Vietnam's largest island, in the Gulf of Thailand: white-sand beaches, a national park over half its area, and a dry season while the mainland is wet.
Phu Quoc lies in the Gulf of Thailand off the Cambodian coast, closer to Kampot than to Ho Chi Minh City, and it is Vietnam's largest island at around 570 square kilometres. More than half of it is national park — dense forest running down to the northern coast — and the rest is beaches, pepper farms, fish-sauce distilleries and, increasingly, resorts.
The development has been fast and is not universally welcome. The southern end around An Thoi now carries a large integrated resort complex, a cable car to Hon Thom island and a theme park, and Long Beach on the west coast is largely built out. What has survived is worth the trip: Sao Beach in the south-east is a genuinely beautiful crescent of white sand and clear shallow water, the An Thoi archipelago offshore has good snorkelling, and the north of the island is still forest and near-empty coastline.
Phu Quoc's other advantage is timing. Its dry season runs from November to March, which is exactly when the northern half of Vietnam is cold and grey, making it the natural end to a north-to-south itinerary. The island also has an international airport and a visa exemption scheme that has at times allowed short stays without a Vietnamese visa for arrivals flying in directly — a policy that changes periodically and should be checked against current rules rather than assumed.
Best months
November to March
Go in
Dry season
Avoid
July to September — the wettest months, with rough seas and reduced boat traffic
Weather
November to March is dry, hot and calm, at 25-31°C (77-88°F), with the clearest water of the year. April and May are the hottest months. The wet season from June to October brings heavy rain, particularly July to September, when the sea gets rough and island boat trips are frequently cancelled.
What to pack
Beachwear, strong sun protection and insect repellent for the forest and evening. A light rain layer if travelling between June and October.
5 places worth your time — tap any of them for the full write-up, including tickets and when to go.
A crescent of fine white sand backed by coconut palms on the south-east coast, with calm, shallow, exceptionally clear water. The most photographed beach on the island and, despite growing development at either end, still the best swimming on Phu Quoc.
The 20-kilometre west-coast strip running south from Duong Dong town, where most of the island's hotels, restaurants and bars are. The sand is coarser than Sao but this is the only side of the island where the sun sets over open water.
A scatter of small islands off the southern tip, with the clearest water and best snorkelling in the area, reached by day boat from An Thoi harbour. A cable car — among the longest over water anywhere — crosses to Hon Thom, the largest of them.
More than half the island, covering the forested northern uplands and a stretch of undeveloped coast, and designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Trails, streams and a handful of quiet beaches, with far less infrastructure than the south.
A working fishing village on the east coast, with a long pier out over shallow water, stilt houses and seafood restaurants selling crab and shellfish landed the same morning. Considerably more ordinary and more real than the island's resort strip.
Which neighborhood suits which kind of trip, and roughly what a night costs in each.
The main strip: the widest choice of hotels at every price, restaurants and bars within walking distance, and sunset over the sea every evening. Busiest around Duong Dong.
Quieter beaches and low-rise resorts fifteen to twenty minutes north of town, with more space, better swimming at some points and fewer places to eat within walking distance.
Near Sao Beach, the harbour and the cable car, and the base for island boat trips. Increasingly dominated by large integrated resort development.
Per person, per day, excluding long-distance flights and trains. Season and booking window move these numbers more than anything else.
~$65 (1,600,000₫)per person
~$150 (3,800,000₫)per person
~$350 (9,000,000₫)per person
Converted at 25,400₫ to US$1, checked 2026-08. Use as a guide, not a quote.
Small things that make the trip cheaper, smoother and safer.
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