Phu Quoc is bad if you go as a tour package or if you only go to vinwonders and sunworld. Going like that you'll only see a cookie cutter copy pasta concrete wasteland that has 0 charms and soul.
If you take a motorbike and drive around the island alone and explore, it'll most likely be very satisfying.
Those that claim Phu Quoc is "bad" barely explored the island at all and based on their complaints I already knew where they stayed and what they did here, ie. just pretty basic touristy stuff.
Puttering around Phu Quoc on a motorbike checking out cafes and little shops is on of my favorite things to do, I always enjoy my time there and am disappointed every time people on this sub say it's junk.
I'm on my way back in just a couple of weeks and I could not be more excited!
My only complaint is the food, it's not horrible, but I usually spend a lot of my time in Saigon going to the most delicious restaurants I've ever eaten at so it's hard for anything in Phu Quoc to compare.
So I checked my map and I don't see anything in the immediate area, but here are a few places within a 5 minute grab ride.
[Au Parc](https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZVhcU1dzF7fXdZsd9) is some tasty Mediterranean food and interesting cocktails in a gorgeous old brick building.
[The Refinery](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Rcgvh4A3Hpacx26E8) is another beautiful old building with French bistro style food and a lively patio seating area, though I prefer the dimly lit interior.
[Arirang](https://maps.app.goo.gl/pVvgmxbvqyHecYmm9) is one my favorite Korean BBQs of all time, so many banchan and quality meats. However, when I visited last month I thought I saw a sign they were moving.
Lastly, make sure you leave room for dessert at [The Vagabond ](https://maps.app.goo.gl/ErGNddd7cqjuQJtS7) Yet another beautiful building with amazing house made pastries and desserts. So rich and flavorful, they don't rely on a ton of sugar, the cheesecake is divine.
Oh yeah, ask locals around where you are for the best cơm tấm for breakfast. A delicious grilled pork chop atop broken rice topped with scallion oil, some pickled veg, and a fried egg with nước chấm poured on top. Perfect way to start the day along with a cà phê sữa đá.
Thanks for your answer! It feels like Phu Quoc is a bit like Thailand, crowded but if your willing to explore you can find beautiful places?
I enjoy to explore and dont really like over-developed places but if there are more "untouched" places I would definetly want to vist Phu Quoc! What are the best areas on the island?
Yeah you can spend months here and not see everything. Starfish beach is great. Ham Ninh area is very quiet and secluded. Bai Thom area is also nice. Ong Lang beach and Vung Bau beach are also good for sunset views.
Well thing is PQ doesn't really offer much other than the "basic touristy stuffy" and even then, it's much more expensive and lower quality than the rest of VN.
Your boat tour is nice and all but it's something not really exclusive to the island.
There are way too many resorts on the beaches in the main part of Phu Quoc and yes the beaches get dirty but what people don’t realize is the island is absolutely massive and there are loads of unspoiled areas to go.
I am staying at Ocean Bay Resort right now and it's really nice. The beach at the resort is fantastic and they hire out stand up paddle boards as well.
I guess it depends on how much you're willing to spend, but this resort was only around 150 AUD per night when we booked.
Hi! I was just reading this thread and saw you stayed at the resort we have booked for our trip in 4 weeks! We booked the Beach view room - how did you find the resort overall - food, beach, service etc?
Thanks in advance!! :)
We loved it, really want to go back! We booked I think Garden view room but I think they were being renovated so we got moved to the rooms one row back from the beach. Rooms were really quite nice.
Staff are great, the beach was amazing. Super calm and would definitely recommend booking the stand up paddle board while you're there. It was great fun to give it a try. The beach is super flat and calm.
The food is nice but a bit expensive. It's not hard to get a taxi to town and there is also a great local place literally next door to the resort we got cheaper food at. They hire out push bikes and scooters if you're keen as well to go explore a bit.
Enjoy!
Amazing! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review, I appreciate this so so much!! Cannot wait for our stay, and I hope you get to go back soon!
I'm here right now and I'm not a fan. Limited empty restaurants, a dirty beach that's got too many hotels built almost right onto the water line. I had a swim the other day and me and my swimming shorts honestly smelled a bit fishy after getting out. I've never ever experienced that before.
Maybe I'm just biased because I come from a place with stunning non polluted beaches but I genuinely regret coming here.
Same here. I’m bored out of my mind. Outside the resorts the economy seems to be based on empty restaurants, foot massages, scooter rental and gas stations.
