Need a hassle-free, less than 30-day beach vacation?
Vietnam makes it easy to visit Phu Quoc Island!
Phu Quoc has a 150 km coastline and over 20 beaches.
We decide to hang out here for a month, but because we came by land and sea, we need a 30-day visa for Vietnam. The e-visa takes 3 days and costs $25 USD each.
For $18 CAD each a tour bus from Kampot, Cambodia takes us directly to the border with Vietnam. After going through both Cambodia and Vietnam customs, another bus takes us to the ferry. The ticket includes the ferry price. We have chosen the slow boat (90 minutes) rather than one of the fast catamarans. It was an inexpensive taxi ride from the ferry to our accommodation. The driver piled several of us into one taxi, for fare-sharing. We appreciated that.
In Thailand and Cambodia, we saved considerable money based on our monthly budget. Islands are generally expensive and this one is no exception. Here we did not go over-budget, but savings were minimal. Three years ago we took a month to travel Vietnam from south to north and some of the interior and found it very budget-friendly.
We plunk down in the largest city Duong Dong so that walking to most places is an option.
For freedom, we rent a scooter when its time to see more of the island. Prices range from $100,000 to 150,000 VD for the day before Christmas. After December 25, rates double. Here is information on local transportation for those who don't like scooters: Boats, Buses, Scooters, Bicycles, Car Rentals and Taxis
Phu Quoc in the Gulf of Thailand is Vietnam's largest island and includes 21 smaller islets.
Phu Quoc has a complicated history, once claimed by Cambodia (and still is by some); then becoming a base for a French missionary, then a French prison; followed by the Americans housing VC prisoners here in what is known as the Coconut Tree Prison.
An economy that once relied on fishing and agriculture is now dominated by tourism, aided by it's international airport. The development going on over the whole island is staggering. Hard to believe there's that much demand for accommodation. That being said, two-thirds of Phu Quoc has untouched forests, that are just now coming under threat.
AROUND TOWN
It's a short walk from our hotel to the waterfront, the night market, the museum and Long Beach. On the way, we pass a restaurant with a microbrewery and are offered a taste. Mmmhmm, we'll be back.
Dinh Cau Rock - Din Cau (Fisherman's) Temple
This small temple at the exit to the harbour was built in 1937 to commemorate the Goddess of the Sea. Fishers come to this small place under the lighthouse to make their offering and ask for protection before heading out to the open sea.
Its a place of community. People gather along the many benches at the base of the rock. At the entrance, street food vendors ply their wares. This is where the New Year's Eve fireworks are held.
The pier is a good place to watch the colourful fish boats come and go and to have a look back at Din Cau Beach and fisherman's homes. Climbing to the top of the temple provides even better views and sunset panoramas.
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| The catches are small. Someone from the dock office is there to pay the fishers |
Dinh Cau Night Market
The night market comes alive as late afternoon approaches. Cars and trucks are banned at that time making it pedestrian-friendly. Pop-up stalls selling a variety of juices, seafood snacks and skewers ready for the BBQ appear.
The souvenir shops are well-stocked, especially the ones selling clothing, pearls and products made from crocodile skin. BBQ crocodile is sold in many restaurants in town.
The seafood restaurants have filled their aquariums with the freshest of live seafood. There's lobster, crabs, many types of snails, scallops, sea urchins, various sizes of prawns and prawn-like looking creatures, squid, octopus, snakes, eels, frogs and so much more.
There are bins of iced fish, ready for hungry customers to choose their favourite from the many available varieties. The colourful Parrotfish catches our eye.
There are several "traditional medicine" shops at the market that sell all kinds of things that we don't recognize and some that we do: big rolls of cinnamon bark, fungus, various roots, herbs and more.
Bikes of Burden
A small shop called 'The Story Tree' in the night market with home decor and art, also carries two books. One of which has incredible photography of scooters in Vietnam and the work that they do. Check it out here: Bikes of Burden by Hans Kemp
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| hmmm - maybe we should do a book too!! |
The Coi Nguon Museum
The four floors of the museum house what is mostly the private collection of a former tour guide on the island and is in a beautiful (if somewhat dilapidated) old building. The admission is a mere $20,000 VND ($1.13 CAD)
The building is a bit of a maze to get through, which adds to its charm.
The first floor has collections of seashells, samples of sand from every beach on the island (astounding how different each is), oysters and pearls (an industry here), species of trees and native medicines.
