Known for pristine seashores and contemporary reasonably priced seafood, uncover the gems of Phu Quoc island in Vietnam!
I’ve been to many island getaways however solely not too long ago did I discover this hidden gem of an island only a 2+1-hour flight from Singapore!
Nestled within the southernmost of Vietnam, Phu Quoc is an island recognized finest for its pristine seashores and contemporary reasonably priced seafood. There are two amusement parks, and a number of effective sandy seashores with a view of turquoise clear blue waters — I used to be stoked to discover this lesser-known vacation spot.
So when you’re searching for a brief seashore escape, right here’s a three-day Phu Quoc itinerary, the place you’ll expertise Southern Vietnam’s most-loved island.
Getting to and Around Phu Quoc
To Phu Quoc: From Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport, it’s a 1hr home flight to Phu Quoc (~S$70).
Around Phu Quoc: Public transport in Phu Quoc shouldn’t be accessible. Most travellers get a rental bike (115,000₫/day), automotive constitution (920,000₫/day), or e book a trip through Grab to get round.
Day 1: Phu Quoc’s Iconic Attractions
First up on our Phu Quoc itinerary needed to be the Aquatopia water park at Sun World. It’s one of many two waterparks on this island however we went with the one within the south as a result of Getting to Sun World Phu Quoc is an journey in itself.
To get to Sun World, we took a trip on the world’s longest continuous cable automotive. Spanning 7,899m, you can slowly soak in views of the An Thoi Archipelago and spot the little fishing boats crusing round.
At Sun World, there are over 20 adrenaline-filled slides and water rides in six completely different zones. Straight away, we had our eyes set on the Python Plunge, a basic trap-door slide with an virtually vertical descent!
Check out Poseidon’s Revenge when you’re right here as a bunch (of as much as 4). You hop on a float with three others whilst you go on twists and turns by the slide. But what I actually loved was the ridiculous expressions from the others ????.
*Pro-tip: Lockers can be found for hire on the park (30,000đ for a small one, 60,000đ for a giant one), so you’ll be able to depart your belongings there whilst you play!
Entrance charge: ~S$30/pax (incl. cable automotive trip)
Opening hours: 8:30AM – 5:30PM
Address: Bãi Đất Đỏ, Phú Quốc, Kien Giang, Vietnam
Ho Quoc Pagoda
On your means again north into the town, Ho Quoc Pagoda is a note-worthy cease. It is the most important Buddhist temple on the island, famously recognized for its dragon stairs and towering white Buddha statue. We climbed the steps and soaked within the panoramic view of the mountains and sea.
Note: Dress in covered-up clothes and keep in mind to take off your sneakers if you wish to enter the temples inside.
Entrance Fee: Free
Opening Hours: 8AM – 4PM
Address: 426H+57R, Dương Tơ, Phú Quốc, Kiên Giang, Vietnam
Dinh Cau Night Market
In Phu Quoc, Dinh Cau Night Market is the place to be after sundown. Here you’ll discover meals stalls displaying freshly caught seafood, snacks, fruit juices, and smoothies. For dinner, we settled at a seafood restaurant — Phu Quoc Deli — and ordered sea urchins (22,000đ), contemporary oysters (30,000đ), grilled scallop set (120,000đ for eight scallops), and crab fried rice (120,000đ).
The seafood caught is extraordinarily contemporary — not exaggerating, I might style the ocean with each chew. I personally beloved the grilled sea urchin, which is cooked over charcoal and topped with spring onions and peanuts. The better part? It is barely 22,000đ per sea urchin! Seriously, simply stuff your self to your coronary heart’s content material and fulfil your seafood cravings right here????
Opening hours: 5PM – 10PM
Address: Khu phố 2, Phú Quốc, Kiên Giang, Vietnam
Day 2: Island-hopping in Phu Quoc
Island-hopping is a key spotlight in any Phu Quoc itinerary ????️
The subsequent morning, we signed up for an island-hopping tour. The information picked us up from our lodge and introduced us to An Thoi Harbor within the south. This tour lined three smaller islands within the south of Phu Quoc, the place we had varied actions.
*Note: Snorkels and fins had been supplied as effectively!
Fingernail Island
The first cease was Fingernail Island, a small island with turquoise waters. Despite the skies teasing us with a cloudy begin, the water visibility was nonetheless spectacular sufficient to identify the corals alongside the coast. It was a disgrace we might solely snorkel in a small designated space as a result of monsoon currents ????. The information says the perfect time to be right here is between October to April when the water is sort of at all times clear and the solar is at all times out.
Gam Ghi Island
Thankfully, by the point we hopped over to the second island, the solar was out!
Compared to Fingernail Island, Gam Ghi was a lot clearer and the marine life was much more vibrant. After an hour of snorkelling, lunch was served on board!
Mui Rut Island
The ultimate island was Mui Rut, a sandy seashore bar with quite a lot of actions like parasailing and jetskiing (accessible with a top-up). Many of us ended up simply chilling on the hammocks or seashore chairs across the space as we had been drained from all that snorkelling. Be cautious of the rocks scattered across the coast — somebody misplaced a toenail whereas operating into the waters ????
