Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

Phu Quoc produces the fish sauce that much of Southeast Asian cooking depends on. The waters around this island in the Gulf of Thailand are anchovy-rich, and the fermentation process that turns those fish into nuoc mam has been practised here for centuries. Most visitors drive past the fish sauce factories on the road south from Duong Dong without stopping. They should stop; the smell is extraordinary in the best possible way, and the process on display at the larger operations is genuinely interesting. This is the most locally distinctive thing on the island.

Phu Quoc is 574 square kilometres, administratively part of Kien Giang province in Vietnam’s far southwest, closer to the Cambodian coast than to the Vietnamese mainland. It was largely forested and lightly inhabited for most of its history. That changed when international flights started arriving in the 2010s and large-scale resort development followed. The result is an island that is two very different places depending on where you spend your time.

The Beaches

Sao Beach on the southeast coast is the best beach on the island: fine white sand, clear turquoise water, lush coconut palms, and still relatively undeveloped compared to the main western coast. The drive from Duong Dong takes about 30 minutes by scooter, which is the right way to get there. A small number of beachfront restaurants and sun-chair operations work the shoreline without overwhelming it. Go in the morning before the day-trip boats arrive.

Long Beach on the west coast is the main tourist zone, a 20-kilometre stretch lined with resorts, beach bars, and restaurants. The northern end near Duong Dong is more local; the central section is concentrated resort territory. Sunsets from the west coast are consistently good, which explains why every resort built its bar facing west.

Khem Beach on the southern coast is mostly inside the JW Marriott resort and has limited public access. If you are not staying there, Sao Beach is the better use of the drive time.

The National Park and North

About 36% of the island is protected as Phu Quoc National Park. Rent a motorbike and ride north from Duong Dong: the roads narrow, the landscape opens into proper tropical forest, and you eventually reach the east coast village of Ham Ninh, where a small pier lined with basic seafood restaurants serves fish and shellfish pulled from the water that morning. A full meal for two with beer runs 200,000-350,000 VND. Order whatever the fishing boats brought in that day.

The Phu Quoc Prison (Coconut Tree Prison) in the south near An Thoi operated under French and then South Vietnamese control from the 1950s through 1975, housing political prisoners in conditions the exhibition documents in detail. The presentation reflects Vietnamese government framing, but the physical site and its history are significant and under-visited relative to the beach resorts 15 kilometres north.

Eating

The Duong Dong night market near the central bridge is the most functional option for cheap local food: grilled seafood, banh mi, spring rolls, and local rice dishes from around 17:00 to 22:00. A full meal for two at market stalls costs 150,000-300,000 VND. It is not fancy, but the quality of what is grilled on the spot is hard to match at the resort restaurants.

For a more considered meal, the seafood restaurants along Tran Hung Dao Street in Duong Dong serve grilled crab, prawns, and squid by weight. Expect 400,000-700,000 VND for a substantial dinner for two with rice and Bia Saigon.

Phu Quoc black pepper is a local product grown on plantations in the island’s interior. It has a more aromatic, less harsh quality than commodity pepper; buying a bag directly from a roadside plantation costs almost nothing and is worth doing.

Getting There

Phu Quoc International Airport has direct flights from Hanoi (about 2 hours), Ho Chi Minh City (under an hour), and several international destinations. Budget airlines including VietJet and Bamboo connect from major Vietnamese cities for around 500,000-1,000,000 VND. Ferry services cross from Ha Tien on the mainland in about an hour.

When to Go

November to April is the dry season with reliable beach weather. May through October brings the southwest monsoon: periodic heavy rain and occasionally rough seas on the west coast. The island is quieter and noticeably cheaper outside December to April peak. Early October can be rough but the interior is green and the tourist infrastructure has room for you, which is its own argument.

The VinWonders theme park complex in the south is the island’s largest single investment, covering 46.7 hectares with international rides and entertainment infrastructure. It is aimed at a Vietnamese domestic market and families; if that is not your demographic, the northern parts of the island and the national park give you an entirely different Phu Quoc.