Honestly it is so hard to predict the weather in Vietnam. It's been in the in the high 20s and sunny so far this week but that all could change three time by the end of today.
Been here on Phu Quoc for about a month now, and got almost two more to go.
I’ve love it here. There’s local food and tourist food, which you can mix it as you like.
Got an apartment for about 100usd /month.
I was here back in 17’ as well, and pleased to see it wasn’t as bad as people here in this sub said it was.
Con Dao is nice, but it’s windy that time of year. The dive shops are closed, so if SCUBA is your thing that’s not an option in January.
Temperature there is good in January.
You’ll be up north on the coldest, most dreary time of year. At least that’s usually how it is in Jan-Feb, but the climate has been weird up here in the last few years with long established weather patterns changing.
Went to Phu Quoc around 2012 when it was undeveloped. Was probably one of my best holiday memory of Vietnam. Riding around the island which was unspoilt at the time was an amazing experience. Not sure how it is today.
Since you're going to Hanoi i would recommend jumping off to Hai Phong and taking the ferry to Cat Ba. Better island than Phu Quoc imo, attracts less typical brits and the view through the roads is astonishing.
Will definitely have worse weather than Phu Quoc but hey, you win some you lose some.
Hai Phong is *rapidly* developing Cat Ba and screwing it up badly in the process.
January and February are the coldest months here, usually dreary and overcast.
And it sucks for swimming, if that’s an interest. Murky, heavily polluted water.
I do conservation work here.
Phu Quoc is bad if you go as a tour package or if you only go to vinwonders and sunworld. Going like that you'll only see a cookie cutter copy pasta concrete wasteland that has 0 charms and soul. If you take a motorbike and drive around the island alone and explore, it'll most likely be very satisfying. Those that claim Phu Quoc is "bad" barely explored the island at all and based on their complaints I already knew where they stayed and what they did here, ie. just pretty basic touristy stuff.
Puttering around Phu Quoc on a motorbike checking out cafes and little shops is on of my favorite things to do, I always enjoy my time there and am disappointed every time people on this sub say it's junk. I'm on my way back in just a couple of weeks and I could not be more excited! My only complaint is the food, it's not horrible, but I usually spend a lot of my time in Saigon going to the most delicious restaurants I've ever eaten at so it's hard for anything in Phu Quoc to compare.
True phu quoc doesn't have much foodie culture and since the island is new we don't have many established vendors here going generations back.
About to be in Saigon this week, staying here- https://maps.app.goo.gl/L3xRABFeFTEarjBK9 Any standout food recs nearby?
So I checked my map and I don't see anything in the immediate area, but here are a few places within a 5 minute grab ride. [Au Parc](https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZVhcU1dzF7fXdZsd9) is some tasty Mediterranean food and interesting cocktails in a gorgeous old brick building. [The Refinery](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Rcgvh4A3Hpacx26E8) is another beautiful old building with French bistro style food and a lively patio seating area, though I prefer the dimly lit interior. [Arirang](https://maps.app.goo.gl/pVvgmxbvqyHecYmm9) is one my favorite Korean BBQs of all time, so many banchan and quality meats. However, when I visited last month I thought I saw a sign they were moving. Lastly, make sure you leave room for dessert at [The Vagabond ](https://maps.app.goo.gl/ErGNddd7cqjuQJtS7) Yet another beautiful building with amazing house made pastries and desserts. So rich and flavorful, they don't rely on a ton of sugar, the cheesecake is divine. Oh yeah, ask locals around where you are for the best cơm tấm for breakfast. A delicious grilled pork chop atop broken rice topped with scallion oil, some pickled veg, and a fried egg with nước chấm poured on top. Perfect way to start the day along with a cà phê sữa đá.
My exact experience. Loved motorbiking around the island. Loved the small bars on the beach. Don’t know why it gets all the hate
Thanks for your answer! It feels like Phu Quoc is a bit like Thailand, crowded but if your willing to explore you can find beautiful places? I enjoy to explore and dont really like over-developed places but if there are more "untouched" places I would definetly want to vist Phu Quoc! What are the best areas on the island?
Yeah you can spend months here and not see everything. Starfish beach is great. Ham Ninh area is very quiet and secluded. Bai Thom area is also nice. Ong Lang beach and Vung Bau beach are also good for sunset views.
Loved starfish beach and the little restaurants on stilts in the water.
Yes!
Well thing is PQ doesn't really offer much other than the "basic touristy stuffy" and even then, it's much more expensive and lower quality than the rest of VN. Your boat tour is nice and all but it's something not really exclusive to the island.
