Visit Phu Quoc January 2020 Visitor's Guide

Orientation
Getting to know the island
This verdant Island is surrounded by a number
of smaller islands mainly to the south and has
some of the most beautiful beaches in Vietnam
Phu Quoc sits in the Gulf
of Thailand around 45km
from the town of Ha
Tien on the Vietnamese
mainland, measuring approx. 48
km from north to south, and 19 km
east to west, the island packs a lot
in to a small space.
You can liken the shape of
the Island to that of a “teardrop”,
widest at the top in the north and
narrowing to a small point at the
bottom in the south.
Running along the west coast
is the popular Long Beach, home
to many resorts and restaurants
and the perfect spot to catch the
wonderful Phu Quoc sunset.
As the beach runs for almost
For that local culinary
experience go where the
locals go and town is the
top recommendation,
try your luck along 30/4
street from 6pm there are
some great restaurants
and at reasonable prices
too.
half the length of the island, you
shouldn’t struggle to find a quiet
spot. Whilst Long Beach dominates
the west coast, also in the north the
National Park and other rural areas the
key attractions, hiking trails, waterfalls
and wildlife await those with a strong
sense of adventure.
The 14 smaller islands to the south
that make up the stunning Phu Quoc
archipelago make for a great day out
with fishing and snorkeling trips being
very popular excursions to the remote
southern island beaches. Phu Quoc’s
main town is Duong Dong, located on
the west coast about half way up the
island.
This is a typical Vietnamese town
but is developing very fast into
an urban area – bustling morning
markets, quiet lunchtimes and busy
again in early evening as the locals
finish their day and head out for fun
in the cooler hours. Duong Dong has
a great selection of bars, cafes and
restaurants as well as a night market,
supermarkets, shops and services for
pretty much every eventuality.
For that local culinary experience
go where the locals go and town is
the top recommendation, try your
luck along 30/4 street from 6pm there
are some great restaurants and at
reasonable prices too.
The town marina where you can
always catch a cool breeze and the
night market are also popular visiting
spots at night.
With the rapid development of the
Island in the last few years the local
population is now well over 150,000
people whom historically have been
ISITPHUQUOC.INFO
employed largely in the fishing
industry.
However, as the island’s popularity
continues to soar, tourism has become
a main source of employment for the
islanders and those coming from the
mainland in search of opportunity.
If you’re moving around the island
it’s useful to get your bearings, the
airport is towards the southern end of
Phu Quoc, about 10 km or a 20-minute
drive from Duong Dong town.
There’s essentially one main road
running the length of the island up
the middle, which splits in the north
to take you to the northwestern and
northeastern corners.
There are also two other main
roads are to be noted, one from the
International Airport heading south
to An Thoi (this is almost complete at
the time of writing) and also one from
Duong Dong town heading north west
finishing at the sleepy coastal village
of Ganh Dau.
There are of course smaller roads
and lanes, and more are being added
all the time as the island infrastructure
develops, some back roads however
are often un surfaced and may not be
suitable for motorbikes or bicycles,
particularly in the wet season pay
careful attention.
Whatever road you take though,
and however you take it, you’ll find
plenty of quiet spots to explore – often
with just a handful of villagers for
company and that may only be on a
Sunday!
That’s the beauty of Phu Quoc – so
much variety in such a small space.
12 VISIT PHU QUOC • 12 th edition JAN-JUL 2020