Dreamy Island of Phu Quoc, Vietnam

(January-February 2018)

Beautiful sand beaches, amazing weather, laid back vibe, and gorgeous sunsets; what comes to mind? Probably not Vietnam.  We came to Phu Quoc not sure what to expect and boy were we blown away! We were pulled away from it (by a pending flight) kicking and screaming.

We spent our 2 weeks here lounging on the beach or by the pool at our beautiful hotel, beach hopping, eating delicious food, and watching some of the best sunsets we’ve ever seen. Even though it’s a small island, there was enough to do and after 2 weeks, we didn’t want to leave.

Here is a list of the top 5 things to do in Phu Quoc:

1. Visit Star Fish Beach

This was one of our favorite beaches here. The sand is white and powdery and there are starfish everywhere, hence the name. It takes a little extra to get there and there is no paved road, but it is worth the trip! There is a seafood restaurant that is out on the water serving the catch of the day. So, if you stay here for the day, don’t worry, you won’t go hungry.

2. Visit Sao Beach

This is the Insta-famous beach in Phu Quoc. Yes, it’s a beautiful white sand beach but that is dependent on the time of the year, the beach can be filled with trash that comes in from the sea. The locals told us that 6 months a year, when the ocean is rough, trash comes in from the sea. We, unfortunately, came during the 6 months where the sea was rough so we didn’t end up staying here to enjoy it.  We just walked the beach and headed to the next one.

3. Go to the Dinh Cau Night Market

We came here lots of times because there is delicious street food and fresh squeezed pomegranate juice (I had one almost every day). They also sell everything from clothes to souvenirs to pearls. Phu Quoc is known for their pearls so be sure to get some here because you can buy them for a VERY low price. I bought a pair of large real pearl earrings for $2!

4. Visit Long Beach

This is where we stayed in Phu Quoc, this is where most of the hotels are too. It’s a “long” yellow sand beach that has some of the best sunsets we’ve ever seen. We had an infinity pool facing the sunset, so we would make it a point to watch it from our place. There is also a bunch of restaurants on both the beach and street side.

5. Rent a scooter and explore

We do this in almost every country we go to, especially in warm tropical places. We love to find the local spots and how the people live here. Stop by some of these places: light house temple (Dinh Cau), fisherman village (right behind the night market), and eat some of the best bun cha from Bun Cha Ha Noi.

We had such an incredible time here. We ate some delicious food, relaxed, and fell in love with this small Vietnamese (used to be Cambodian) island. We keep saying that we can’t wait to go back. We learned, from driving around, that Phu Quoc is soon to be a HUGE tourist spot. There is so much construction going on with hotels being built as fast as the eye can. So, if you can, try to visit in the next 3-5 years because we feel like it will be very touristy very soon.

Where to stay:

Palmy Beach Resort: beautiful new hotel right on the beach with an incredible infinity pool and some of the best wood-fire baked pizza.  Stay in the beach front room, its worth it!