Phu Quoc Travel Guide: Where to Stay, What to Do and When to Go

This Phu Quoc travel guide covers Vietnam's largest island in three decisions: where to stay, what to do on a three- or four-day trip, and when to go. From our Vietnam travel blog, it also explains the 30-day visa exemption for the island and when you still need a visa.

Phu Quoc is in the Gulf of Thailand, off the Cambodian coast, with an international airport and resorts along most of its west coast. Many visitors fly in visa-free; if your trip also covers the mainland, apply for a Vietnam e-visa online before you go.

Phu Quoc at a glance:

Topic	What to know
Best months	November to April, dry and sunny
Rainy months	May to October, rougher seas on the west coast
Time needed	3 to 4 days
Visa	Up to 30 days visa-free on the island for arrivals from abroad
Airport	Phu Quoc International Airport (PQC), mid-island

Where to stay in Phu Quoc

Where to stay in Phu Quoc depends on what you want: Duong Dong and Long Beach for restaurants and sunsets, the south for Sao beach and island trips, and the north for quiet resorts and theme parks.

Area	Best for	Note
Duong Dong and Long Beach	First visits, sunsets, night market	Busiest, most choice
Ong Lang	Quiet beach north of town	Short ride to Duong Dong
South (An Thoi, Sao beach)	Island trips, Hon Thom cable car, Sunset Town	Newer, resort-heavy
North (Ganh Dau)	Remote resorts, Grand World, VinWonders, Safari	Far from town

For a first trip, Long Beach is the easiest base, with the airport 15 to 20 minutes away and sunset views every evening.

Things to do in Phu Quoc

Things to do in Phu Quoc fall into three groups: beaches, the southern islands and cable car, and the local food and producers in and around Duong Dong.

Beaches

Sao beach on the southeast coast has fine white sand and calm water in the dry season. Long Beach on the west coast is long and lined with resorts and bars, best at sunset. Ong Lang and Ganh Dau in the north are quieter.

An Thoi islands and the Hon Thom cable car

The An Thoi islands off the southern tip have the best snorkeling, reached on day boat trips from An Thoi port.

The Hon Thom cable car runs almost 8 km over the sea to Hon Thom island, with a water park and beach at the end. Sunset Town, the colorful development at the cable car station, has shows and restaurants in the evening.

Night market, fish sauce and pepper

Dinh Cau night market in Duong Dong is the place for grilled seafood and souvenirs. By day, visit a fish sauce factory and a pepper farm, two crops the island is known for. The Phu Quoc prison museum in the south tells a darker wartime story.

Best time to visit Phu Quoc

November to April is the best time to visit Phu Quoc, during the dry season, with calm seas on the west coast and clear sunsets. December to March is the peak, with the highest prices.

May to October is the rainy season, with heavy showers, rougher water on the west coast and some boat trips cancelled. The east coast, including Sao beach, can stay calmer, and prices fall. Pack for heat and humidity all year.

Planning 4 days in Phu Quoc

Four days lets you combine a beach day, an island day and a slower day exploring the island. Three days works if you skip the north.

Day	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
1	Arrive, settle on Long Beach	Beach and pool	Sunset, Dinh Cau night market
2	An Thoi islands boat trip	Hon Thom cable car	Sunset Town
3	Sao beach	Prison museum, pepper farm	Seafood in Duong Dong
4	National park or the north	Beach	Fly out

Phu Quoc often ends a longer trip like our two-week itinerary. Two visa questions follow: how the island's exemption works, and when it does not cover your trip.

Phu Quoc travel guide to visas and arrival

Phu Quoc has its own entry rule, separate from the mainland. Here is what to check before booking flights.

The 30-day visa exemption

Foreigners of any nationality who arrive in Phu Quoc from abroad can stay on the island for up to 30 days without a visa, including those who connect through the transit area of another Vietnamese international airport.

This is set out in Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs list, as of October 2026. Our guide to the Phu Quoc visa exemption explains the transit rules.

When you still need an e-visa

The exemption covers the island only. If you also visit Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta or anywhere else on the mainland, you need a Vietnam visa or a nationality-based exemption, usually an e-visa. Travelers arriving by ferry from Ha Tien after a Mekong Delta trip are already inside Vietnam on their visa.

VietnamVisa-Easy.com is a private visa service operated by H2 Global Travel JSC since 2012, not a government website, and you can apply directly at evisa.gov.vn for US$25. If your trip mixes Phu Quoc with the mainland, start your application with us and we will check the route.