7 best Places to Visit in Phu Quoc, Vietnam

About 20 years ago, Vietnam’s largest island and the most popular resort today, was completely set aside for prisoners of war. There was nothing besides the prison itself and several villages on the island.

Phu Quoc Island

Now Phu Quoc is compared with the largest resort in Thailand – the island of Phuket. Every year, Fukuok from a wild island is increasingly turning into a place for tourism and is overgrown with appropriate infrastructure. Phu Quoc (Vietnam) has little to see. But everyone who first comes to Vietnam is happy to visit local attractions despite the small number and historical value.

In this article we will talk about the most popular tourist places of Phu Quoc and the intricacies of their visit.

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Coconut Prison (Phu Quoc Prison)

Coconut Prison

The Coconut Prison in the last century was indeed a prison, a point where thousands of military prisoners worried every day with fear. Now a museum has been built on the site of the old prison, by visiting which you can understand how prisoners of war lived. With the help of realistic figures, the Vietnamese tried to restore life and show all the hardships of prison life.

Coconut Prison Museum

The place is unsightly and creepy. It will be interesting to visit it for those who are interested in the history of Vietnam or world history in principle. Many exhibits have already worn out and lost their original appearance, but this rather adds to the attractions of the surroundings.

In order to better understand what you saw, it is optimal to visit the Coconut Prison with a guide. But if you decide to go there on your own, the installed stands describing the history of the prison will help to find out more data. Please note that all information is in English.

Attraction address: 350 Nguyen Van Cu, An Thoi town, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam (5 km from the main commercial port of Anthoy).

Opening hours: from Tuesday to Sunday, from 7:30 to 11:00 and from 13:30 to 17:00.

Free admission.

Vinpearl land

Vinpearl land

Vinpearl Land is an amusement park for the whole family. A similar place already exists in Nha Trang, only there Viperl is even larger. Despite the seemingly impressive cost of entry, a visit to Winperl Land is not the most expensive event. Payment of entry gives you the right to spend the whole day in the park and ride on any rides an unlimited number of times. Although this method of payment is unusual for many, it’s very convenient, especially if you go to the park with children. Additionally, you will have to pay only for food and souvenirs.

The park is divided into several thematic areas:

  • amusement park;
  • aquapark;
  • Aquarium (mermaids show daily at 11: 00-11: 10 and 15: 00-15: 10, feeding fish at 10:00 and 17:00)
  • dolphinarium;
  • fountain show (daily from 19: 00-19: 25 and 20: 00-20:25)
  • bowling;
  • slot machines for children.
Vinpearl Land aquarium

Winperl Land is fundamentally different from most amusement parks in that there are no lines. The territory of the park is quite large and even in high season there are not so many people to create lines and crowds.

Location: northwest of the island, about 25 km from the Duong Dong.

Opening hours: from 9:00 to 21:00. Separate park areas may work differently.

Cost: adults – 500,000 VND, children 1-1,4m tall and people over 60 years old – 400,000 VND, children below 1m – free. Left-luggage office – 10 000 VND.

Prices and schedule on the page are for November 2017.

Duong Dong Markets

Duong Dong is the largest city of Phu Quoc Island. Here, almost the entire infrastructure of the island is concentrated: restaurants, cafes, shops and banks. But for lovers of Asian color, the most interesting thing is to visit a real Vietnamese market.

Duong Dong Markets

The central market of Duong Dong can be divided into two: day and night. They differ in assortment, color, and prices. On the daytime it is better to come in the morning. Here you will find the freshest seafood at affordable prices, exotic fruits, sweets traditional for Vietnam and much more. If this is your first time entering the Vietnamese market, what is happening around you may be a little unexpected. It is noisy, crowded, and far from clean. Be prepared for this.

But the most interesting is the Phu Quoc night market. Here you can not only buy almost all of the same products as on the day, but also eat them without leaving the counter. The products you bought, the Vietnamese will immediately cook. In fact, the night market is a huge cluster of fast food cafes designed for tourists.

