Phu Quoc

An Thoi is Phu Quoc's southern port town, the main departure point for boat trips out to the small archipelago of islands scattered south of Phu Quoc, including Hon Thom and a cluster of smaller uninhabited islets popular for snorkeling. It's also the base station for the Sun World Hon Thom cable car, one of the longest overwater cable cars in the world, connecting to Hon Thom island. The town itself is a working fishing port more than a tourist destination, but it's the practical gateway to most of southern Phu Quoc's island-hopping and snorkeling trips.

Dinh Cau Night Market is Phu Quoc's main evening food market, a strip of stalls in Duong Dong town selling fresh and grilled seafood, skewers, and local street food, popular with both tourists and residents. It's a straightforward, lively spot to eat cheaply and well, with seafood sold by weight and grilled to order at many of the stalls. It's close to the Dinh Cau Rock shrine and the harbor, making it easy to combine with a sunset walk along the waterfront before dinner.

Hon Gam Ghi is one of the smaller islets in the cluster of southern islands off Phu Quoc, generally visited as a snorkeling or swimming stop on a multi-island boat tour rather than as a standalone destination. Like several of the nearby islets, it offers calm, clear water and a quieter alternative to the more developed beaches on Phu Quoc itself. Exact itineraries and which specific islets are included vary by tour operator, so check what's covered when booking a southern islands boat trip.

Hon May Rut is another of the small islets in the southern Phu Quoc archipelago, typically included on multi-island snorkeling day tours alongside Hon Gam Ghi and other nearby islets. It offers a quieter, less developed alternative to the main Phu Quoc coastline, with calm water suited to swimming and snorkeling stops. As with the other southern islets, it's reached only as part of an organized boat tour rather than independently, and specific island selection varies by operator and itinerary.

Long Beach, Phu Quoc: Long Beach (Bai Truong) is Phu Quoc's longest and most developed beach, stretching for several kilometers along the island's southwest coast and backed by the bulk of the island's resorts and hotels. Its west-facing orientation makes it one of the better spots on the island for sunset, and the calm, generally clear water suits swimming reasonably well, though quality varies somewhat by season and section. Given its length and the density of resorts along it, different stretches have quite different character — busier and more built-up near the main hotel clusters, quieter toward the less developed southern end.

Phu Quoc National Park protects roughly two-thirds of the island's land area, covering dense tropical forest, streams, and a mountainous interior largely untouched by the resort development along the coast. It's a legitimate hiking and nature destination, with trails, waterfalls, and viewpoints reached from various access points, though infrastructure and marked trails are less developed than in some of Vietnam's more established national parks. Most visitors experience the park indirectly — passing through it en route to interior waterfalls or a hilltop viewpoint — rather than undertaking dedicated multi-hour treks, though options for the latter exist for those seeking them out.

Phu Quoc Prison (Coconut Tree Prison) was used first by French colonial authorities and later, more infamously, by South Vietnamese and American forces to hold Viet Cong and North Vietnamese prisoners, with conditions and torture methods documented in unflinching detail through preserved cells, life-size mannequin reconstructions of interrogation scenes, and exhibits on the site's history. It's a sobering, at times graphic site, giving a stark counterpoint to Phu Quoc's beach-resort image. It's a worthwhile stop for visitors interested in Vietnam War history, though the graphic nature of some exhibits means it's worth considering in advance whether it's appropriate for younger children.

Sao Beach is widely regarded as one of Phu Quoc's most beautiful beaches, with powder-fine white sand and calm, shallow turquoise water that's noticeably clearer than much of Long Beach further north. It's more developed than some of the island's quieter beaches, with several beach clubs offering loungers and water sports, but retains a distinctly more scenic, postcard-beach feel than the resort-lined stretch near Duong Dong. It can get busy with day-trip groups, particularly around midday, so an early or late visit tends to be noticeably calmer if avoiding crowds matters to you.

Starfish Beach takes its name from the population of red starfish visible in its shallow waters, particularly at lower tide, making it a popular spot for photos of the creatures in their natural habitat. Development here is lighter than at Phu Quoc's main southern beaches, and the water is generally very shallow, calm, and warm rather than suited to serious swimming or diving. It's worth noting that handling or removing starfish from the water can harm them, so viewing and photographing without touching is the more responsible approach if you want them to remain for others to see.

Sun World Hon Thom is a resort and amusement complex on Hon Thom island, reached by one of the longest overwater cable cars in the world, connecting the mainland of Phu Quoc to the island in around 15-20 minutes with sweeping views over the water and southern archipelago. The island itself hosts a water park, various rides, and beach access, functioning as a full day-out theme park experience similar in spirit to Ba Na Hills near Da Nang, just with a beach and water park element instead of a mountain setting. Ticket packages typically bundle the cable car ride with park access, and it's a popular choice for families wanting a change of pace from straightforward beach days elsewhere on Phu Quoc.