Cost: S$34/pax (incl. round-trip transfers and lunch on board)
Tour timings: 8:30AM – 4:30PM
Meeting level: Hotel pickup is obtainable
Dinner at Tiếu Ngạo Quán
On a chilly wet night, we had been on a mission to search out one thing heat for dinner and located Tiếu Ngạo Quán, a neighborhood restaurant neatly tucked alongside the roadside close to our lodging (M Resort Phu Quoc). The restaurant was bustling with locals so our Singaporean instincts kicked in — if there’s a crowd, it needs to be good.
Our seafood platter had a beneficiant portion of squid, prawns, fish, blended greens, and rice noodles — and the perfect half was that it solely value ~S$17 for 2 ????!
Cost: 290,000₫ for a seafood hotpot set for 2
Opening hours: 3PM – 2:30AM
Address: Cửa Lấp, Phú Quốc, Kien Giang, Vietnam
Day 3: Exploring Phu Quoc’s Hidden Gems
Sunset Sanato
Filled with eccentric artwork installations designed by proficient architect Nikita Marshunok, you can simply spend hours at Sunset Sanato snapping pictures to your gram ????.
True to its identify, probably the greatest instances to go to is sundown. The silhouette of the constructions basking within the daylight makes the place look dreamy and surreal. Visiting at different instances of the day has its perks too as the world is loads much less crowded so that you get to benefit from the place to your self.
Entrance charge: 70,000₫/pax
Opening hours: 9AM – 9PM
Address: Dương Tơ, Phú Quốc, Kien Giang 92000, Vietnam
Suoi Tranh Waterfall
Suoi Tranh Waterfall is hailed as essentially the most charming waterfall on the island by the locals. The path to the waterfall is pretty simple, simply look out for these blue indicators alongside the way in which.
Do put on sneakers as it might get fairly rocky and slippery as you progress upstream in the direction of the waterfall.
After a 20-minute hike, we had been rewarded by an attractive waterfall cascading into the stream.
Surrounded by luscious greenery and streams, it’s a tranquil place to chill out and dip within the cool refreshing waters.
Entrance charge: 30,000₫/pax
Opening hours: 7AM – 9PM
Address: Dương Tơ, Phú Quốc, Kiên Giang, Vietnam
Cafe-hopping
After our rocky hike, we went to Buddy Ice Cream — Info Cafe for a mango smoothie (50,000₫) and a espresso shake (45,000₫) which was actually refreshing.
Opening hours: 7AM – 9PM
Address: Dương Tơ, Phú Quốc, Kiên Giang, Vietnam
For a espresso repair, try The Coffee Vegan’s espresso coconut (55,000₫). The creaminess of the coconut cream paired with the wealthy clean Vietnamese espresso actually made my day. If you’re not into caffeine, the coconut smoothie (45,000₫) is a superb thirst-quenching various.
In common, the cafes round right here supply quite a lot of artisanal drinks and desserts to select from 30,000₫.
Opening hours: 7AM – 9PM
Address: Dương Tơ, Phú Quốc, Kiên Giang, Vietnam
Read additionally: Southern Vietnam Food Guide — 17 Best Places to Eat at Ho Chi Minh, Da Lat, Mui Ne, and Phu Quoc
Accommodation in Phu Quoc
It’s finest to e book your lodging round Duong Dong or Cua Lap because it offers you quick access to each the northern and southern elements of the island. Being on this prime space, many points of interest such because the Dinh Cau Night Market and Sunset Sanato Beach Club are inside a 20-minute drive.
We stayed on the M Resort Phu Quoc, a chalet resort positioned at Cua Lap. The rooms had been spacious, clear, and had breakfast buffet with a mixture of native and worldwide choices.
Cost: ~S$82/evening
Address: 169 Tran Hung Dao St, Cua Lap, Duong Dong, Phu Quoc, Vietnam
Photo credit score: Phu House
Alternatively, when you’re solo travelling, the Phu House Hostel is an effective various. Located at Duong Tran Hung Dao, barely additional north of Cua Lap, it’s also handy to get across the island and nice for assembly different travellers.
Cost: From S$13/evening
Address: 122 Đường Trần Hưng Đạo, Khu Phố 7, Phú Quốc, Kiên Giang, Vietnam
Tips for Planning Your Phu Quoc Itinerary
From alluring seashores to its amusement parks, these three days in Phu Quoc have positively unearthed my love for paradise islands. Here are some ideas for planning your subsequent Phu Quoc itinerary:
1) Google translate is your finest good friend: Use it to speak with locals as loads of them could not perceive English
2) Cash is king: particularly of their markets
3) Get your SIM Card at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh: Phu Quoc Airport doesn’t promote SIM playing cards. But don’t fear, you’ll be able to nonetheless get one on the native outlets in Duong Dong when you didn’t purchase one beforehand. We ordered ours on-line and picked up it on the HCM airport earlier than catching our flights to Phu Quoc.
Planning your Southern Vietnam itinerary? Check out these guides and itineraries from different elements of Southern Vietnam:
– 7-Day Southern Vietnam Itinerary Under S$900 — Best Things to Do in Phu Quoc, Ho Chi Minh, Mui Ne, and Da Lat
– 9 Best Things to do in Ho Chi Minh City — A Less Touristy HCM Guide
– 2-Week Vietnam Itinerary — Heart-Pumping Experiences by Northern and Central Vietnam from Hanoi to Da Nang
What would you prefer to attempt most on this Phu Quoc itinerary? Let us know within the feedback under!