Travel Tips

The Best Things to Do in Phu Quoc

Phu Quoc is Vietnam's largest island, a teardrop of white-sand beaches, pepper farms and forest off the south coast in the Gulf of Thailand. In a few short years it has grown from a quiet fishing island into the country's main beach destination, with everything from simple bungalows to big resorts, a record-breaking cable car and a theme park, alongside long stretches of coast that are still wonderfully low-key. It is where a lot of Vietnam trips end, with feet up and a cocktail, after the cities and the cruises.

Below is our honest guide to the things worth your time on Phu Quoc, from the best beaches and the An Thoi islands to the cable car, the night market and the wilder north. If you would rather have it arranged for you, our Phu Quoc tours cover the island and the boat trips with a local guide.

Find your beach

Phu Quoc is first and foremost a beach island, and the sand is the reason most people come. Long Beach on the west coast is the main strip, an easy sweep of resorts, bars and sunset views close to the airport and Duong Dong town. For something quieter, Ong Lang just north is calmer and more low-key, while Sao Beach in the south is the postcard one, a curve of powder-white sand and clear water that gets busy by day. Whichever you choose, the west-coast beaches are best for sunset and the south for swimming, and our Phu Quoc hotels page runs through where to base yourself.

Ride the Hon Thom cable car

The island's headline attraction is the Hon Thom cable car, the longest over-sea cable car in the world, which glides for nearly eight kilometres from the south of the island out to Hon Thom, with the An Thoi archipelago scattered below. The ride alone is worth it for the views, and the far end has beaches, the Aquatopia water park and restaurants to fill a day. It is touristy and can be busy, but the scale of it is genuinely something, and children love it.

Island-hop the An Thoi archipelago

Off the south coast, the An Thoi islands are a cluster of little green islands and reefs that make the best day out on the water. Boat trips run out to them for snorkelling, swimming and lunch on board, with the clearest water and the best coral of anywhere around Phu Quoc. A day of island-hopping, three or four stops with masks and fins, is many people's favourite thing they do here. The sea is calmest and clearest in the dry season, roughly November to April.

VinWonders and Vinpearl Safari

On the north of the island, the Vinpearl complex packs in a big theme park, VinWonders, and Vinpearl Safari, the largest open-zoo safari in Vietnam, where you ride through enclosures of giraffes, zebras and lions. It is a full, family-friendly day and a lifesaver on a rainy afternoon or with children who have had enough of the beach. It is not for everyone, but if you are travelling with kids it is one of the easiest wins on the island.

Grand World and the night market

After dark, Phu Quoc has more going on than it used to. Grand World in the north is a sprawling entertainment and shopping complex built in a Venetian style, with canals, a nightly show and the photogenic Kiss Bridge, all a little surreal but fun for an evening stroll. Back in Duong Dong, the Dinh Cau night market is the more down-to-earth option, a bustle of seafood grills, stalls and souvenirs where you point at your dinner swimming in a tank.

Chase the sunset

Phu Quoc faces west, so the sunsets are a nightly event and worth planning around. The whole Long Beach strip lights up in orange, and a run of beach bars and sunset spots along the west and south-west coast, from the loungers of Long Beach to the pier at Sunset Sanato, put on the show with a drink in hand. It is the simplest pleasure on the island and, for a lot of people, the abiding memory of the place.

Taste the island

Phu Quoc has a few things it does better than anywhere, and they are worth seeking out. The island is famous across Vietnam for its fish sauce, aged in huge wooden barrels in warehouses you can visit and smell, and for its pepper, grown on trellised farms in the interior that are open to look round. Add the seafood, straight off the boats and grilled at the night market or on the beach, and a leisurely lunch of it is an afternoon well spent.

Explore the wild north and the national park

For all the development, much of Phu Quoc is still forest and empty coast, and the north and the interior reward a day of exploring. Phu Quoc National Park covers a big chunk of the island in protected jungle, with the little Suoi Tranh and Suoi Da Ban streams and waterfalls to cool off in. Up at the northern tip, Ganh Dau is a quiet headland with a beach and a view across to Cambodia, while Ham Ninh on the east coast is an old stilt-house fishing village that is good for a seafood lunch. A rented scooter or a car and driver opens all of it up.

So how long do you need in Phu Quoc?

Three nights is the sweet spot: enough for a couple of slow beach days, an island-hopping trip and one or two of the big attractions, without feeling rushed. Two nights works if you are just here to unwind at the end of a trip and want one day out on the water. If you are travelling with children, or you simply want a proper beach holiday to round things off, four or five nights is easily filled and hard to regret.

How Phu Quoc fits a wider Vietnam trip

Phu Quoc sits right at the end of most Vietnam routes, the beach reward after the cities, the cruises and the culture, reached by a short flight from Ho Chi Minh City or the other main hubs. It tends to be where people slow down and do very little, which is exactly what it is for. As private planners, we carefully craft the whole trip around you: we match the island time to the pace you want, pick the beach and the resort to suit how you travel, book the flights and the boat trips, and handle the transfers so it slots on to the end without a hitch. Our south Vietnam tours page shows how Phu Quoc pairs with Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong, and if you are shaping a longer route, our private Vietnam itinerary planning ties the island into the whole trip.

Common questions about Phu Quoc

Is Phu Quoc worth visiting?

Yes, if you want a beach finish to a Vietnam trip. Phu Quoc has the country's best-known beaches, good island-hopping and snorkelling, and plenty for families, from a record-breaking cable car to a safari park. It has developed fast and parts are busy, but there are still quiet beaches and forest if you want them.

How many days do you need in Phu Quoc?

Three nights is the comfortable sweet spot, enough for a couple of beach days, an island-hopping trip and one or two big attractions. Two nights suits a quick unwind at the end of a trip, while families or anyone wanting a proper beach holiday can happily fill four or five.

What is the best thing to do in Phu Quoc?

For most people it is a day island-hopping the An Thoi archipelago, snorkelling and swimming off a boat in the clearest water around the island. The Hon Thom cable car, the beaches and, with children, VinWonders and the safari are the other standouts.

When is the best time to visit Phu Quoc?

The dry season, roughly November to April, is best, with calm, clear seas ideal for island-hopping and reliable sunshine. The wet season from May to October brings rain and rougher water, though it is quieter and cheaper and mornings can still be fine.

How do you get to Phu Quoc?

The easiest way is to fly. Phu Quoc has an international airport with short domestic flights from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and other hubs, so it slots neatly on to the end of a trip. There are also ferries from the mainland at Ha Tien and Rach Gia for those already in the Mekong Delta.

Is Phu Quoc good for families?

Very. Alongside the beaches, the Hon Thom cable car and Aquatopia water park, the VinWonders theme park and Vinpearl Safari give children plenty to do, and the island is easy to get around. It is one of the more family-friendly spots in Vietnam.