13 Sightseeing Tips for Phu Quoc

Phu Quoc is the largest island of Vietnam and offers a lot of interesting attractions to see during your holiday. The sights of Phu Quoc are really diverse and ranging from beautiful beaches and temples to fascinating markets.

What to do on Phu Quoc – 13 sights and must-sees

We put together 13 tips about the sights of Phu Quoc for you in this article, so you know what to do on the island. After all, you are on the road and if you think like us, you don’t want to spend your whole holiday just at the beach but also see something of the island. Right?

How to get to Phu Quoc

The easiest and fastest way to get to Phu Quoc is by plane. The island’s own airport is served by several airlines directly. These include e.g. Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air and Jetstar with a connection to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok Airways with a connection to Bangkok or Air Asia with a direct flight to Kuala Lumpur.

The prices are very different depending on the route. To find the cheapest flight for you and compare the departure times, we recommend Skyscanner. There, after entering your departure and arrival destination you will get the best overview of all information.

Furthermore, there is also the possibility to reach Phu Quoc by bus and ferry from the mainland of Vietnam. The best option is to start from Ho Chi Minh City and then either drive to Ha Tien or Rach Gia, where the ferries to Phu Quoc leave. Tickets and information can be found at our partner 12go.asia.

Note: If you travel directly to Phu Quoc from abroad, e.g. from Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, there is a visa-free stay of 30 days for many nations. The island enjoys special visa rules.

Accommodation in Phu Quoc – our hotel tip

In our opinion, the best place to stay on Phu Quoc is at Long Beach or south of Duong Dong. That’s the most developed area and you have a wide choice of accommodation and restaurants. From Long Beach you can watch wonderful sunsets every evening.

The hotels on Long Beach are often large complexes. A nice hotel that stands out here is the La Mer Resort. Although it’s not right on the sea, it offers a beautiful and well-maintained garden environment in which you will feel comfortable. There is also a nice swimming pool.

You can discover more hotels on Phu Quoc here if you like it a little more quiet and secluded.

1. Ganh Dau Cape

The Ganh Dau Cape is located at the northwestern tip of Phu Quoc. Actually, there are only a few rocks and some fishermen waiting for their next catch. However, if you climb a little bit over the rocks, you can enjoy a fantastic view at the ocean and Cambodia in the distance.

That’s because Phu Quoc is located closer to Cambodia than to the mainland of Vietnam. It’s definitely one of the highlights of the island, which you should visit during a scooter tour around Phu Quoc for example.

2. Nguyen Trung Truc

The Nguyen Trung Truc temple is one of the many beautiful temples of Phu Quoc. It is also like the cape located in the village of Ganh Dau. If you drive from the Ganh Dau Cape towards the village, you will eventually reach the temple after going up a small hill. It is not to be missed on that road.

The temple was built by the locals to honor the heroes who served their country and nation. There are a couple of Chinese statues inside the temple and the air smells of incense sticks.

3. Suoi Thanh waterfall

The Suoi Thanh waterfall is one of the two largest waterfalls of Phu Quoc. It is located on the road between Ham Ninh and Duong Dong. It’s best to visit the waterfall from May to September as it carries the most water during this time of the year. But even during the off-season it’s still worth a visit.

At the weekend it can get really busy because many locals take a trip to the waterfall. The area and the park in front of the waterfall are well maintained and really nice to linger and take a walk around.

To reach the waterfall you will have to go a little bit deeper into the forest. After approximately 15 minutes you will arrive at the quite small waterfall. Before that, there are several natural pools where you can swim in the ice cold water or just sit down for a picnic.

The entrance fee for the waterfall is VND 5,000 per person and you have to pay another VND 10,000 for parking. That’s about 60 Euro cents, which is perfectly fine.

4. Dinh Cau night market

Every evening you can visit the night market in Phu Quoc’s main town Duong Dong. Here you will likewise meet many locals and tourists and it’s still easy manageable. You can stroll around the Vo Thi Sau road as it’s closed for traffic in the evening and buy some souvenirs or clothes.

The night market is not only good for shopping, but there are plenty of restaurants which are selling fresh and delicious seafood. You can also add some rice, vegetables and other dishes to your seafood and experience a nice dinner at the market.

The night market is open daily from 5.00 P.M. until 10.00 P.M. It’s definitely worth a visit!

5. Dinh Cau temple

The Dinh Cau waterfront temple is located a few meters away from the night market. It is a small Chinese temple, which is built on some rocks. There isn’t an entrance fee and you can see some shrines inside and enjoy the great view at the Long Beach and the harbor of Duong Dong.

Furthermore, it’s a popular spot with locals to enjoy the nice sunset over Phu Quoc.

