Phu Quoc is a beautiful island situated just off the south-west coast of Vietnam. It’s characterized by white sandy beaches, palm-tree lined shores and crystal clear waters. But it’s not just its gorgeous beaches that make Phu Quoc worth visiting. From Venice-inspired Grand World to VinWonders Theme Park, there’s something for everyone on this island.
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How to get to Phu Quoc
You can take a bus to the ferry port in Rach Gia and take the 2-hour Phu Quoc Express Ferry for 315,000 VND (around £10). You can also take the ferry from Ha Tien. It’s best to book the ferry online a few days in advance. It’s a good, efficient service with comfortable seats and we had no issues. From the ferry port in Phu Quoc, there are plenty of taxis, or you can easily book a Grab to take you to your accommodation.
If you’re coming from further afield, you can also fly to Phu Quoc. Check Skyscanner for the cheapest flights.
How long to spend in Phu Quoc
If you’re short on time, you can cover all the island’s highlights in 2 or 3 days. However, I’d recommend allowing at least 4-6 days to enjoy the island’s beautiful beaches and even spend a day at the theme park and water park.
Where to stay in Phu Quoc
If you have the time, I’d recommend staying in a few different areas of the island. We spent 6 days on Phu Quoc, (2 days in each area), as we wanted to enjoy a more relaxed travelling pace over the Christmas period and explore each area in more depth.
Phu Quoc town / Long Beach
The main town of Phu Quoc is a great base for exploring the island, with plenty of backpacker-friendly bars and restaurants. It’s located in the centre of the island on the west side. If you’re looking to be somewhere central where you can meet other backpackers and enjoy some nightlife, then this is a great area to stay.
It’s also close to Long Beach which has lots of lively bars from which you can enjoy the sunset. Our favourite was Tank Tops and Flip Flops Reggae Bar, which unfortunately as of January 2025 has been demolished – such as shame!
Accommodation in Phu Quoc town / Long Beach
Thanks to Fred’s Mum and Dad, (shoutout to Eva and Nial) we were lucky enough to stay at Valentina Resort and Spa for 2 days over Christmas. At around £30 for a room, this hotel has luxurious private rooms with large balconies and a beautiful pool area surrounded by palm trees. The hotel also offers an impressive breakfast buffet and a free 5 minute shuttle to Long Beach and the main town. If you’re looking for a break from the backpacker lifestyle and are in need of a bit of quiet and luxury, then this place is perfect.
If it hadn’t been Christmas, we would have likely stayed in this well-reviewed, centrally located hostel for around £10 each per night. Just a few minutes from the beach in downtown Phu Quoc, this hostel seems a lively and comfortable option for budget backpackers. The hostel also offers free breakfast, free laundry services, group tours and night-time activities like beer pong and pub quizzes.
Khem Beach
Khem Beach, located on the south-east of Phu Quoc, is arguably the best beach on the island, with soft, white, powdery sand and clear blue water. The beach is absolutely spotless and although popular, it didn’t feel overcrowded.
All the buildings in this area have been designed in a colourful European style, creating a very pretty resort that feels like you are walking around Spain or Italy. Being relatively new, the resort feels very upmarket and unspoilt, yet is still relatively inexpensive.
Just a few minutes from the beach, there are several stalls selling fresh smoothies, coffees and banh mi’s for less than £1, so your cheap breakfast and lunch is sorted. We spent 2 nights in this area and I absolutely loved every minute; it felt like we were on a luxury holiday rather than backpacking!
Accomodation near Khem Beach
We stayed at Sky Hotel, a small hotel situated just a minute away from Khem Beach. We had a private double room for £7 each per night (breakfast not included, but we enjoyed cheap 40 baht banh mi’s every morning from around the corner!) The hotel felt brand new when we arrived and was very clean and quiet. The bedroom looked onto the pretty street below and the beds were so comfortable. I’d definitely recommend this hotel for anyone looking to stay near Khem Beach.
