Phu Quoc Island is the largest island, located in the gulf of Thailand, 115km (71 miles) offshore of the southern end of Vietnam, known for its beautiful & clean beaches, a national park with endangered wildlife, colorful fish and coral reef for snorkeling and scuba diving!. In recent years, the island has been developed rapidly with hundreds of new resorts, including famous brand hotels such as Vinpearl, Accor, Intercontinental…that has turned Phu Quoc into a resort island.
My holiday in Phu Quoc island was in early May, the start of rainy season, though the weather was perfect for a beach holiday and sun was shining! My hotel was in Duong Dong, the oldest and busiest town on the island, 9km from airport. The town is actually small and not very crowded. Sea breeze had blown brown dust and painted a thin layer on the tube houses that made them worn and dreary.
I walked along the main road, passed by bars, swimming suit and fashion shops, and headed to Dinh Cau night market. Dinh Cau could be the liveliest area of the town, in contrast with quiet and dark streets. All seafood shops were full of the locals and foreigners, enjoying chilled beer and seafood, laughing and talking loudly. Seafood is displayed on a table, abundant and extremely fresh. You can choose directly and the sellers will cook for you. Souvenir shops sell pearls (not real!) and natural stone necklaces and bracelets. This is the most colorful area of the market. Phu Quoc falls asleep early…only bars are open until midnight. From October, 2016, Dinh Cau Night Market was moved to Bach Dang street, around 500 metres from the old market, and it keeps the same busy pace.
On the second day, I visited around the island. Phu Quoc is famous for black pepper, rose (downy) myrtle wine and fish sauce. Black pepper plantation are everywhere on the island. I stopped at a farm which plants this kind of spice. The owner explained to me about different kinds of peppers and their quality. Therefore, there are three kinds of peppers: pink, black and green. Pink is the most expensive and has the best taste. It’s ripe pepper that already turned to pink color. Black pepper is green pepper, not yet ripe, was picked up and dried. Green pepper is fresh and soaked in vinegar. The family displayed their products in a glass stand and I bought 1kg of dried pink pepper for my mother. My mother, until now, is still very happy with this kind of pepper that she couldn’t find at any market in Hanoi and reminded me to buy more if I go back to Phu Quoc.
Continued with my journey, I stopped at a rose (downy) myrtle plantation which was planted for making wine. I met a person at the house and he explained to me how the wine was made. Ripe rose (downy) myrtle fruits were picked and kept in big steel stank, fermented naturally. People said it is the same as wine making process. Later, I tasted a kind of rose (downy) myrtle syrup. This kind of syrup can be mixed with more water, add some ice and it’s a perfect summer cooling juice!
Fish sauce factories attracted my smell from far distance! Like other Vietnamese people, I grew up with fish sauce in my daily meal and it’s the condiment for all Vietnamese food from fried, steamed to sautéed. Phu Quoc Island is home to the most delicious fish sauce in Vietnam. Here, fish sauce is made in traditional way. Fish sauce producers use wooden containers, sea salt and special anchovy caught in Phu Quoc sea area. To make it, wooden containers are filled from bottom to the top with many layers of salt, anchovy, salt, anchovy…with ratio of 3 to 1. Then leave to ferment under direct sunlight for 9 months to a year. Drop by drop of pure fish sauce comes out. They’re kept in other containers and left in open air for 2 extra weeks. Finally, experienced fish sauce makers check and approve its smell and taste. Visiting a fish sauce factory, walking between huge wooden containers and tasting fresh fish sauce is one of my memorable experiences.
Most visitors come for the white sand beaches in Phu Quoc island because they are second-to-none! I love Sao Beach most. This is a 7km long beach with pure and silky white sand. Water is shallow and blue. The beach is held by mountains at both ends, so it has very calm water and gentle waves. I enjoyed the beach and only returned to the town when the dark fell. Truong Beach on the Southwest of the island, 2km from the airport, is also one of the amazing beaches on Phu Quoc island. With 20km long, this is the longest beach on the island. It’s wonderful place for swimming, relaxing, walking and admire romantic sunset. Up to the northwest of the island is Long Beach with the length of 15km. In 2008, this beach was voted by BBC News – Australia as the most beautiful, the cleanest and the most untouched beach in the world.