There's a skeleton of a dugong. Below is a photo of a baby one that was brought into captivity this year in Thailand when it was orphaned. It soon died from bowel obstruction from plastic it had swallowed at sea.
There are 2,500 UNESCO-inspected items of pottery on exhibition, some of which date back to the fifteenth century; and displays of porcelain. Much of these were found underwater.
There are shrines scattered throughout the building and a section on folk art.
On-site there is a souvenir shop, restaurant and a resort. Reading later I discover there's an outside section that apparently houses a sanctuary for seabirds which is home to several threatened sea eagles and a display dedicated to the Phu Quoc Ridgeback dogs. We never did see these two spaces.
This museum is not modern. It's dusty and you completely go through it on your own. There's a small pamphlet and that's it ... but its very worth your time to come here.
Phu Quoc Ridgeback Dogs
These lovely, well-mannered little dogs are everywhere. They cruise the streets but seem to not stray far from home. Due to in-breeding they now come in all sorts of colours, brown, blond (yellow), black and marbled and their tongue has black spots.
These ridgebacks are native to Phu Quoc and the only dog with its roots in Vietnam. They were bred to be hunters and are the smallest of the three ridgeback breeds; the other two being the Thai and the Rhodesian Ridgebacks.
They look fierce because when they are doing dog duty and barking to alert someone of your presence the hair of the ridge stands up, but they have a pleasant personality and are purported to be quite intelligent. We find them to be a bit aloof, except for one 'shop dog' that we stop and visit every day.
Cao Dai Hoi Thanh Temple
This colourful temple is the second Cao Dai temple in Duong Dong. The religion founded in 1919 is interesting because a central belief is that there are many different religions that all share one god. In one place I read that Phu Quoc was the birthplace of this religion, but could not confirm that statement. The religion combines beliefs from Hinduism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity and Islam.
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| This appears to be a parade float in side the temple |
Hong Mai Fish Sauce Factory
Strolling back alleys beyond the night market one day, we come to the slightly opened back doors of what we recognize as a fish sauce factory from the huge wooden vats. This is a small factory. A man jumps up from his hammock to greet us. We are given permission to take photos, then he invites us to taste his product. The sauce is the best we have tasted: light, flavourful, not too salty, nor too 'fishy'. Phu Quoc is known for the quality of its fish sauce and has a special designation.
Paul climbs up a ladder to peer into a vat (photo bottom left) where the fermentation is taking place. You can see the white salt. Traditionally anchovies crusted in sea salt (the only 2 ingredients) are left to ferment for up to two years. Bigger factories looking to cut time and costs add ingredients like sugar, salt and/or water and may use krill or other small fish.
The video below is called: "Vietnam Discovery: Making Traditional Fish Sauce in Phu Quoc."
This reminds Paul of the big vats that the Nisga'a people in northern BC used to ferment hooligan (AKA the Candlefish). What was collected here was the nutrient and vitamin-rich oil from the fish (AKA grease) that was used in trade between inland and coastal First Nations groups for goods (over what became known as the grease trail), for cooking, for eating and oil lamps.
Dinh Ba Temple
The paintings in this temple are so beautiful that we went back a second time. The first time we were the only people there. An elderly man showed us around. On leaving he merely asked for a cigarette for his time. Having none, we went across the road and bought him a package. The second time we went about 5 local people were there to worship.
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| View of the gate from the temple side |
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| Outside and Inside Doors to the Temple - Spectacular |
Long Beach
The beach near us is Phu Quoc's largest beach ... beautiful white sand and clear, warm, calm sea ... a sandy, weed-free bottom ... and a great place to watch sunsets. Twenty km of tropical paradise. In all the time we are here we see only one box jellyfish even though we are on the Gulf of Thailand.
Our problem with Phu Quoc (and we hear in at least one other beach town on the mainland) is that the beachfront resorts act as though they own the beach. We have read of tourists sitting peacefully on the beach on their own towels in front of the loungers rented out by a hotel who has had the police remove them forcibly from the beach. Right now, the cost of renting the loungers is more expensive than anywhere we travelled in Europe. The prices double from Christmas day onward.
We showed up at one beach resort near 5 PM and ordered two cocktails. The loungers were basically empty at this time of day but when we asked to sit there until the drinks were done, the request was refused unless we paid the full amount for the entire day. Out on scooter rides, we were denied access to two different beaches.
There is very little public beach on the island and development is so booming that there will be less and less public beach. It's bad enough for budget travellers like us but its really not good for local people.
