Top 10 Epic Things To Do in Phu Quoc, Vietnam

This sunny island off Vietnam’s southern coast is full of adult & kid-friendly adventures, dreamy beaches, and surprising European inspired villages. We recently spent 3 weeks there with our 11 year old, and it was a fantastic holiday.

Whether you’re looking to build sandcastles or lounge on Sao Beach, ride the world’s longest oversea cable car or cool off at one of the island’s colorful waterparks, there’s something here for everyone.

And when the sun sets, the Phu Quoc Night Market is the perfect place to grab dinner, think grilled fresh seafood, and sweet treats on a stick. It’s lively, laid-back, and oh-so-fun.

So pack those swimsuits, and lots of sunscreen (you’ll need it), because here are the top 10 things to do on Phu Quoc Island that’ll make memories for a lifetime.

1. Explore the Best Phu Quoc Beaches

As Phu Quoc is an island, no matter where you stay, there are many beaches to choose from. We’ve just named a few we’ve visited to get you started.

Depending on the time of year you go, certain sides of the island would be better.

One of our guides told us that during the dry season (November to April) the west side of the island is better, like Long Beach, up to Starfish Beach given the way the winds blow. During the wet season, May to October, the east side, and Sao Beach are better.

The water’s aren’t as clear as say the Philippines, but the beaches still have that white sand and tropical feel.

Just be prepared for some garbage along the shoreline. The resorts usually have people pick up the garbage in front of their buildings, but you’ll notice areas where there is quite a lot of junk acculmulated. Unfortunately this seems to be a common thing we noticed throughout our Vietnam visit.

Khem Beach

Khem Beach was actually our favorite. It was white sand, and much quieter than Long Beach.

At the main entrance where you get dropped off, there’s a shaded area under the Palm trees. You can put your blanket there for free. There’s also a few places to rent beach chairs up and down the beach.

Just watch out for the JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay resort to the right. The guards will let you walk through “their” beach, but not put a beach towl down.

Geting there: You can grab a free bus from the Sunset Town area, or take a Grab anywhere on the island. We found Grab to be the easiest.

Long Beach: The Ultimate Sunset Spot

Long Beach, located the western side of the island, is a must-visit for breathtaking sunsets and family-friendly fun.

It truly has a long shoreline (3km), making it perfect for evening strolls, with many beachfront hotels and restaurants serving freshly caught seafood, and cold drinks. We found the waves to be quite big in December when we went though, so not the greatest for little kids.

If you aren’t staying at a beach front resort, we noticed there were a few places you could rent lounge chairs & a towel for around 150K VND. There were a few near the Ocsen Beach Club, closer to where we stayed. There were also beach front lounge chairs you could use for “free” at the Versailles Mud Bath Spa & Club, as long as you bought a drink or food.

This is one of the main beaches with plenty of resorts, so it overall didn’t feel like you had a quiet beach to yourself.

Our first evening on the island we headed to Madam Keo’s for a delicious dinner, and watched the sunset from their beachfront restaurant.

LOCAL TIP: Head to the southern end for quieter stretches and more intimate sunset views.

Sao Beach: Pristine White Sands and Turquoise Waters

Known for its powdery white sand and 7 km long beach, Sao Beach on the eastern part of the island is ideal for families with kids who love to splash around. Or adults looking to relax at a beach bar or in a hammock.

We visited for lunch during our day tour of the island. The shoreline didn’t seem to drop off as fast as the areas we visited on Long Beach, so better for the little kids if it’s not a stormy day.

Arrive early in the morning to avoid crowds. There’s also plenty of places to rent Jetski’s, or go parasailing.

We visited in December around lunch time, and it was quite stormy on that side of the island with large waves, so there weren’t too many people around.

Getting there: It’s about a 45 min scooter ride from Duong Don area. Or you can take a Grab taxi, or a tour to visit for a few hours or the day.

Other attractions nearby: Sunset Town & Cable Car (9km / 20minutes), and Ho Quoc Temple (10km / 20 minutes).

3. Taste the Local Flavors

While we found Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) & Hanoi to have a better selection of food of all types from street food to Michelin Guide restaurants, there are still some delicious spots to try on the island.

Dine at the Dương Đông Night Market

You really can’t visit the island without heading to the Phu Quoc Night Market (Dương Đông Night Market).

Experience the vibrant culinary scene where families can try fresh seafood caught that day, tropical fruits, and local street food. There are a few seafood restaurants right along the riverfront with plenty of seats, and extensive menus.

