Seafood, Beaches, and Sunsets: A week of R&R in Phu Quoc, Vietnam

Phu Quoc, a Vietnamese island off the western coast of Cambodia, is just a 2.5 hour flight from Kunming, so onto the plane I hopped to spend a week with my dear old friend, Audrey. 

I had a day to myself before Audrey arrived. Nervous to operate a scooter, I decided to just lazy around Long Beach, get a massage that was more like a scrub down, and munch on some street BBQ that was all within walking distance from BeHome Hostel 3.

The adventures began the following day with Audrey’s arrival.  It started with brunch overlooking Duong Dong, the city center of Phu Quoc, and catching up on the last three years. Then we hopped on a scooter towards Ong Lang Beach and found a section towards the north where a husky (!!!!!) was panting and wondering why it was so darned hot.   

Compared to Long Beach, Ong Lang feels more laid back with less crowds and less massage offers. It’s where I’d stay next time I visit Phu Quoc. We stayed until the sun dipped into the water to head back to town to feast on fresh seafood at the Night Market. Scallops, clams, shrimp, fish, beer. The freshness kept my seafood allergy at bay. 

To digest all the grub we wanted to shake our booties with some nightlife, but the scene wasn’t exactly bumping. But who am I to complain?! To have a drink on the beach is a luxury, and we indulged in said luxury almost every night on the island.

The next morning we headed for Ganh Dau Beach in the northwest corner of the island, but as the week would prove, my navigation skills were not as great as I was told (in grad school, an Estonian classmate told me I had a great sense of direction for a girl), so we ended up in the northeast corner. But the area was secluded and the road leading there was a beautiful drive through the national park! The beach itself was dirty so we didn’t swim. Instead, we got some drinks and relaxed in hammocks…not a bad alternative.

With enough daylight left, we decided to try for Starfish Beach, but again, my navigation skills failed me and we found a dead end. Poor Audrey was so exhausted from driving everywhere we opted for a boat trip the next day.

It was a big boat with about 50 other people that took us to two islands for snorkeling. The food on the boat wasn’t great, but hey, we didn’t go for the food. We went for the views! 

It wasn’t until day 4 that we finally made it to the postcard-perfect (and our favorite) beach, Bai Sao, on the southeastern coast in An Thoi. It was busy but we found lounge chairs on the leftmost section of the beach with fewer people. We paid 150k Dong each for the chairs and spent the day here. The white sand beach was long and wide, the water was emerald green and calm, and most importantly, it was clean!! 

Side note: The one thing I did not like about Phu Quoc was the trash. The trash locals burned on the side of the road, the trash that washed ashore, the trash produced with every resort that goes up…

We went back to the Night Market for dinner and walked around the harbor where all the locals hung out. 

On the last day, Audrey agreed to try for Ganh Dau again. Took much longer to get there than expected, and we had to share the narrow road with enormous trucks carrying construction material to build up the resorts that were popping up all over the island. That was pretty scary. It was also difficult to find so alas, we turned down a private road because we didn’t feel like looking anymore. 

Starfish dotted the water and we could see Cambodia, as well as a distant storm from our little spot. After a few hours of relaxation, Audrey had to leave for the airport, back to Saigon. 

I had one more day left on my own, and I really wanted to see Ham Ninh, the fishing village. But per usual, I missed some turns and ended up detouring to Suoi Tranh Waterfall, Phu Quoc Prison (used by US troops in the Vietnam War to imprison and torture–using insanely cruel tactics–Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers) , and even lunch at Bai Sao.

It wasn’t until the sun was setting that I finally found the fishing village. But I couldn’t have asked for better timing because I could enjoy one last feast of fresh-off-the-boat seafood in a stilted restaurant on the water, with the sunset right before me.

Not sure how I fit all those activities into one day but I managed, and it was a fabulous way to round out my week in Phu Quoc. Also, I’m pretty sure I sweated out all the calories I wolfed down. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•