Sim
Everywhere we go Paul finds one drink, usually an after-dinner digestive that's made locally or even brewed in someone's home. Here its Phu Quoc Sim Wine (AKA: Ruou Sim or Rose Myrtle Sim). He discovers it in the restaurant next door to our hotel. It's in a big plastic jar that's loaded with berries. The menu says it's home-made.
The recipe originated with various ethnic minority groups living in the interior highlands of the island and is made with fruit from the native Rose Myrtle tree which blooms and bears fruit year-round. We have also seen Sim wine, commercially made, bottled and sold in stores.
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| Medicinal Properties: Good for digestion, fatigue & joint pain |
This website is the source of the photos above - no copyright infringement intended. It also has a simple recipe for making wine. Sim Wine
NATIONAL PRIDE
Soon after our arrival, we are at a 'local' restaurant. The southeast Asia (SEA) multi-sport games are on and Vietnam is winning men's football. This is the 30th games. They are held every other year and 11 countries participate. There's a TV in the back, it's crowded and the cheering that goes on when Vietnam makes a good move or scores is deafening. Everyone is excited and happy.
One of the owners of this street restaurant doesn't speak a word of English but recognizes us as newcomers. He gifts us with an appetizer of BBQ scallops that are so heavenly, we order them a few times as we become regulars at this establishment. I find a recipe that's not exactly the same name as on the menu, but the ingredients sound like the taste: Grilled Scallops & Mussels in Spring Onion Oil A little squeeze of lime over them enhances all of the flavours.
We come back here as the servers, who again know very little English love to tease us. They will bring us a little sample of something to taste, then stand back to watch our expressions. We have fun with them.
AROUND THE ISLAND
DESTINATIONS & BRIEF STOPS ON THE SCOOTER
(in no particular order)
As we rent a scooter, I'm grateful for Paul's 50+ years of experience of motorcycling, his driving skills and abilities to predict the movement of others on the road. According to a Vietnamese government website, Vietnam has a higher rate of scooter accidents than ten other Asian countries. It is the third biggest problem facing Vietnam today. Safety experts have compared the impact of fatalities alone to a fully loaded 747 jetliner crashing every ten-and-a-half days. The impact of brain injuries on families and communities must be challenging. We groan when we see tourists who have never ridden a motorbike take off without a care.
When is a boat not a boat?
When its a Thung Chai of course
The iconic Vietnamese basket boat is seen throughout the country. It came into being when the French colonized Vietnam and started to tax everything, including fishing boats. Subsistence fishers couldn't afford the tax so they made the basket and argued that it wasn't a boat and therefore it couldn't be taxed. They won! Today it's still used for close-to-shore fishing and transportation.
Coconut Tree Prison (AKA: Hell on Earth)
Human-sized dolls and information boards in this stockade demonstrate the documented horrific tortures by the South Vietnamese (American Puppet) government on the captured VC POWs from approximately 1967 to 1973. Forty-five different methods of torture have been described. Over the course of the war, 40,000 prisoners were here. About 4,000 were killed while imprisoned.
Tying men down then chiselling teeth and knees or driving spikes into various body parts; application of electric shock; strapping a man face down over two boards with a slight separation then lighting a fire under his penis; shining bright lights into eyes until blindness occurred; burying & boiling men alive; random shooting into a ward were just a few of the atrocities committed. In one especially bloody night, 148 POWs were killed or hurt. The expressions of pain and agony on the prisoner's faces and those of cold disregard on the captors' faces make the imagination crawl with the nightmare of what happened here.
Men were confined for long periods of time in tiny barbed wire Tiger Cages that were exposed to the weather, were too low to sit up in and too short to lie down in; and where the slightest movement would tear skin and they would be there in their own body waste. As you can see, starvation was part of the torture in the cages and for all of the prisoners.
One of the greatest forms of resistance was an escape. Tunnelling was the chosen method and became a bit of an obsession with the prisoners. There were a total of seven jailbreak tunnels dug, with successful escapes from five of them. One tunnel was 120 meters long with 21 escaping.
A tunnel was reconstructed so that visitors can see what it was like to be inside doing the tunnelling and can walk alongside it to understand the magnitude of the digging. Tools used included mess spoons, barbed wire and metal stakes. Eventually, after the tunnels were discovered the floors of the units the men were housed in were cemented to stop the tunnelling.
Another form of protest was the hunger strike. A most desperate one, when prison management would not make changes, was self-disembowelment. And one of the most successful was engaging in cultural activities, making musical instruments, singing, drawing and other forms of art that kept hope alive and spirit up in the face of brutality.
