Phu Quoc travel guide: which coast to stay on, visa-free entry, ferries

Choose your coast before your hotel

Phu Quoc is bigger than it looks on a resort map, and the side of the island you sleep on decides most of your days. Long Beach (Bai Truong) on the west coast is the default for good reason: Vietnam Tourism describes 20 kilometres of beach with unobstructed sunsets, and many of its resorts line Tran Hung Dao Street in Duong To, the same commune as the airport, which lies about 9 kilometres south of Duong Dong, the island's main town. From here restaurants, Dinh Cau and the airport are all a short ride away.

The south, around An Thoi, is the island's entertainment end: the Hon Thom cable car, the Sunset Town development and boats to the An Thoi islands start here. Stay here if the islands and the cable car are the point of your trip. The north, around Ganh Dau and Bai Dai, is resort country with Vinpearl Safari, a 500-hectare zoo and safari park that opened in late 2015, and the Grand World complex nearby; Vietnam Tourism describes beaches such as Ganh Dau and Bai Thom as tucked away down dirt roads, away from the crowds. It suits families who will stay put, less so travellers who want to explore.

The east coast is the working side, with the fishing village of Ham Ninh and Bai Vong, the port used by the Phu Quoc Express fast ferries from the mainland. Wherever you stay, check how you reach the sand: VnExpress reported in early 2026 that at Bai Sao, one of the island's best-known beaches, visitors had to pass through restaurants to get to the water and that some charged an entry fee. Ask your hotel about beach access before you book.

Fish sauce, pepper and the island's working side

Vietnam Tourism suggests touring a fish-sauce factory to see how the island's best-known product is made, and it is worth an hour. A CNN writer whose visit VnExpress summarised counted more than 70 producers. Anchovies make up about 95 per cent of the fish; at the producer he visited they are salted on board, and the mixture ferments for about a year in large wooden barrels, traditionally made from a tree that grows in the national park. The catch season is April to September, the rainy season. On the bottle, look for nuoc mam nhi, the first extraction, and the protein grade, which ranges from about 35 to 45 degrees.

Black pepper grows all over the island, especially in the communes of Ganh Dau and Cua Duong, and Vietnam Tourism recommends trying it with seafood at a floating restaurant in Ham Ninh, a traditional fishing village on the east coast. Vietnam Tourism also mentions farms such as Phu Quoc Countryside and the Phu Quoc Bee Farm, which run guided visits with tastings. If you are buying fish sauce, pepper or pearls to take home, VnExpress advises checking origin and quality, and local producers have long fought the use of the island's name on fish sauce made elsewhere.

Dinh Cau, a shrine on a rocky outcrop facing the sea at Duong Dong, is where fishermen come to pray for a safe trip. VnExpress dates the present shrine to 1937, restored in 1997, at the top of 29 stone steps, and notes a large festival on the 15th and 16th days of the tenth lunar month. It is one of the island's best sunset spots.

The national park, waterfalls and the UNESCO biosphere

Vietnam Tourism says more than half of Phu Quoc has been protected since 2006 as part of a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and UNESCO's own entry for the Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve lists Phu Quoc among its core zones, with coral reefs and seagrass beds that feed sea turtles and a population of dugongs. On land, Phu Quoc National Park covers 31,422 hectares across six communes, with evergreen broadleaf forest, melaleuca forest and coastal mangroves, about 1,400 plant species and nearly 500 animal species, according to VnExpress, citing the park's portal. A ridge of hills runs the length of the island; its highest point, Chua Mountain, is 603 metres.

The best introduction is a guided forest walk. A VnExpress report described a trek of about 9 kilometres to the Thay Tu waterfall, a five-metre fall above a clear pool, which the hiker described as fairly easy and suitable for beginners; the guide recommended September to February, when there is less rain but still water in the streams. Bring long sleeves, insect repellent and proper shoes, and follow the park's strict rules on fires, hunting and collecting plants.

