Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largest island, located in the Gulf of Thailand and actually much closer to Cambodia than to mainland Vietnam. It has tropical beaches, clear blue water, great seafood, snorkeling and plenty of comfortable places to stay. At the same time, parts of Phu Quoc are developing very quickly, with large resorts, theme parks and new developments changing the north and south of the island. That wasn’t really the side of Phu Quoc I came for.

Luckily, I had a local friend who had been living on the island for a couple of years and gave me some great tips. After traveling through Vietnam, I also wanted a few days that felt more like a holiday, and Phu Quoc turned out to be perfect for that. Here are my tips for enjoying the more tropical and relaxed side of the island.

How to travel to Phu Quoc

After my Mekong Delta trip, I ended in Can Tho instead of returning to Ho Chi Minh City. From there, I flew directly to Phu Quoc with Vietnam Airlines, operated by Vasco. The flight took around 70 minutes on a smaller plane and I paid about USD 60 for a one-way ticket. From Ho Chi Minh City you usually have more flight options, but flying directly from Can Tho worked perfectly with my itinerary.

You can also travel overland and continue by ferry. From Can Tho, you can travel to Rach Gia and take the ferry to Phu Quoc, while another option is traveling from Ho Chi Minh City via Ha Tien. The journey takes much longer than flying, but it can be a good option if you prefer traveling overland or want to save money. You can compare the different bus, ferry and flight options through 12Go Asia.

If your Mekong Delta trip ends in Can Tho, consider traveling directly to Phu Quoc instead of going all the way back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Where to stay in Phu Quoc

My friend recommended Mango Bay Resort in Ong Lang, and this became one of my favorite stays of the entire Vietnam trip. The resort is located in a quieter part of Phu Quoc, surrounded by tropical gardens and small beaches. The bungalows are built with natural materials and blend beautifully into the surroundings. My bungalow was only steps from the beach, and watching the sunset from my balcony was a pretty good way to end the day.

Mango Bay has an eco-focused approach, but without making the stay feel basic. The bed was comfortable, the service was excellent and my room was prepared twice a day, including the mosquito net in the evening. The food was another highlight, with an excellent breakfast and two restaurant areas, one around the main deck and another closer to the beach. Both are lovely around sunset, often with live music in the background.

It isn’t the cheapest place to stay on Phu Quoc, but for me the location, atmosphere and service made it worth the extra money.

Grab a sunbed, take one of the free beach towels and order a cocktail. This is exactly the kind of place where doing very little feels like a good plan.

Eight things to do in Phu Quoc

I stayed four nights at Mango Bay Resort and used Ong Lang as my base to explore the island. Four days isn’t enough to see everything, but it gave me a good mix of snorkeling, beaches, food, markets and island exploring.

1. Go snorkeling

One of my favorite activities on Phu Quoc was a snorkeling trip with OnBird. The company focuses on smaller snorkeling tours and marine conservation, and I joined the afternoon tour because there was no chance I was going to skip breakfast at Mango Bay. Communication before the tour was very clear via WhatsApp. As there was no pickup from Ong Lang, I traveled to the Salinda Hotel, where the tour bus picked me up before continuing south towards the boat.

Before the first proper snorkeling stop, the guides checked everyone’s equipment and made sure we were comfortable using the mask and fins. They even asked whether I needed a special mask for nearsightedness. I had never been asked that on a snorkeling trip before, so that was impressive service.

We made two main snorkeling stops around the waters near Hon Thom and Turtle Island. There were colorful corals, lots of fish and even Asian clownfish. The guides helped people in and out of the boat and pointed out interesting parts of the reef while we were in the water. Our final stop was Hon Vong Island, where we had fresh fruit and a drink before heading back to Phu Quoc. A very good afternoon and definitely one of the highlights of my stay.

2. Get a massage

After several weeks traveling through Vietnam, massages had become part of my routine. They are affordable, the service is generally very good and I particularly like having one in the evening after a full day outside. In Ong Lang you will find several small massage salons, or you can book one directly at Mango Bay. Coconut oil after a day in the sun wasn’t exactly a hardship either.

3. Visit Duong Dong Fish Market and Night Market

Duong Dong Fish Market is located near the river, close to the sea, where fishing boats bring in their catch. You can see an enormous variety of seafood here, including squid, barracuda, octopus, sea urchins, shellfish and dried seafood, alongside fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. What I liked most was seeing the connection between the fishing boats and the market itself. In the evening, you see the boats heading out with lights to catch squid and the next morning they return to sell their catch.

Duong Dong Night Market is a completely different experience and much more geared towards visitors, with street food, souvenirs, jewelry and local crafts. The atmosphere is busy, colorful and slightly chaotic, while food stalls prepare seafood in every possible way, from grilled and steamed to deep-fried. Go for the atmosphere, walk around and see what looks good.