Grand World
Grand World, located in the north-west of Phu Quoc, is a town made to look just like Venice and it’s surprisingly accurate! This area is quiet during the daytime, but becomes lively at night with plenty of restaurants, bars and a nightly light show. It did feel weird being somewhere that felt so European, however we thought it was a pretty cool place. It’s also a good place to stay if you want to go to the Vin Wonders Theme Park and Water Park, which is located nearby and easily accessible on the free shuttle bus.
Accommodation in Grand World
We stayed in Grand World for 2 nights at M Homestay, a simple, comfortable private hotel room right in the centre of Grand World for £6.50 each per night. The location was brilliant and the hotel itself was clean and quiet, despite being right in the centre of the town.
Things to do in Phu Quoc
Enjoy the beautiful beaches
Khem Beach
Khem Beach was my favourite beach on the island and was absolutely stunning. Here you can enjoy white sand, palm tree lined shores, and clear turquoise water. You can hire sunbeds for just 70,000 VND for 3 hours from Draft Beer Bai Khem Phu Quoc and enjoy a nice cold drink on the beach. Along the shore are fancy 5-star hotels, classy restaurants and great bars, perfect for enjoying the sunset. Our favourite bar to enjoy a drink at sunset was Istanbul Beach Club Bar, which also does great pizzas! It’s a bit more expensive in this area (from 215,000 VND for a pizza) but it’s worth it for the gorgeous setting.
Long Beach
The sunsets on Long Beach are incredible and I really liked the lively atmosphere of the area. There were plenty of beach bars and you can walk all the way along the beach to Phu Quoc main town, making for a nice evening stroll.
Explore Grand World (Venice – but without the crowds!)
How to spend a day in Grand World
Take a gondola or stroll along the river
In the morning, take a stroll or a gondola ride along the river. A gondola ride along the river costs 200,000 VND and is a relaxing way to enjoy the area. If you decide to walk along the river, I’d recommend stopping for ice cream at Saigon Ice Cream because it was SO good. So good in fact, we went back there again in the evening for more.
Visit the Urban Park
At the end of the river, you can cross the road into Urban Park. The Urban Park is a pleasant place to stroll around some gardens and look at various artistic sculptures. Its free to walk around and there is a small viewing platform you can climb for a view over the area.
Walk through Bamboo Legend
Next to the Urban Park is Bamboo Legend, an impressive structure made entirely of bamboo. It’s free to walk through and it’s pretty impressive.
Explore the Teddy Bear Museum
We didn’t go in the Teddy Bear Museum, however if you are interested you can enter for 150,000 VND. If you hadn’t already guessed, this museum is dedicated to the history of teddy bears, showcasing over 500 handmade made teddies.
Have lunch at Banh Mi Saigon
We had the best banh mi’s on our entire Vietnam trip here!
Relax and swim at Bai Dai Beach
You can enjoy a half an hour walk from Grand World to Bai Dai Beach or take a Grab. The walk is very enjoyable as the streets are so quiet and pretty. The beach was really nice and clean, perfect for an afternoon swim. There are plenty of bars and restaurants along the shore for a sunset drink.
Visit Grand World Night Market
This market is great for backpackers as most of the restaurants in Grand World are pretty expensive. There wasn’t loads of choice, but we had a traditional Vietnamese hot pot from one of the stalls which was really good.
Grand World Nightly Light Show
Every night on the lake there is a big light show for free. You can stand along the bridge to get a great view or sit in one of the restaurants nearby. It starts at 9pm (but is usually late) and lasts around 15-20 minutes. It’s a great way to end the day.
Spend a day at VinWonders Theme Park and Water Park
If you love rollercoasters and water slides, you’ll love spending a day at VinWonders. This theme park/water park is in north of Phu Quoc and you can get there and back via the free shuttle bus from most places around the island.
The park costs 900,000 VND to enter, which includes access to both the theme park and water park, and 250,000 VND to spend at one of the restaurants in the park for lunch. If you go at opening time, you can definitely have time for both!
We had a brilliant day at both parks, and I can highly recommend it. There are rides and slides for all ages throughout the park, so families with young children can enjoy too.
Final thoughts
There is so much to do on Phu Quoc and it’s somewhere I’d love to return to one day. Even though it’s not on the typical banana-pancake backpacking route, I’d highly recommend it to anyone travelling Vietnam.
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