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White sandy beaches, lush waterfalls and a great street food scene.
Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largest island and despite not being the country’s most famous destination, it is currently exploding in popularity. And it’s easy to understand why!
Until September this year it was Phu Quoc welcomed 724,000 foreign tourists.
While these may not seem like huge numbers, they represent a 56.5% increase in the number of tourists year-on-year. Furthermore, international tourists make up more than 98% of all visitors to the island.
Wondering if this is the Southeast Asian hotspot for you?
Here’s why you should add this pristine island paradise to your own bucket list:
Beautiful white sandy beaches
As an island, it should come as no surprise that Phu Quoc has endless beautiful beaches.
In fact, these are considered some of the best beaches in Vietnam.
There are 150 km of beaches on the island, and some of the best of these are Long Beach, Sao Beach and Kem Beach.
Fun fact: Long Beach is the only place in Vietnam where you can see the western sunset.
Each of these beaches has local bars and restaurants and a vibrant atmosphere.
Even if relaxing on the white sand isn’t your idea of a good time, spending time in the water here is a must!
Beautifully green in color, the water here is as calm and warm as bath water. It is the perfect way to completely relax and unwind.
Any of the beaches in Phu Quoc are a great place for swimming and snorkeling. But why not consider a boat trip to experience them from a unique perspective?
Pacific Boat offers a Phu Quoc sunset and squid watching boat tour priced at 1,900,000 VND ($77).
Rich cultural attractions
Of course, there is so much more to Phu Quoc than just the beautiful beaches.
Phu Quoc is located off the coast of Cambodia, in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand, which means that while it is uniquely Vietnamese, it also has other cultural influences.
One of the most interesting cultural sights on the island is the Dinh Cau Shrine. This is an unusual rock formation close to the Duong Dong fishing port.
Carved into the shape of the rock is a small but perfectly formed Buddhist shrine. This features vibrant red structures that stand out against the blue of the sea.
Entrance to the temple is free and you can reach the top by climbing 29 winding steps.
Nature lovers should head straight to Phu Quoc National Park, which covers much of the island and is home to an abundance of incredible wildlife.
Long-tailed macaques, silver langurs, otters and other rare animals and plants are found in abundance here.
Take a 4-hour trek to Mount Heaven, located in Phu Quoc National Park, for the very best views of the island.
This is a challenging journey, but definitely worth it.
If you’re looking for all the fun of the fair, unleash your inner child and head to VinWonders Phu Quoc theme park.
This is the largest theme park in Vietnam, with 6 areas inspired by global myths and legends. It even features a Disney-style castle and water fountain show.
Admission tickets cost $37 per person.
Transportation to Phu Quoc
How do you get to Phu Quoc? In reality, the fact that there are no direct flights to the island from the US is one of the factors contributing to the destination deviating from the route.
The only direct flight to Vietnam from the US flies from San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh City.
This flight route is operated by Vietnam Airlines; no US airline currently flies this route.
From Ho Chi Minh City you need to take another short flight to Phu Quoc Airport.
This route has a short flight time of only 1 hour. This is an incredibly efficient and cheap trip.
With October 18 as an example date, both Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air offer one-way flights flight on this route for $25.
There are 9 different direct flights to choose from on this date, proving how convenient and frequent the journey is.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, and not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included in the post.