Our favorites were the stalls with fried bananas (20,000 VND) and rolled up ice cream (30,000 VND). We also recommend trying the grilled scallops topped with peanuts and herbs.

It’s also a great place to people watch, and look for souvenirs. You never know what you’ll see. We even ran into a vendor who had a small monkey as a pet (which was sad to see, but it was awfully cute and something we definitely wouldn’t see at home).

Local tip: If you want to avoid the crowds, visit around 5pm when it opens. It starts to get quite crowded around 6:30ish.

Location: Dương Đông Night Market

Tiem Vit Quay Minh Thien: For Roast Duck

If there’s an option for eating roasted duck, then my partner Derek and our youngest Miss S are always up to try it.

Tiem Vit Quay Minh Thien is a small family owned restaurant south of the airport. This unassuming place has delicious half or full roast duck orders, Char Siu Pork and some delicious veggie, meat and rice plates.

There’s kids running around, and family members in the background, so you really feel like you’re supporting a local business, which we love to do. Plus the food was really good.

All together for a huge meal of 4 dishes, plus 4 drinks it came to about 540K VND (about $30 CAD) with tip.

Location: Tem Vit Quay Minh Tien

When You’re Craving Western Food

Sometimes you just crave the taste of home when travelling, especially with kids who might not be as used to the different tastes and flavours.

Most resorts and beach front restaurants will have some items that cater to more western palates from burgers and fries, to pasta etc.

However here are a couple that stood out for us:

• The Home Pizza: Their gourmet wood fired pizzas are sooo good. I am still craving them. They have a lovely courtyard with wooden tables and inside air conditioned areas. Their fusion soy sauce beef pizza was a stand out for us, and you can get half and half pizzas if you want to try more types. They offer Vietnamese pizzas to the more traditional pizzas, and definitely get the tiramisu for dessert. Pizzas start at 240K VND.

• Nora’s Cafe (Vegetarian / Vegan): This is the spot for gorgeous looking & tasting smoothie bowls, rice bowls, avocado toast and HUGE lemon soda’s. Their Vietnamese Iced Coffee also hits the spot every time. We nicknamed it the Viet Hipster cafe.

4. Visit The Ho Quoc Pagoda

While not as well known as other temples in the Mekong Delta area, the more recently built Ho Quoc Pagoda, also known as Truc Lam Ho Quoc Monastery, makes for a pleasant trip on the eastern side of the island.

Plan for 1-2 hours and it’s free to visit.

It’s on a hill (Hon Mot Mountain) overlooking the sea, which means you will need to walk up 70 steps to the main area, and then another set of stairs if you want to see the large white Quan Yin statue up close.

It’s a really lovely Buddhist temple with many beautiful statues, Tam Quan Gate, a bell tower which has relaxing wind chimes to sit and listen to, and plenty of areas to explore with the kids. See if they can find the statues of monkeys playing on the rocks.

Getting there: You can hire a Grab (just be sure to have them waiting as it can be difficult to find one to take you home again). Or take a tour (we did the Southern Phu Quoc Land Tour with John’s Tours) or rent a scooter and drive yourself.

Other attractions nearby: Sao Beach (10km / 20 minutes), Sunset Town (13km / 25 minutes)

6. Ride The World’s Longest 3 Rope Cable Car

If you’re family isn’t afraid of heights (or you can just grin and bear it for the rest of the group like I did), take a ride on the longest non-stop three-rope cable car in the world.

It stretches nearly 8 kilometers from An Thoi Town on Phu Quoc’s southern tip to Hon Thom Island (aka Pineapple Island), over beautiful views of a few smaller islands, harbours filled with boats and the ocean.

To be honest it wasn’t my favorite as I really don’t like heights. BUT the car is enclosed and pretty steady even in the windier parts, and there’s only a little blip as it moves up and over the cable sections by the pillars. Plus there’s lots of seating in each car so you can sit in the middle and not look down if you want.

Once you reach Hon Thom island your family can also:

• Visit Sun World Hon Thom Park, which has a beachfront waterpark, waterslides (see #7), Exotica Village (not sure what that is as we didn’t go), areas to relax and restaurants to eat at or grab a cold drink.

Also don’t forget to take those instagram worthy photos in the

LOCAL TIP: The cable car also has three departure windows from the An Thoi Departure Station (9:30am – 11:30am, 1:30-2pm and 3:30-5pm).