The Pearl Island of Vietnam
Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s largest island, is a tropical paradise known for its white sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, and lush green forests. Located in the Gulf of Thailand, this island is a must-visit destination for travelers seeking relaxation and adventure.
Best Time to Visit Phu Quoc
The best time to visit Phu Quoc is from November to April, during the dry season. This period offers perfect weather with warm temperatures, clear skies, and calm seas, making it ideal for beach activities, snorkeling, and exploring the island’s natural beauty. Visitors can also enjoy vibrant festivals and local events during this time. While the rainy season from May to October brings occasional heavy showers, it offers a quieter, more budget-friendly experience with lush green landscapes. No matter when you visit, Phu Quoc promises a unique and unforgettable tropical getaway.
Top Attractions in Phu Quoc
Tourist attractions on Phu Quoc are divided into 4 main areas: the central area in Duong Dong town, the South of the island, the North of the island and the East of the island. Depending on your schedule, you should spend at least two days if you want to explore all the attractions on the island.
1. The North of the island
The north of Phu Quoc Island is rich in natural beauty and pristine forests. There are also pristine beaches and fishing villages, largely untouched by commerce. Here are some places to visit.
Phu Quoc National Park covers an area of over 31,400 hectares, home to hundreds of species of animals and plants and diverse ecosystems of mountains, forests, seas, waterfalls and streams. Here, you will discover lush vegetation, admire pure streams such as Tranh stream, Da Ban stream, 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, colorful scenery 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 for tourists. In addition to the clear blue sea water, this place also scores points for having many starfish. From December to April is the time when the sea is calm, the water is clear so it is easiest to see starfish. During the rainy season, the road to Rach Vem is difficult to travel and the water is murky.
The floating houses and wooden bridges facing the sea are also one of the highlights of Rach Vem. Coming here, visitors can also enjoy many types of fresh seafood, which are cheaper than in the central area. However, because most of the floating houses are prepared by the locals, they are not elaborately decorated.
One of the most famous attractions on the north of the island is Vinpearl Safari , which cares for more than 3,000 birds, animals, and reptiles of 175 species. The safari is divided into two open zoo areas, for visitors to visit the animal breeding area and the semi-wild area, and is taken by specialized vehicles.
Coming here, visitors and their families and friends can learn about animals in their natural habitat. Nearby is the VinWonders entertainment complex with many fun or adventurous games, an aquarium suitable for both children and adults.
Ganh Dau Cape is a mound of land jutting out into the sea, located in the northwest of the island. Due to the long distance and not many tourists visiting, Ganh Dau Cape has a wild beauty with rocky outcrops of many shapes and clear blue beaches.
During the journey to explore the north of the 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 also many pepper gardens for you to visit and take photos.
2. The South of the island
Sao Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Phu Quoc, located in An Thoi town, about 28 km from Duong Dong town. It has clear blue water, standing out on a strip of fine white sand more than 7 km long. Coming here, visitors can leisurely walk on the sandy shores, listen to the murmuring waves at dawn or swim in the sea, and take beautiful photos.
In addition, the water here is calm and the waves are gentle, so there are many water sports activities, especially kayaking. Boat rental prices range from 100,000 - 150,000 VND.
Bai Truong is about 20 km long and is one of the most beautiful sunset viewing spots on the pearl island. Here, visitors can visit the Sunset Sanato Beach Club. This place is decorated with many wooden and bamboo scenes such as a bridge leading to the sea, a herd of water elephants, a shell house, a swing... for visitors to capture beautiful images in the golden orange 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 Cau Quy, Cau Tai, Chua Ngoc Nuong Nuong, Thuy Long Thanh Mau, this is where fishermen come to pray for peace, favorable weather, and a bountiful fishing season. On January 15 every year, big festivals are held here.
Dinh Cau Cape is the best place to watch the sunset with rocky outcrops shaped like mountains stretching out to the sea. The sunset at Dinh Cau Cape is most beautiful from May to September. At this time, the sky and the sea blend into a gentle blue color, looking very impressive.
Phu Quoc Prison is located in Cay Dua hamlet, An Thoi commune. The relic is a tourist attraction, with some scenes restored to recreate history; open from 7am to 5pm daily and free of charge.
Phu Quoc Night Market is located on Bach Dang Street, about 1 km from Dinh Cau. It operates from 5pm to 11pm on weekends, with many stalls selling fresh seafood, local specialties such as fish sauce, sim candy, pepper and handicrafts. In addition to sightseeing and shopping, visitors should not forget to enjoy the fresh seafood dishes sold and prepared at the market. Some other suggested dishes are rolled ice cream, egg cakes, palm cakes...
In addition to the above locations, the south of the island also has a number of attractions such as a fish sauce factory, a pearl farm and a sim wine factory.
3. Exploring the islands
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 tourist island, with beautiful beaches, coral diving, fishing, squid fishing, kayaking, jet skiing. In particular, there is a water park with 20 thrilling games Aquatopia Water Park for visitors to enjoy with their families.
If you love diving, you can go to ECO Beach on the island. There is a package of 950,000 VND per person, a 20-minute experience with a closed helmet. If you choose an air tank like a diver, the service price is 650,000 VND per person. Some other services that you can register for are underwater video recording for 600,000 VND and photography for 300,000 VND.