Location: Duong Dong city, the west coast of Phu Quoc

Schedule: daytime – from 7:00 to 16:00, night – from 18:00 to 00:00.

Buddhist Temple (Ho Quoc Temple)

Buddhist Temple (Ho Quoc Temple)

Ho Quoc Temple is a Buddhist temple that guests of the island, as a rule, do not ignore. It is located on a mountain with a view of the east coast of the island.

The temple is notable for its beautiful architecture and breathtaking panoramic views. You can visit it on your own or with a guided tour. A visit with a guide is definitely more interesting and productive, as it is accompanied by historical remarks.

Location of Attraction: Thien Vien Truc Lam Chua ho Quoc, Phu Quoc Island 920000, Vietnam (southeast of the island).

Open: from 8:00 to 16:00.

Pearl Factory (Phu Quoc Pearl Farm)

Pearl Factory Phu Quoc Pearl Farm

If you do not know what to look at Phu Quoc, then a pearl factory is for you. Pearl farm is one of the most interesting and frequently visited tourist attraction on the island. The farm is the largest pearl mining site in all of Vietnam. Here you can see how pearls are grown and processed.

By the way, precisely because of the proximity of the farm, the cost of pearl jewelry on the Phu Quoc market is not high. But if desired, jewelry can be bought directly on the farm itself. The price starts from $ 50.

In addition to viewing the pearl mining process, tourists are invited to visit a museum tour where they will talk about the types of pearls, how to get it and how to choose the right jewelry from it.

Location: 5 km south of Duong Dong (the label is on the map at the bottom of the page).

The entrance is free.

Pepper plantations

Pepper plantations

Fans are sharper, those who are looking for something else to see in Phu Quoc and just enthusiasts should definitely visit the pepper plantations. The largest of these is the Hutuong plantation. They grow the best peppers in Asia. Many varieties grow on the plantation. Visitors are even offered free (or for a nominal amount) to taste the most popular varieties of peppers.

In Hutuong you can learn how peppers are grown, how and who harvests them. How the product is processed, and reach the form in which we are used to consume spice. You can go to such a plantation yourself, but with a guide the visit will be much more interesting. In the shops on the spot there is an opportunity to buy different types of pepper as a souvenir. But those who have been here recommend buying the same pepper in the city 2-3 times cheaper.

Location: the central part of the island of Phu Quoc.

When you can visit the plantation: daily from 08:00 to 16:30.

Fish Sauce Factory

Fish Sauce Factory

The fish sauce factory is one of the main attractions of Phu Quoc and Vietnam as a whole. Without fish sauce, no Vietnamese national dish is unthinkable. It is served in almost all places where you can eat: fast, cafes and restaurants. In addition to local application, Vietnamese fish sauce is exported worldwide. Many will be interested to see for themselves how this product is made.

In order to understand everything that happens at the factory, it’s worth going with a guide there. He will talk about all the stages of production of such a popular fish sauce and its history. It is worth considering that the smell in the production is quite specific and not everyone can safely transfer such an excursion.

A small shop is located on the territory of the factory where everyone can buy fish sauce produced right there as a souvenir.

Sightseeing in Phu Quoc

Photos of the village on the water
Fishing boats in the village on the water

All the remarkable and interesting places in Phu Quoc can be traveled in a couple of days on your own. Guides offer tours to all popular places in one day. Not only will you be provided with transport, they will also tell you in detail about the history and features of all the attractions visited. The cost of such excursions, as a rule, does not exceed $ 20 per person. Food is additionally paid. But if you prefer unhurried walks, studying everything in detail on your own, then, of course, excursions are not for you.

If you have not decided whether to visit the “dubious” sights of Phu Quoc at all, select at least some of the most interesting ones and go see them. Excursions to factories and markets are a way to understand the culture, history and life of the country in which you are located. To see the country is not the same as it is presented to tourists, but real and original. Asking the question of Phu Quoc (Vietnam) what to see, always choose those places that reflect the local flavor.

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