4. Rent a motorbike and explore the island

Renting a motorbike gave me the freedom to explore the quieter north of Phu Quoc at my own pace. I paid around 150,000 VND per day, and the roads I used were generally wide and well maintained, with much calmer traffic than in Vietnam’s larger cities. From Ong Lang, I drove north through green areas, fishing villages and along the coast.

One of my stops was 40Six Beach Haus at Ganh Dau Beach, with white sand, clear turquoise water and a modern beach-club feel. It was a very nice place to cool down after the ride and enjoy the view. Cambodia is surprisingly close from this part of the island.

From the north of Phu Quoc, Cambodia is only around 20 km away. See if you can spot it across the water.

Another recommendation from my friend was Phu Quoc Ecolodge. It sits beside a lagoon and has a completely different atmosphere, with lots of old wood and a relaxed natural setting. You can also rent a stand-up paddleboard here and explore the lagoon.

You can rent a stand-up paddleboard here as well and explore the lagoon.

5. See the other side of Phu Quoc

One thing you can’t ignore on Phu Quoc is the scale of the new development. Large tourism projects have transformed parts of both the north and south of the island, and I saw both sides while exploring by motorbike and during my snorkeling trip. Huge resorts, theme parks, new housing developments and even European-inspired streets have been built in parts of the island. Some areas felt almost empty when I visited, which gave them a strange atmosphere.

In the south, I saw the cable car towards Hon Thom and the large developments around it, including streets and buildings designed to resemble European destinations. It clearly appeals to a different type of traveler, but it wasn’t what I personally wanted from Phu Quoc. I much preferred staying around Ong Lang, where the island still felt greener, quieter and less developed.

Think about what kind of Phu Quoc you want before booking your hotel. The atmosphere differs enormously depending on where you stay.

6. Visit Coconut Prison

For a completely different side of the island, you can visit Coconut Prison in An Thoi. The former prison is one of the most important historical sites on Phu Quoc and is now a museum and memorial. I had already visited the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City and had seen enough about the brutality of the war there, so I decided not to visit Coconut Prison myself. For me, Phu Quoc was mainly about slowing down and enjoying island life at the end of my trip. But if you are interested in Vietnam’s modern history, this is an important place to know about.

7. Spend a day at Starfish Beach

Starfish Beach was one of my friend’s favorite beaches, so of course I wanted to see it. We traveled to the north coast of Phu Quoc and continued by small boat. After about 15 minutes on the water, we arrived at a long stretch of white sand with clear turquoise water. And yes, there were plenty of orange starfish in the shallow water. During my visit in February, they were easy to see without touching or disturbing them.

Don’t confuse this beach with Sao Beach in the south of Phu Quoc.

We spent much of the day relaxing under the palm trees, swimming and walking further along the beach to find quieter areas. There can also be sand flies, so using a sunbed instead of sitting directly on the sand can be a good idea. It was one of my favorite beach days on the island.

Please don’t pick up the starfish for photos. Leave them in the water and enjoy seeing them where they belong.

8. Enjoy the sunset

A few days on a tropical island should include at least one evening where the only plan is watching the sun go down with a drink in your hand. Mango Bay made that very easy. The beach was only a few steps from my bungalow, the sunbeds were free and the sunsets were beautiful. After several weeks of traveling through Vietnam, sitting there with a piña colada and nowhere else to be felt exactly right.

Where to eat in Phu Quoc

Mango Bay Resort was my favorite place for something a little more special. The menu combines Vietnamese and international dishes, and after weeks of Vietnamese food I enjoyed having something different for a change. The mezze platter with hummus was particularly welcome, and breakfast here was excellent too.

For something much more casual, I liked Noname BBQ in Ong Lang, a simple family-run restaurant serving fresh seafood from the barbecue. Nothing fancy, which was exactly what I wanted after eating at Mango Bay. The floating restaurants near Starfish Beach are another fun option, with decks built over the water and seafood kept fresh in tanks beside the restaurants. It makes a good lunch stop after spending the morning at the beach.

At Duong Dong Night Market, you will find plenty of street food. I eventually chose a nearby restaurant called Blue Seafood Restaurant, which was busy and felt like a comfortable option for me. And for coffee, my local friend recommended This is the Coffee Shop. Their coconut coffee was excellent and it made a nice little stop while exploring the island.

My takeaways on Phu Quoc

I like ending a longer trip with a few days somewhere I can slow down, and Phu Quoc worked perfectly for that. There is enough to do if you want to explore, from snorkeling and markets to scooter rides and beaches, but you can just as easily spend half a day doing nothing beside the sea. The rapid development of parts of the island wasn’t really for me, which made me even happier that I stayed in Ong Lang. Mango Bay was probably the highlight of my stay. The quieter location, beach, food and relaxed atmosphere gave me exactly the tropical break I wanted after traveling through Vietnam.

Would I return? Yes. Next time I would also like to visit a pepper plantation and a fish sauce factory, so I definitely haven’t seen everything yet. From Phu Quoc, I flew back to Ho Chi Minh City before continuing home to Amsterdam.

Where are you heading next? Ho Chi Minh City or the Mekong Delta?