6. Beaches

Phu Quoc offers a whole range of beaches. Most of them are located on the west and northwest coast, like the Vung Bau Beach on the picture. There are a few more in the north of the island, which is where we found the Ganh Dau Beach. In our opinion the most beautiful one of Phu Quoc.

If you ask some locals on Phu Quoc which is the best beach of the island, you will most probably be told about the Bai Sao Beach in the southeast. Beautiful white sand, clear turquoise water. Our expectations where quite high.

The beach was a huge disappointment. It was really dirty, although being cleaned at the moment we arrived. Since it was off-season, there were algae and trash laying around. Maybe it will be a lot better during the high season.

Not to be missed is a trip to the dreamlike Fingernail Island, which beats every beach on Phu Quoc. You can read about our day trip in our article about Fingernail Island. Also, a snorkeling trip to the surrounding islands and beaches of Phu Quoc is for sure worth a trip.

You will find soon a list and description of the beaches in our Phu Quoc beach guide (coming soon).

7. Coconut Tree Prison

The Coconut Tree Prison, also known as Cay Dua Prison, is located near the village of An Thoi in the south of Phu Quoc. The former prison is nowadays open for sightseeing. It was originally used by the French and later by the Americans during the Vietnam War.

During the war there were over 40,000 prisoners from North Vietnam held and tortured in this prison. Some of the barracks display these disgusting acts of violence with statues. You really can imagine how bad it must have been to be imprisoned over there. By the way, it’s free to visit.

8. War Memorial

Almost opposite the Coconut Tree Prison you can visit the War Memorial of Phu Quoc. It was built in tribute of the Vietnam war and represents three large waves. A piece was cut out from the middle wave in shape of a human being.

It’s not really worth a visit, but in combination with the Coconut Tree Prison you can stop for a quick picture. Especially if you are interested in the history of the war. After all, it’s completely for free.

9. Sunset at the Long Beach

The Bai Truong is the largest beach of Phu Quoc and therefore it’s often called Long Beach. It is still not too crowded at the beach and at the same time it’s the beach with the most resorts and beach bars on the island.

The Long Beach is located on the west coast of Phu Quoc and a perfect spot to watch the sunset. Like everywhere in Southeast Asia, the sun sets pretty quick and you should arrive early if you want to have a nice spot in one of the beach bars. Our favorite bar at the Long Beach is the Rory’s – cool people, nice atmosphere, great food and cold beer! 😉

Around 6.00 P.M. the sun goes down and you should at least be at the beach by 5.00 P.M. It’s worth it, because the sunsets on Phu Quoc are mostly really beautiful.

10. Vinpearl Land

The Vinpearl Land is Phu Quoc’s own little Disneyland. It is a small amusement park near the village of Ganh Dau in the northwest of the island. Here you will find a little shopping street, many rides like a Ferris wheel, a water park, an underwater world and much more.

Additionally, the Vinpearl Land is connected to the 5 star luxury resort Vinpearl Phu Quoc Resort. The entrance fee to the Vinpearl Land is VND 500,000 per person. You can find some more infos here.

11. Hon Mot Island

Hon Mot is a small island in the northwest of Phu Quoc, which is connected with the island by a small bridge. You can find the island near the village of Bai Thom.

Visiting Hon Mot Island is free and you can walk around the island on a small path. In addition, the area is good for snorkeling, especially since there are many corals and fish in sea.

12. Visit at a pepper farm

The most pepper farms on Phu Quoc are located along the road that leads to the north of the island. They are among the best in the world. Throughout Vietnam, the pepper of Phu Quoc isn’t less famous than the popular fish sauce of the island.

Of course you can find here the black and white pepper, but also some more exotic varieties. You are still looking for a souvenir to bring home? How about some Vietnamese pepper? 😉

13. Coi Nguon Museum

The Coi Nguon Museum is located near the Long Beach and shows the history of the island as well as its flora and fauna. But it’s not just a museum, it is also a restaurants, gift shop and resort.

The museum covers 4 floors and has a nice rooftop with a view at Duong Dong and the coastline. The paintings, artifacts and other works of art are dating back to the 15th century. If you are interested in the history of Phu Quoc, the museum is a must visit.

The opening times are daily from 8.00 A.M. until 5.00 P.M. and the entrance fee is VND 20,000 per person.

Phu Quoc: Tours and Tickets

Do you prefer to travel with a guide who knows the area very well? Then we recommend a guided tour with a local. This way you can get to know Phu Quoc in a completely different way. GetYourGuide offers a wide selection of exciting tours for Phu Quoc.

Have you ever been on Phu Quoc? Do you have some additional tips for sightseeing on Phu Quoc? Leave us a comment below!