Cable Car to Hon Thom (Pineapple Island)
We have ridden quite a few cable cars, but this one is great. The Guinness Book of World Records has verified it as the longest non-stop, 3-way cable car in the world at 7,899.9 meters (almost 8 km) long, lasting 15 minutes and getting speeds up to 30 km/hour. You fly over whole islands while gazing at clear, turquoise water with coral reefs, fishing fleets and villages.
The destination is an island that has been turned into a theme park called the Sun World Hon Thom Nature Park. In our opinion, there's nothing natural about it and after a quick walk around we were ready to leave. Young kids would love it. Construction is still going on.
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| View from Cable Car of Rides Section, not yet Open |
The entrance is made to look like Roman ruins for some reason.
Young men are dressed in some kind of Roman Centurion clothing to match the building.
Paintings on the walls inside look like you could be on the Amalfi Coast.
and then the park had a Kontiki theme with young women dressed in grass skirts and coconut bras.
An electric cart takes people off to a small beach on the island where one can jump into a hammock or go into the water on an enormous inflatable jungle gym.
The coy pond was beautiful. Lots of room for the fish. And some colours we hadn't seen before such as a shimmering, metallic gold
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| A bus whisks you to this beachfront resort for swimming time |
As an aside: There is another enormous theme park on the north end of the island. Its called Vinpearl Land and is partially open with some parts either under construction or renovation.
Ong Lang Beach - One of Our Favourites - Get It While You Can
A full day of sight-seeing from the scooter changed with an early stop at Bai Ong Lang on the west coast. The yellow sand, few people, and gentle, clear water convinced us to spend the day here ... and we will come back.
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| Public Beach at Ong Lang |
There is a resort (in Vietnam that seems to mean private beach) on either end of the public beach. Behind the stone wall in the photo above is a large tract of private land that stretches from the resort on one end to the resort on the other end. It is not yet developed but there are guards posted on the land so that you cannot trespass on the grass. So far, the public can use the beach in front of the empty property but based on what we've seen so far, we're guessing that whenever this land is developed it will likely lead to the end of this lovely public beach. So sad.
BEE FARM
One day on the scooter we landed early at the Phu Quoc Bee Farm, the first ecological bee farm on the island. There is no charge to enter. We ended up with a personal tour by this very educated and literate guide who knew about the diverse plants on the property and how to use them as food and medicine as well as about bees and other insects:
Scattered throughout the plants and gardens of the farm were little libraries where people could help themselves to free books. The natural setting of this was like a little piece of paradise.
After touring the farm we went to the gift shop and had a juice that we could sweeten with honey. Their shop sold raw honey infused with things like pepper, turmeric, garlic, ginger and more. I think I need to learn how to do the infusions. Cosmetics candles and liquor also had honey as the main ingredient.
Their website is packed with postings of scientific papers and stories about honey bees: Phu Quoc Bee Farm
SAW MILLS
The government is having to step up enforcement of illegal purchase of forested land and illegal deforestation on the island as local people clear the land for crops and the raising of animals. They will begin seizing crops and animals as part of the consequences of poaching the forest. People will no longer be able to lease forested land.
These sawmills are located near the boat building workshops and are probably milling and selling wood obtained legally.
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| A lot of maneuvers for each piece of lumber |
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| Note the workers in their bare feet |
HON MOT ISLAND
This island in the northeast corner, while tiny is the largest island of the Phu Quoc archipelago. It's connected by a 200-meter handmade footbridge that is now strong enough for scooters. The nature trail that goes around the island provides gorgeous views. There's no cost to go there.
You can take a picnic and supplement it with the little snack bar on the island. Others come to snorkel and some rough camp on the island. We enjoyed our hour there.
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| Scenes from around the trail |
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| Homes on the island & in the water near the island |
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| Gathering from the sea |
BOATBUILDING on PHU QUOC ISLAND
We pull over at several open sheds with one or two men working on building boats. Boatbuilding is a trade on Phu Quoc island that has supported families for generations. Today with tourism and fishing still important, boatbuilding remains a vibrant industry. The focus is to make safe, durable and useful fishing boats.
Boat building requires at least a year of training and the Chief boat builder that oversees everything from the drawing of plans to the final inspection of the boat has at least ten years of experience.
