Things to do in Phu Quoc

Phu Quoc is the largest island in Vietnam, lying in the Gulf of Thailand close to the Cambodian coast. Since 2020 it has been one city on the map, Thành phố Phú Quốc. Tours run from boats and minivans, not museums.

How the island is laid out

• West coast. Duong Dong is the main town, with its harbour and night market. Long Beach runs south from it and faces the sunset.
• South. Boats to the small islands leave from An Thoi harbour. Sao Beach lies on this side too, and so does Sunset Town, a purpose-built Mediterranean-style quarter with a clock tower.
• North and interior. Much of the north is forest and national park. Pepper farms and Ho Quoc Pagoda lie inland.

Two ways to spend a day

By land, you see the island's trades. By sea, you see its water.

• By land. The sightseeing day strings together a pearl farm, a wine-making stop, peppercorns, a fish sauce factory, Ho Quoc Pagoda, Sao Beach and the Coconut Tree Prison, a museum in a former French colonial prison. It finishes at Sunset Town.
• By sea. Island-hopping boats snorkel at Xuong Island, then stop for a beach afternoon at May Rut Trong. A speedboat version covers four islands south of the coast, and a shared boat day ends at Hon Thom, with a water park and a cable car.
• After dark. A four-hour cruise sails at sunset, then fishes for squid. The crew cooks the catch aboard.
• Fish sauce. Made from anchovies, Phu Quoc's sauce carries a European protected designation of origin.

Practical

• Weather. Highs stay at 30 to 33C most of the year. The dry season runs November to April, with calm water. From June to October rain is heavy, well over 250 mm a month, and the sea gets rough.
• Pick-ups. Most boat and land tours collect from hotels in Duong Dong. Every boat day begins with a drive of about an hour south to An Thoi.
• Getting around. Public transport is thin. Most visitors take taxis, hotel transfers or hired scooters.
• Scooters. Many travel insurers refuse claims without a valid motorbike licence, so check before you hire one.
• Airport. The airport sits south of Duong Dong, a short drive from the main hotel strip.