Phu Quoc

Phú Quôc is a very mountainous and densely forested Island of 1320 sq km; it is 48 km in length from south to north and has a population of approx. 80,000 people. Situated in the Gulf of Thailand 45 km west of Ha Tien on the Vietnamese mainland and 15 km south of the coast of Cambodia, Phú Quôc is ringed with some of the most beautiful beaches in Vietnam, and offers the best seafood in the country. Phú Quôc Island served as a base for French missionary Pigneau de Behaine from the 1760-80s, and at one time he provided shelter here for Prince Nguyen Anh (later Emperor Gia Long) when he was being hunted by the Tay Son rebels. During the Vietnam war there was little fighting here, but the Island was used by the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces as a prison for captured Viet Cong. Phú Quôc is not really a part of the Mekong delta and also doesn’t share the delta’s extraordinary ability to produce rice & fruit due to its soil quality and inaccessible terrain. It is, however, home to the best Fish sauce (nuoc mam) in the world, also reputedly known to produce high quality pepper and fantastic seafood. Another point of interest in Phú Quôc is the island’s native dog; this dog was originally a wild animal and was later trained as a hunting dog by local people. These days they are very domesticated and it’s unusual to go anywhere on the island without seeing one of these dogs! These animals have unusually sharp teeth (as they tear their food when they eat it rather than bite) and have claws that over the years have been conditioned for catching their prey and are razor sharp.

Phú Quôc is still what Phuket would be, if it hadn’t been overrun by development. Phú Quôc island and its beaches was voted to be “The Cleanest and Most Beautiful Beach of the World” by ABC News as from the end of February, 2008.

Climate

Phu Quoc Island has a tropical climate which has three seasons: High, Shoulder and Low Season.

High Season: During the period between November to March, where the daily maximum temperature is typically and on average about 31 C, and the daily minimum temperatures (before sunrise) about 23 C. The skies are generally sunny, with possibly some light high cloud in early morning that clears by mid-morning, and the humidity is at it lowest throughout the year.

Shoulder Season: During the period between April to June and late October, where the temperatures are a bit higher than during the high season, and the humidity around 80-85%. Crowds are less during this time and good chances of reasonable weather.

Low Season: During the period between July to September, which is dominated by the monsoons.

Get in

Visitors from any country arriving to Phu Quoc by cruise ship no longer need a visa for stays of up to 15 days. A passport with at least 45 days’ validity is still necessary.

Visitors arriving in Phú Quôc by any other means (eg. plane) are still subject to normal visa regulations.

By plane

You can fly to the Duong Dông airport (PQC) from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) on about five daily Vietnam Airlines turboprop flights with ATR-72 (55 minutes), as well as Airbus A321 jets. Jetstar also flies twice a day, using Airbus A320 jets, and so does Vietjet Air. Flights can be very cheap with all above mentioned airlines. From Rach Gia there are two Vietnam Airlines flights per day..

There is a wide variety of transport options available on arrival. Many of the more expensive hotels have somebody pick you up on arrival. Taxis are of course available. It is only a short walk to the centre of Duong Dông, too.

Vietnam Real Travel can help arrange return tickets to Phu Quoc.

By boat

There are hydrofoils between Phú Quôc to Rach Gia (pronounce: Rad-Ya), Ha Tien and Hon Chong.

Phu Quôc – Rach Gia – 08.00 am, 08.10 am

Rach Gia – Phú Quôc – see Rach Gia