Phu Quoc has two seasons, same to other provinces in the South of Vietnam. The dry season is from November to April with low humidity and bright sunshine. The temperature is approximately 30 degree Celsius. This is also high season for tourism on the island. Foreigners come to the Island on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. The locals come on our Traditional New Year, Reunification and Labor day. The island becomes crowded and most of hotels apply their peak season surcharge.
Low season comes from May to October with constant rains for a week or more. Sea is rough and wind is very strong on rainy days. Most of the roads on the island are red dirt roads, not yet covered with asphalt, so it’s dirty and muddy to visit around the island on rainy days. Sometimes, roads are flooded and flights to the island are cancelled in rainy season. May to October is not really a good time for beach relaxation in Phu Quoc Island or South Vietnam generally. I would suggest Nha Trang, Hoi An and Danang instead.
— Van
CLASSIC SIGHTSEEING
Most travelers choose Phu Quoc Island for beach relaxation at the end of their holiday, after a lot of sightseeing and before flying home. Their time on Phu Quoc island will be spent hiding away at their resort, cooling down by pool side and sunbathing on the beach. They don’t know that Phu Quoc has also many interesting things to see. I love the beach, but anytime I visit a new destination, I spend a half day or even a full day to explore the place’s highlights before standing still.
The easiest way to visit the island is to hire a bike or a motorbike and bring a map. The must-see places can be the national park, a fish sauce factory, a rose (downy) myrtle wine workshop and a pepper plantation. Phu Quoc island is 50km long and 25km wide–don’t worry, you can’t be lost. Four sides of the island features white sand beaches. You can swim at different beaches throughout your visit and vote for the best!
HONEYMOON, RELAXING
Phu Quoc in recent years has turned into a resort island and with a heaven of white sand beaches, it’s an ideal place for honeymooners. I already inspected many hotels and resorts on the island and I would suggest Chensea Resort and Spa for honeymooners. Located on an isolated and white sand beach of Ong Lang area, the resort has only spacious 36 villas. The smallest is seaview villa at 86m2, facing the sea and features hardwood floors, an airy bathroom with double vanity basins, outdoor rain shower and complimented with a furnished terrace and a marvelous outdoor tropical bathroom.
La Veranda Resort is also a good choice for honeymooners. The resort is located right in Duong Dong town, centre of the island. The resort features a lush green garden and a private silky beach. The buildings and villas are in French colonial architecture with wide windows and doors lighting up the rooms with natural sunlight. Rooms are an elegant combination of bright and cool colors. Smallest room is at 38m2 and all have a private terrace or balcony.
Most of the resorts which have a private beach can arrange a romantic candle light dinner on the beach for honeymooners. A sea sunset cruise or a private cooking class or a special spa treatment package can also be arranged during your honeymoon vacation on Phu Quoc island.
FAMILIES
FOOD
ADVENTURE & WILDLIFE
In 2006, Kien Giang Province including Phu Quoc Island was recognized by UNESCO as a world biosphere reserve. Phu Quoc national park covers more than 50% of the island which is home to hundreds of animal species including 28 mammals, 119 birds, 47 reptiles and 14 amphibians. Many are globally endangered including lorises, the long-tailed macaque, silver langur, otter, and hornbill. Hiking through the park with a stop at magical waterfalls is also an interesting experience. You can book a hiking tour with a travel desk on the spot and be escorted by a local guide – a local resident on the island.
Diving or snorkeling to discover Phu Quoc’s colorful coral reef and fishes is also offered by either local or foreign professional diving centre, just check and choose a suitable course to your level!
WHAT TO EXPECT
Infrastructure on the island hasn’t developed yet. There are still many red dirty roads around the island. You can’t move freely during the rainy season and during the dry season, you may return to your hotel with dusty pants or your white t-shirt will turn to a light brown color after a long day of exploring the island by motorbike.
Most of restaurants and bars are located in Duong Dong area. If you stay at other beaches as Ong Lang, Vung Bau, Ganh Dau, Cua Lap..You may not have many choices of dining-out, rather than eating at your hotel and of course, it will be more expensive. Some hotels offer set menus at reasonable prices, but to have various choices, you still have to take a taxi to the town. Some hotels also offer free shuttle bus to the town but their timetable may not reach your demand. Just some things to be aware of when selecting a place to stay, and we’ll ask what’s important to you so we can recommend a place you will love.
