The fishing village

Ham Ninh commune is located on the east of the island. Mountains and forests are at the back and the immense sea at the front. People live by Ham channel. Houses here remain primitive features with cottage roofs and bamboo wattles. The community life relies on pearl diving, catching holothurians and netting crabs. Formerly, people came here to do fishing and then formed this village. Ham Ninh is a safe and sound wharf for boats. Sail junks and wooden barges from the land moor here to load goods and seafoods to transfer to other places. The sea is still shallow several hundreds of meters far from Ham Ninh wharf.At low tide, the beach stretches out infinitely. Conversely, the water overflows the beach to the forest edge at high tide. Tourists can see islands appear at a distance within the archipelago Hai Tac (Ha Tien) from Ham Ninh beach. Slanting to the southeast, Nghe islet slightly appears on the dark blue water. To the south, it is Mr Doi cape – the last cape of the island. Coming at Ham Ninh in the morning or on moonlighted nights, tourists can entirely enjoy the beauty of the sea. The scene of sunset over the sea is also great. It is a must for tourists to try boiled crabs here. The crab is its specialty and can almost be found anytime. Crabs boiled which has just been caught from the sea, has fresh red color and firm meat. They are very delicious when eaten with salt mixed with pepper and lemon juice.
 

One of Vietnam’s star attractions, mountainous and forested Phu Quoc is a splendid tropical getaway set with beautiful white-sand beaches and quaint fishing villages. Adventure comes in many forms here – from motorbiking the empty dirt roads circling the island to sea kayaking its quiet inlets, scuba diving the coral reefs or simply having a bang-up seafood meal followed by a cocktail on the beach. Once a sleepy, backpackers’ retreat, Phu Quoc has ramped up tourism significantly, and visitors can now choose between five-star resorts and rustic family-run bungalows. Plans are underway for developing the island even more heavily – a la Phuket style. If package tourism isn’t your bag, get there now before this happens.

The tear-shaped island lies in the Gulf of Thailand, 45km west of Ha Tien and 15km south of the coast of Cambodia. At 48km long (with an area of 1320 sq km), Phu Quoc is Viet­nam’s largest island and its most politically contentious: Phu Quoc is claimed by Cam­bodia; its Khmer name is Ko Tral – which is why the Vietnamese have built a substantial military base covering much of the northern end of the island (thankfully, the military presence is fairly invisible).

Phu Quoc Island served as a base for the French missionary Pigneau de Behaine during the 1760s and 1780s. Prince Nguyen Anh, who later became Emperor Gia Long, was sheltered here by Behaine when he was being hunted by the Tay Son Rebels.

Phu Quoc is not really part of the Mekong Delta and doesn’t share the delta’s extraordinary ability to produce rice. The most valuable crop is black pepper, but the islanders here have traditionally earned their living from the sea. Phu Quoc is also famous in Vietnam for its production of high-quality fish sauce (nuoc mam).

The island has some unusual hunting dogs, which have ridgebacks, curly tails and blue tongues and are said to be able to pick up their masters’ scent from over 1km away (the nuoc mam their masters eat certainly helps). Unfortunately, the dogs have decimated much of the island’s wildlife.

Despite the impending development (of a new international airport, a golf course and a casino), much of this island is still protected since becoming a national park in 2001. Phu Quoc National Park covers close to 70% of the island, an area of 31, 422 hectares.

Phu Quoc’s rainy season is from July to November. The peak season for tourism is midwinter, when the sky is blue and the sea is calm; however, when it’s not raining it’s stinking hot. Bring sunglasses and plenty of sunblock. Take plenty of water when setting out to explore the island.
 

Get in
Visitors from any country arriving to Phu Quoc by cruise ship no longer need a visa for stays of up to 15 days. A passport with at least 45 days' validity is still necessary.

Visitors arriving in Phu Quoc by any other means (eg. plane) are still subject to normal visa regulations.


By plane

You can fly from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) on one of four or five daily Vietnam Airlines flights or from Rach Gia which has two flights per day. 630,000 - 830,000 Dong

By boat

There are ferries and hydrofoils between Phu Quoc to Rach Gia, Ha Tien and Hon Chong. You may be told by tour agents that the fast boats are full, but if you go to the dock where the boats depart you may have the opportunity to buy tickets from street sellers.

Phu Quoc - Rach Gia - 0800, 0810
Rach Gia - Phu Quoc - 1300, 1310
Hydrofoils takes 2 1/2 hours, costs 240,000 Dong

Phu Quoc - Ha Tien
Hydrofoils takes 1hour 10 mins. Costs 190,000 Dong. Daily at 0900. Slow boat takes 3 hours, costs 100,000 Dong, but doesn't go daily. Leaves at 1000.

Phu Quoc - Hon Chong - 1230
Hon Chong - Phu Quoc - 1000
Costs 160,000 Dong.

Do not expect to find taxis on arrival in Phu Quoc, though there will likely be a few motos. Minibus ply to the two main towns, but tickets are sold on the boat and sell out before arrival. Cost 20,000 Dong. Transfer can also be arranged through your hotel.