phunphin Station in Sarat Thani, where there is a bus service to Phuket. The train ticket costs around 1000 Baht, while the bus ticket costs around 256 Baht, for a total of around 1260 Baht.
Transportation in Phuket
Motorbike
To be proactive in moving when traveling to Phuket on your own , you can choose a motorbike with a rental price of only about 150 - 200 Baht/vehicle/day, mainly Click and PCX models. When renting a motorbike, you will have to put your passport, make a commitment on the following items: 1 hour late return is 50 Baht, lost motorbike is 40,000 Baht/vehicle. These prices may change slightly depending on the time. In addition, visitors should also choose a reputable motorbike rental place, check the motorbike carefully to see if there is any damage, if it is full of gas before receiving the motorbike.
A little note is that in Thailand, all vehicles use the left lane, so when using a vehicle in Phuket, you must be very careful to stay absolutely safe and not be fined for violating traffic laws. Another small thing is that you should buy a Phuket tourist map to use with Google Map to avoid running out of battery or losing 3G.
Tuk tuk
Tuk tuk is a popular means of transportation in Thailand and Phuket as well. This is the top choice of many tourists. You can easily find a tuk tuk on the street, just raise your hand to signal, the tuk tuk will stop right in front of you.
When taking a taxi, you should ask the driver about the price to your destination and check the route in advance with Google Maps to bargain. A small tip is to compare the cost of Grab and bargain a little lower.
Taxi
In Phuket, taxis are less common than tuk tuks, so catching a taxi is not as easy as catching a tuk tuk. To quickly call a taxi, visitors can contact the hotel they are staying at and ask for help from the reception.
Taxi fares in Phuket are 50 Baht for the first 2 km, and 7 Baht for each additional km. However, many drivers often haggle over the price for the entire trip, so you still need to use your bargaining skills to avoid getting ripped off when choosing a taxi.
Ship
To visit and explore the beautiful islands in Phuket, the boat will definitely be the means of transport you must use. One of the most visited islands is Koh Phi Phi. To visit this island, you can go to the South Phuket pier to buy a boat ticket and depart here. Note, visitors should not buy tickets to Koh Phi Phi at the airport, because it will be much more expensive than buying at the pier.
It takes about 2 hours from Phuket to Phi Phi, departing from the pier at 9am, 10:30am, 1:30pm, 3pm. Ticket price for adults is 400 baht/person/trip and for children is 350 baht.
Where to stay in Phuket?
Traveling to Phuket on your own, you can be completely assured because the accommodation system here is very diverse for you to choose from. Visitors can check room prices and book in advance from Vietnam through reputable websites. Normally, the price for a night at a mid-range hotel in Phuket will not exceed 300 Baht - 500 Baht, if you want to stay at a high-end hotel, the price will be higher.
Normally, you should stay in Phuket town, Patong beach or Kata for convenience in traveling and visiting everywhere. Depending on your budget and needs, visitors can choose to stay at a suitable Phuket hotel . If your budget is limited and you want to stay in a cheap room, you can book a hotel a little further from the center, then food and services will be cheaper.
