Phu Quoc – “The sea will be even more beautiful when you arrive”

Post :Lam Linh

Sunshine, wind, blue sea, and a long, calm sandy beach.

The small and charming town of Duong Dong is situated next to a long stretch of beach, where islanders often stroll every morning, watching the sunrise starting from Dinh Cau Cape. There are quite a few guesthouses here, priced from 250,000 VND/2 beds and up, clean and with sea views. Duong Dong is the busiest town on Phu Quoc Island, with many restaurants and services. In particular, the weekly night market attracts a large number of tourists. The market sells a variety of delicious, nutritious, and inexpensive seafood, serving customers from 6 PM to 10 PM.

You can easily rent a motorbike to explore the island. The red dirt road running from Duong Dong town to An Thoi town is quite beautiful, bordering the blue sea, sandy slopes, and tall green coconut trees. Along this road, there are many pearl processing facilities where you can buy pearls as souvenirs. New resort areas are being planned, and in the not-too-distant future, this coastal road will be an ideal resort area for tourists visiting Phu Quoc.

The small town of An Thoi, located not far from the pier, remains relatively unspoiled. Resorts and hotels are situated along the 150km stretch of coastline from An Thoi, boasting stunning beaches, long stretches of white sand, and large waves. Resort grounds embrace the beach, offering a refreshing view of the blue sky and water. Rooms are bathed in sunlight and offer sea views, with full amenities, starting from 1,000,000 VND. The most prominent among the dozens of beaches on the island is Bai Sao, a crescent-shaped beach with crystal-clear blue water and a smooth, white sandy shore, always attracting visitors from all over the island. After a day of splashing in the water and watching schools of small fish swim, restaurants are ready to serve fresh and inexpensive seafood. Don't forget to try shark hotpot and sea urchin – specialties unique to Phu Quoc.

During your island hopping trip, don't forget to bring some colorful bikinis so you can jump into the sea and play with the waves constantly lapping against the clean white sand at any time. A fun picnic on a secluded beach with friends and family is easily arranged with a few ready-made items. Amidst the pristine natural scenery and generous sunshine and wind, your vacation will be filled with many lovely memories. A popular activity is snorkeling to admire the coral reefs. Scattered around Hon Thom, Hon Roi, etc., are stunning coral reefs. A little over ten minutes by boat from Hon Thom is the squid fishing village, which glows at night with dozens of fishing boats emitting lights.

Rambutan, fish sauce, pepper, and seafood.

Phu Quoc Island boasts 99 mountains and hills covered in lush, pristine forests, along with numerous waterfalls and streams. Along the road winding around the island, if you visit during the summer months of June, you can stop by a rambutan orchard in full harvest season, with ripe, bright red fruit everywhere. The orchard owners are happy to invite you to sample the sweet, ripe fruit freshly picked from the trees. You can pick your own or buy some to take home. But be careful of the swarms of black ants that love sweets crawling all over the trees, ready to jump on you at any moment. Rambutan at the orchard is inexpensive; you can buy some and then freely take photos and pose in the orchard.

Phu Quoc Island is also famous for its fragrant pepper gardens. These gardens are concentrated in the upper part of the island, near Ghenh Dau. The road to the south of the island winds through relatively pristine forests, along quiet, uncrowded slopes. Phu Quoc pepper has a more fragrant, spicy, and intense flavor than many other types of pepper from other regions, especially red pepper. The people of Phu Quoc carefully select ripe peppers and separate them into three types: red pepper, white pepper, and black pepper.

Phu Quoc pepper is famous for its plump skin, firm seeds, and unparalleled spiciness and aroma. The people of Phu Quoc preserve pepper cultivation not only for economic purposes but also for its significant cultural and tourism value. Pepper is a local specialty and a unique gift for tourists from near and far. If you're lucky, you might even encounter rows of coffee trees in bloom. While not as numerous as the sunny and windy Central Highlands, the flowering coffee trees attract swarms of bees, creating a rare beauty for Phu Quoc.

After exploring the lush green pepper plantations, remember to visit the renowned fish sauce factory called Nha Thung (The Barrel House). Phu Quoc fish sauce is not only famous in Vietnam but also known in many countries around the world. The fish sauce is produced in large wooden barrels. Previously, the barrels were often made from bời lời wood because this wood is soft, so there were no gaps when sealing. Nowadays, this type of wood is hard to find, so people use vên vên and chai wood instead. The barrels are sealed with rattan, which is abundant in Ong Tam Mountain and the North Island. Phu Quoc fish sauce producers only use anchovies as their raw material. There are many types of anchovies: Striped Anchovies, Chalk Anchovies, Red Anchovies, Small Anchovies, Striped Chalk Anchovies, and Black Anchovies. The best anchovies for making fish sauce are Striped Anchovies and Black Anchovies.

On our last evening on the island, my friends and I decided to camp by the beach, grill fresh squid, and sip on sweet sim wine. Under the twinkling starry sky, with the gentle sound of waves and the constant breeze, Phu Quoc left me with many beautiful memories. This green island district is developing rapidly, boasting numerous scenic spots and stunning, pristine beaches.

The Thanh