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| Adding fibreglass to the outside of the boat |
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| Marine paint applied |
HAM NINH FISHING VILLAGE & PIER
Ham Ninh is one of the oldest villages on Phu Quoc island and Bai Vong Port one of the first ports. Fishing has been its bread and butter, but now there is the (floating) restaurant business to feed the tourists; handmade souvenirs with gifts made from things from the sea and diving for pearls and sea cucumber. This area has very shallow waters and was once home to the dugong (sea mermaid).
While tourism is changing the village, this is still the most authentic place left on the island to get a sense of fishing and of tasting local recipes. Originally fishers lived aboard their boats or in bamboo huts with thatched roofs, then in wooden houses on stilts in the water. Now many homes are modern and made of concrete. Infrastructure has grown with the town.
The jetty feels like its about a km long. It's hard to capture the busyness of it. Scooters going up and down; fish boats coming and going; busy restaurants; boat and fishnet repairs at the far end and at the land end of it booths hawking souvenirs. The heart of the community.
STARFISH BEACH
This beach is on the north end of Phu Quoc, on the far eastern side of Rach Vem Beach. It's a hard-pack dirt road to get there. Many tour vans are now going regularly to this spot as are the 4x4 Jeep tours. It must have been lovely a few years ago.
Because of the crowding, we spend only an hour or so walking this beach and having a cold one. It's worth a stop if you're on the north end of the beach.
We were finding ourselves annoyed by the tourists treating the starfish as toys, rather than as living creatures due some respect...handling them a lot, burying them in the sand, tossing them in the air, etc.
NGOC HIEN PEARL FARM
There are pay tours to this pearl farm. We just stopped by on the scooter one day and were given the same tour for free.
To the immediate right through the door is a display of carved Giant Clamshell fossils. These are the largest species of bivalve molluscs. They were transformed on the ocean floor over thousands of years and can weigh 90 to 260 pounds and measure 1.5 to 4 feet in size. I believe they are now extinct.
The shells are cleaned on the inside to expose the nacre to bring out the many colours. An artist then decides what to carve to enhance the shape and colours. These are for sale, some for tens of thousands of dollars.
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| Photo was taken before I saw the 'No Photos' sign |
We were taken downstairs to learn about pearl farming and the shells that they grow in. This factory is located water-front and farms its own pearls.
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| An oyster was opened to show the pearl growing inside |
On display were different sizes and colours of pearls. Women behind glass dividers were stringing and knotting pearl necklaces.
Did you know? One way to tell if a pearl is real or fake? Rub two pearls together then wipe on your clothes. With real pearls, a fine powder will come off on your clothes.
For anyone who wants to know this: Difference Between Fresh & Saltwater Pearls
Even more interesting than the pearls was where shells are polished and carved.
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| First the cleaning & collecting of the shells |
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| Drawing of a design |
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| Carving |
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| Polished |
Near the end of our stay, we meet a lovely couple who live in the southeast of Germany (part of the country we didn't get to 3 years ago). They met a fellow countryman who owns a bar (Casablanca) and have the scoop on a live band from Ho Chi Minh that's doing a charity fundraiser to support street children on the island. What a great time. The band is a father and his three sons and they are talented musicians. We dance the night away.
Tired of island life after about two weeks we looked into extending our Vietnam Tourist Visa with thoughts of going to the mainland to see some places that we missed three years ago. A travel agent is the easiest way to do this. Another option is to leave the country for several days, apply again for an on-line visa and return. We felt that either choice was ridiculously expensive, about $110 CAD per person, so we passed our time on the island.
We've been on the road now since April 1 and it looks like we will keep going in 2020.
Next stop Malaysia: Langkawi, the Malaysian mainland and Malaysian Borneo.
RANDOM PHOTOS PHU QUOC ISLAND
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| Taking a load off |
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| ~200 stairs to this little patio over the rocky shore. Youth fishing & collecting something off rocks |
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| So glad this isn't our job |
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| Live seahorses are fascinating to watch |
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| A forest walk on the north end of the island. Cicadas were deafening |
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| Dinner that Bites Back |
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| Pearls & Coral |
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| Pipe & Cigarette Holders made from Shell |
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| Garbage in the ocean washed onto a beach at a ferry terminal, Phu Quoc |
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| How to upcycle styrofoam |
A woman keeps these birds on her deck and we don't know if she sells them or what. The big black one is missing the bottom portion of his beak, so maybe she's like a rescue center (I'd like to believe that anyway!)
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| A nice little bar in Duong Dong for a drink & lunch. Close to, but not on the beach |
