Phu Quoc, Vietnam

On my travels to Vietnam, there are a lot of different landscapes to savour, from the Hanoi city skyline to the rice fields of Sa Pa. While these locations are lovely, they are often full of tourists even during the monsoon (low) season. My first week in this stunning country was spent on the island of Phu Quoc, famous for its fish market and relaxed environment. This region has special status to foreigners allowing visitors to stay for up to 30 days without a visa on the island, however most of the tourists you’d see are the Vietnamese from cities such as Saigon to escape from the busy city lifestyle. Phu Quoc is warm all year too, so ideal for getting a tan and relaxing by the pristine beaches.

Accommodation, food and attractions

As I tagged along with my best friend, we stayed at a hotel where he has stayed in the past. Le Forest Resort is situated in the rainforest just a few kilometres from the main settlement Dương Đông. Despite being open for around 18 months, they have several modern bungalows for guests to stay in. The facilities include 2 bars, a swimming pool and a restaurant with both local and international dishes. I also managed to get my laundry washed there for a small fee and thoroughly enjoyed my stay due to the cleanliness and location. Even if you wanted a break from the night market, a 15 minute walk down will take you to a few bars and restaurants near or on the beach serving a wide variety of cuisine.

While on the subject of food, the most enjoyable dishes I had during the whole three weeks of traveling throughout the country was at Phu Quoc’s famous fish and night market, where we often frequented throughout the week trying out some of the local food which is amazing value for money, from fish noodles to barbequed barracuda, I can only describe this as a pescatarian’s dream. Afterwards, I would suggest having some coconut ice cream from one of the street vendors while watching the world go by. Other things to try include the island’s fish sauce, which is said to be the best in the world, and black pepper.

Phu Quoc has several attractions for those interested in Vietnamese culture, there are two Buddhist pagodas that I visited on the island and while they were very receptive to visitors it is worth doing some research on etiquette for visiting a Buddhist place of worship. There is one by the harbour of Dương Đông and another situated in the rainforest where we witnessed monks feeding some wild monkeys. For thrill seekers there is the Vinpearl Land theme park that offers a variety of rides and you can buy tickets for both this attraction and the Vinpearl Safari park too, however for the more local wildlife, we also enjoyed a snorkelling experience with a boat ride from Sao Beach and being to see a range of unique wildlife within the coral reefs, visitors may even have the chance to see the elusive dugong, wildlife is also varied on land with half of the island being a protected natural park too.

How to get to Phu Quoc

To get to Phu Quoc, we caught a flight from Saigon/Ho Chi Mihn City, with the flight just taking over an hour, or you can fly from the capital Hanoi. Direct flights from the U.K may be available soon from Gatwick. I’d highly suggest for those touring Vietnam to at least spend a few days at Phu Quoc, to relax and savour the weather and the food. Remember to follow the Cadiza website for further information on Vietnam in the coming weeks.