Having simple things in Phu Quoc Island make tourist can not forget them when visiting the land .
It's full of uninhabited remote islands
The Phu Quoc district is made of 28 islands, most of which are uninhabited while some are planned for development as private resorts. Spanning 574 square kilometres, Phu Quoc Island, where most of the tourism action takes place, is the largest in the district/country as well as in the Gulf of Thailand.
One of the region's most beautiful remote islands is Hon Xuong - often referred to as the Robinson Crusoe island after the novel of the same name - and can currently only be reached by boat.
Photo by nguyenkhacqui |
With no accommodation available on site, the island is a popular day trip spot and its protected waters and picturesque beach can be enjoyed overnight by camping on the beach as part of a tour, but not independently.
Hon Thom, the district’s second largest island (also known as Pineapple Island), is connected to Phu Quoc Island via what’s said to be the world’s longest oversea cable car, which travels a total distance of about eight kilometres in 8.5 seconds, carrying up to 3,500 passengers per hour in 70 cabins. With plans underway for the island to be transformed fully into a marine park, it currently offers several watersports activities including snorkelling, diving and yacht tours of the An Thoi archipelago (which occupies 15 of the district’s islands).
...and unspoilt beaches
The district boasts 150 kilometres of coast with ice cream-soft sand and Phu Quoc Island is home to around 20 unspoilt beaches, trodden mostly by locals or tourists from Asian countries nearby. Khem Beach is one of its most beautiful, overlooking Emerald Bay with powdery white sands caressed by champagne-like effervescent waves.
Photo by ntt |
Sao Beach, considered the “crown jewel” of Phu Quoc, is also known for its snow white beaches, while Long Beach, which boasts a 20-km coast on the west side of the island is ideal for sunsets and among the island’s most popular beaches.
There’s also a ‘secret’ patch on the eastern end of Rach Vem Beach known as “Starfish Beach” for its rich population of red starfish found bathing in the sun just a few feet from the water’s edge.
Phu Quoc Prison
Photo by Genghiskhan |
As part of a full days excursion, we stopped at the prison for approximately 45 minutes. We had been warned about how graphic the scenes are at this prison and this was very true. It's a sad story and a shocking one, but it's one that people should know. I don't think we will forget this visit. It was a bit harrowing at times and I admit I shed a tear - how can one person do these things to another person and who on earth thought up these tortures? It certainly showed man's inhumanity to man.
Unique marine life
Phu Quoc is a hub of marine activity, housing large patches of coastal ecosystems, and nearly 108 species of corals, 135 species of coral reef fish and 132 different types of mollusks, as well as migrating fish and marine mammals in its surrounding waters. Phu Quoc is one of the few places in the country where wildlife enthusiasts can spot unique species like dugong, the hawksbill turtle and green turtle.
Local charm and culture
With an economy still based around fishing and agriculture, the island is dotted by sleepy villages whose claim to fame is fish sauce (in a similar vein to what olive oil is to Italy or tequila is to Mexico), which is said to be the world's best.
Photo by Frank Fox |
Back in 2013, its fish sauce became the first Vietnamese product to be given the European Union’s Protected Designation of Origin Status, which recognises local goods “whose quality or properties are significantly or exclusively determined by the geographical environment”, according to the country’s ministry of industry and trade. There are currently around 85 fish sauce producers in Phu Quoc.
The island also boasts the best organic pepper, producing around 1,100 tonnes of it every year using traditional farming methods and sustainable agricultural technologies.
Tourists can access tours of both the fish sauce factories and pepper farms for a closer look at local life. Or explore pockets of local charm at the night market in Duong Dong, one of the island’s main towns, where you can sample local delicacies.