Exploring Phu Quoc
Vietnam‘s Phu Quoc Island might once have been a tiny dot on the greater holiday scale, but no more. Over the last few years, it’s become a show-stopper, stunning holiday newbies with white sand beaches studded with hotels and palm trees. No, it’s not too good to be true – the scenery here is like something straight out of a postcard.
If you’re also new to Phu Quoc’s beauty, don’t worry. We’ve got a breakdown of this unique island’s highlights.
History
Once a sleepy island with just dense tropical forests to its name, Phu Quoc has shot up Vietnam’s holiday radar to become one of the country’s premier destinations, not just because it’s a major producer of black pepper and Vietnam’s highly coveted fish sauce.
Airlines and cruise ships from all over the world now touch down in Phu Quoc, luxury resorts have sprung up around the coast and the world’s longest oversea cable car is currently in the works – things are only getting better.
Stashed up along Vietnam’s southern coast, Phu Quoc is the country’s biggest island, and is technically part of a string of islands found in the Gulf of Thailand. It saw a little war activity over the last few centuries, but not much else. Fast forward to the present and it’s a very different story – it was probably inevitable that tourists worldwide would eventually catch onto this island’s ring of white sand beaches and water flecked with coral reefs.
Peak tourism season typically runs from December to March, as this is when the island’s best fetes are on – Tet, the lunar New Year, and one of the yearly installations of the island’s newest beach music festival, Epizode. The rainy season sweeps in from May to October, bringing with high humidity and a whole lot of wet.
Beaches
Long Beach
Long Beach is easily the most popular beach on Phu Quoc, found in the island’s capital district of Duong Dong. Its gold sands are backed by restaurants, bars and hotels and, as you might have guessed, it’s the longest on all the island.
Sao Beach
Long Beach might be the most popular, but Sao Beach is the most picturesque, even rumoured to be the most beautiful beach in all of Vietnam. Its sand is blindingly white, backed by palm trees and Jurassic-Park-style green hills – minus the dinosaurs.
Dai Beach
Though the district of Ganh Dau – where you’ll find Dai beach – is becoming one of Phu Quoc’s flashier spots, Dai Beach is on the rugged side with quiet patches of sand sprawling out to reef-filled water. That’s not to say it isn’t flashy in its own right – luxury resorts are springing up around this coastline like daisies.
Things to do
Phu Quoc National Park
Odds are, you’ll probably stumble into Phu Quoc National Park without even realising it. That’s because it covers more than 50% of the island, including some bits of the coastline, and is thick with tropical forests and rolling hills. Once here, you can take river cruises or hike along leafy paths, spotting animals like fruit bats, pythons and macaques.
Epizode
Epizode is one of Phu Quoc’s newest amenities. It’s a two week-long music festival that takes place along the beach and brings international DJs and live shows twice a year. Nights out here are long and energetic, so serious party-goers need not fear.
Duong Dong Market
You’ll have plenty of opportunities to wander through the stalls of Duong Dong Market, as it takes place every morning. It’s where regulars go to buy fresh fish, fruit and vegetables that are local to the island.