Vietnam Tourism also recommends kayaking on the Cua Can river. On the same river, basket-boat trips of 45 to 60 minutes, which VnExpress described in September 2026, are a lighter alternative.

The Hon Thom cable car and the An Thoi islands

The Hon Thom cable car runs from An Thoi across the islands of Hon Roi and Hon Dua to Hon Thom, the largest of the An Thoi archipelago. VnExpress reported when it opened in February 2018 that the line is 7,899.9 metres long, certified by Guinness at the time as the world's longest cable car, and cuts the trip to 15 minutes, against 30 by boat. Vietnam Tourism notes a free shuttle bus to the station from hotels around Duong Dong; your hotel can give you the schedule and pick-up points.

The system stops automatically in bad weather, and VnExpress reported a power failure on 19 February 2026, during Tet, that left about 8,000 visitors to be brought back by boat until after 19:30. Go early on a clear day, avoid public holidays if you can, and never plan the cable car for the day of your flight.

For snorkelling, Vietnam Tourism recommends a boat trip around the An Thoi archipelago in the south, where reefs lie off small beaches. Choose an operator with life jackets and a fixed itinerary, and in the July–September storm season be ready for trips to be cancelled.

Phu Quoc Prison: the island's war history

Phu Quoc Prison, also called Cay Dua prison, is in An Thoi ward and is the island's main historic site. According to VnExpress, the camp operated from June 1967 to March 1973 and held about 40,000 prisoners of war in 12 compounds of almost 500 huts over 400 hectares, behind seven to ten layers of barbed wire; prisoners made 45 successful escapes. It was ranked a special national relic in 2014.

The surviving original features include the prisoners' cemetery, Kien Van church, the gates of the military police battalions and compound B2. Photographs of the site show displays with life-size figures re-enacting torture, which are graphic: decide in advance whether to bring children inside. Combine the visit with a day in the south.

Visa-free entry, flights and the ferry

Phu Quoc has its own 30-day visa exemption. When we checked on 2026-10-03, Vietnam Airlines' visa guide said foreigners can enter without a visa if they arrive directly from abroad by air or sea, stay only on Phu Quoc, stay no more than 30 days and can show an onward ticket; transiting through Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City without leaving the airport still qualifies, but entering Vietnam elsewhere (including overland from Cambodia) does not. If you plan to see the mainland as well, use an e-visa: Vietnam Tourism lists Phu Quoc airport and Duong Dong seaport among the entry points where e-visas are accepted. Rules change, so check the official immigration portal before you travel.

From the mainland, the fast ferry route is from Rach Gia or Ha Tien to Bai Vong port on the east coast. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the operator Phu Quoc Express listed both routes, gave Bai Vong as about 7 kilometres from the airport, 12 kilometres from Duong Dong and 20 kilometres from An Thoi, and asked passengers to arrive at least 30 minutes before departure (45 minutes with a motorbike). Its terms promise a full refund if a crossing is cancelled for bad weather, and Vietnam Tourism warns that storms from July to September can make crossings dangerous.

Getting around the island means a taxi, a hotel transfer or a hired scooter. Distances are longer than they look, especially between the north and south, so group your sightseeing by area rather than criss-crossing the island every day.

A four-night plan

This is an editorial suggestion, not a timetable. Check the weather the evening before any boat trip or cable-car day.

• Day 1 — Arrival and the west coast: check into Long Beach or Duong Dong, swim, and watch the sunset from Dinh Cau.
• Day 2 — The south: the Hon Thom cable car in the morning, a swim on Hon Thom, then Phu Quoc Prison on the way back.
• Day 3 — The island's working side: a fish-sauce maker, a pepper farm and lunch in Ham Ninh, then the evening at a night market.
• Day 4 — Forest or sea: a guided walk to the Thay Tu waterfall, or a snorkelling trip to the An Thoi islands.
• Extra days: beach days, or the ferry to Ha Tien to continue along the Mekong Delta coast.