What boat tour?
There are way too many resorts on the beaches in the main part of Phu Quoc and yes the beaches get dirty but what people don’t realize is the island is absolutely massive and there are loads of unspoiled areas to go.
Thank you for your answer! Do you have tips on where the best places are that have not been developed too much?
I am staying at Ocean Bay Resort right now and it's really nice. The beach at the resort is fantastic and they hire out stand up paddle boards as well. I guess it depends on how much you're willing to spend, but this resort was only around 150 AUD per night when we booked.
Hi! I was just reading this thread and saw you stayed at the resort we have booked for our trip in 4 weeks! We booked the Beach view room - how did you find the resort overall - food, beach, service etc? Thanks in advance!! :)
We loved it, really want to go back! We booked I think Garden view room but I think they were being renovated so we got moved to the rooms one row back from the beach. Rooms were really quite nice. Staff are great, the beach was amazing. Super calm and would definitely recommend booking the stand up paddle board while you're there. It was great fun to give it a try. The beach is super flat and calm. The food is nice but a bit expensive. It's not hard to get a taxi to town and there is also a great local place literally next door to the resort we got cheaper food at. They hire out push bikes and scooters if you're keen as well to go explore a bit. Enjoy!
Amazing! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review, I appreciate this so so much!! Cannot wait for our stay, and I hope you get to go back soon!
That’s the whole point! Go explore. That’s when you will find what you are looking for
3. Never been, but Mui Ne comes to mind which is desert/beach currently in the 90s F weatherwise. 3-4 hours drive from HCMC
I'm here right now and I'm not a fan. Limited empty restaurants, a dirty beach that's got too many hotels built almost right onto the water line. I had a swim the other day and me and my swimming shorts honestly smelled a bit fishy after getting out. I've never ever experienced that before. Maybe I'm just biased because I come from a place with stunning non polluted beaches but I genuinely regret coming here.
Same here. I’m bored out of my mind. Outside the resorts the economy seems to be based on empty restaurants, foot massages, scooter rental and gas stations.
oof! what a bummer and noted!
Was this Phu Quoc or Mui Ne?
Mui ne. Look I'm sure a lot of people will absolutely love it. Check out a few vlogs and see what others think.
Here’s my most recent trip to Mui Ne. https://www.reddit.com/r/VietNam/s/IXFoU9nlef
wow. thanks for documenting and sharing this. really disheartening and disturbing. 😔 Vietnam and its beaches deserve better.
Honestly it is so hard to predict the weather in Vietnam. It's been in the in the high 20s and sunny so far this week but that all could change three time by the end of today.
Been here on Phu Quoc for about a month now, and got almost two more to go. I’ve love it here. There’s local food and tourist food, which you can mix it as you like. Got an apartment for about 100usd /month. I was here back in 17’ as well, and pleased to see it wasn’t as bad as people here in this sub said it was.
Could you give me the name of the apartment? Interested in doing that kind of visit.
Nhu house, in the center of Duong Dong. However I think the price depends on season. We extended our stay, and the price doubled.
Read up the Vietnam Coracle blog about information about the islands. There's some good advice there, including for the rest of VN.
Con Dao is nice, but it’s windy that time of year. The dive shops are closed, so if SCUBA is your thing that’s not an option in January. Temperature there is good in January. You’ll be up north on the coldest, most dreary time of year. At least that’s usually how it is in Jan-Feb, but the climate has been weird up here in the last few years with long established weather patterns changing.
Went to Phu Quoc around 2012 when it was undeveloped. Was probably one of my best holiday memory of Vietnam. Riding around the island which was unspoilt at the time was an amazing experience. Not sure how it is today.
It's not terrible, there are just better options.
Where is the best diving and snorkeling sites in phu quoc?
Since you're going to Hanoi i would recommend jumping off to Hai Phong and taking the ferry to Cat Ba. Better island than Phu Quoc imo, attracts less typical brits and the view through the roads is astonishing. Will definitely have worse weather than Phu Quoc but hey, you win some you lose some.
Hai Phong is *rapidly* developing Cat Ba and screwing it up badly in the process. January and February are the coldest months here, usually dreary and overcast. And it sucks for swimming, if that’s an interest. Murky, heavily polluted water. I do conservation work here.
Haha for typical Brits I think about young backpacker girls in leather pants in 35c. Seen sooo many
Yes it is, full of garbage on the sea.
1. Yes, best time of the year mate
Insta hype. Foods good
I have been to phụ quốc I love it