To get to the island, visitors depart from the cable car station. The station is designed and built in the ancient Roman style and is a favorite photo spot for many young visitors. Then, you will ride 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, peaceful islands with boats going back and forth.
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, water park and lunch buffet package is 600,000 VND for adults and children over 1.4m tall. Visitors between 1m and 1.4m tall buy tickets for 400,000 VND
In addition, visitors can book an island tour to visit Hon Thom and the remaining islands. Of which, the 4-island tour: Hon May Rut Trong, May Rut Ngoai, Gam Ghi and Hon Mong Tay in the An Thoi archipelago is a popular choice.
Guests will be picked up at the hotel in Duong Dong town to An Thoi port and take a canoe tour, snorkeling to see coral at Gam Ghi island. The service includes underwater filming and photography packages. The tour with lunch costs about 1,000,000 VND per person. However, the 4-island tour usually moves a lot. Guests who are seasick or in poor health can choose the 2 or 3-island tour with fewer activities.
If you are feeling more adventurous, you can explore Hon Dam , which is known as the Robinson Island of Phu Quoc . Hon Dam has no internet, electricity is run by solar energy, 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 foodie, you should go to Phu Quoc from May to November. This is the local fishing season so there will be a lot of fresh seafood and the price will be cheaper.
Herring Salad: The first dish on the list of must-try dishes in Phu Quoc is herring salad . This dish is sold in all restaurants, from high-end to popular. The herring is pre-processed, rolled with vegetables and rice paper, and dipped in fish sauce, which has absolutely no fishy smell.
Ham Ninh crab: The crabs here are not big but are considered by diners to be delicious, sweet and fresh. Depending on the time, the price of crabs will fluctuate from 200,000 VND to 500,000 VND per kilo. You should choose the type of 6 to 7 crabs per kilo. If you like to eat egg crabs, you can choose female crabs. If you like meat, choose male crabs. The best way to prepare the crabs is to boil them with salt, pepper and lemon.
Grilled conch with salt and chili : Gourmets often love grilled conch with salt and chili. The saltiness of the salt, the spiciness of the chili and the sweetness of the conch blend together to create a very special flavor. Compared to stir-fried or boiled dishes, grilled conch retains its crunchiness and toughness, so it is more popular with locals.
Sea cucumber: One of the famous specialties in Phu Quoc. This is a dish favored by diners because it is highly nutritious and considered a high-class food. Fresh sea cucumber is often processed into stir-fried dishes with bitter melon, sweet peppers or stewed with goat meat, pork. Many people also use sea cucumber to cook porridge, to improve health. Because it is a high-class food, the price of sea cucumber is also quite expensive, usually around one million VND per kilo.
Bun Ken: Bun Ken is not available everywhere, not only the name but also the taste of this type of noodle is very strange. Bun Ken is usually made of rice vermicelli, thin noodles served with herbs, Vietnamese coriander, cucumber, shredded papaya... A reference address is Bun Ken Ut Luom on 30/4 street.
Melaleuca mushroom: This type of mushroom usually grows after the first rains of the season in Melaleuca forests in Phu Quoc. The mushroom season only lasts for a month, so visitors cannot always enjoy this dish. 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 season the meat and eggs of sea urchins and stir-fry them before adding them to the porridge pot. In Phu Quoc, the newly caught sea urchins are cut off their spines, split in half, washed, and then placed on a charcoal grill, with some scallion oil added and ready to eat. In addition, visitors can also enjoy other dishes such as raw sea urchins with lemon, grilled sea urchins, and sea urchin porridge.
Abalone: Phu Quoc abalone is famous for its nutritional value and is considered a medicine in oriental medicine. Fresh abalone can be processed into many rustic dishes such as boiled, grilled, stir-fried, porridge...
In addition, Phu Quoc also has many attractive specialties such as sim honey, sim wine, pepper, fish sauce, king crab, grilled snails with salt and chili, grilled fan clams with scallion oil, grilled squid eggs... These dishes can be easily found in restaurants from popular to high-end.
Sea cucumber Bun Ken Sea urchin Grilled abalone with scallion oil
What to buy as a gift
Some famous Phu Quoc specialties you can buy as gifts are pearls, fish sauce, pepper, sim wine...
Phu Quoc pearls are quite expensive, depending on quality, color and size. Reputable pearl shopping addresses are Ngoc Hien and Quoc An pearl farms.
Phu Quoc fish sauce is famous for its delicious, pure flavor. Some reputable production facilities you can refer to are: Phung Hung fish sauce factory, Khai Hoan production facility, Thinh Phat, Hung Thinh.
Phu Quoc pepper has a spicy and aromatic taste, and firm grains. You can buy peppercorns 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 by fermenting rose myrtle and white sugar. This wine is good for digestion and relieves aches and pains. Familiar places to buy Sim wine are Sim Son and Bay Giao Sim wine.
Seafood that tourists often buy as gifts are sea cucumbers, squid and dried fish. Duong Dong night market has many shops selling these products, prices depend on the season and size.
Phu Quoc is a dream destination with stunning beaches, exciting activities, and delicious food. Whether you are a beach lover, adventure seeker, or food enthusiast, this island has something for everyone. Plan your trip now and experience the best of Phu Quoc!