How do you get to Phu Quoc from Saigon?

Fly: about 1 hour to Phu Quoc Airport, the quickest way. Or drive to a mainland port and take a ferry: Rach Gia is about 4-4¾ hours from Saigon with a 2¼-2½ hour crossing, and Ha Tien is 5½-6¼ hours with a crossing of about 1¼ hours. Most people fly; the ferry suits a longer trip through the Mekong Delta.

When is the best time to visit Phu Quoc?

November to April is the dry season, with calm seas, clear water and 80-90% sunshine on the island. May to October is the rainy season: showers come in the afternoon rather than all day, but the sea is rougher, boat trips are cancelled more often and September and October are the roughest.

Which part of Phu Quoc should you stay in?

Long Beach near Duong Dong town has the most hotels, restaurants and the night market, and the best sunsets. Ong Lang on the quieter north-west coast suits a calmer stay. Bai Truong and Sao Beach in the south and east are for beach time, and An Thoi is by the cable car and the island boats.

Is Phu Quoc still part of Kien Giang province?

No. Since July 2025 Kien Giang has been merged into An Giang province, so Phu Quoc and the ports of Rach Gia and Ha Tien are now in An Giang. Ferry sites and maps often still say Kien Giang.

Is it safe to rent a scooter on Phu Quoc?

Only if you are a confident, experienced rider. Some of the island's roads are still gravel or dusty red earth, and visitors regularly lose skin or break bones in falls. A taxi, a driver for the day or the hotel's shuttle is the safer way to see the island.

How long does the ferry from Ha Tien to Phu Quoc take?

About 1¼ hours on the high-speed boats, arriving at Bai Vong on the east of the island. Adult fares were about 215,000-250,000₫ one way in 2026. The crossing from Rach Gia takes about 2¼-2½ hours.

What is Phu Quoc famous for?

Beaches, sunsets, seafood, fish sauce and black pepper. The island produces some of Vietnam's best fish sauce, and the pepper farms and fish-sauce factories take visitors. It also has a national park covering much of the interior, and a growing set of theme parks in the south.

Phu Quoc Island: Beaches, Flights, Ferries & Where to Stay

What is Phu Quoc, and how far is it?

Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s biggest island, in the Gulf of Thailand, so close to Cambodia that you can see the mainland from the north-west coast. It’s in An Giang province since July 2025 (before that, Kien Giang). Saigon is about an hour away by air, and the mainland ferry ports of Ha Tien and Rach Gia are 1¼ to 2½ hours away by sea.

The island has changed a great deal in recent years. The gravel tracks and a handful of bungalows of the early 2000s are now a resort island, with a busy airport, Long Beach lined with hotels, a night market and theme parks. Quiet beaches survive, mostly in the south-east and the north, and the national park still covers much of the forested interior.

When to go

The dry season, November to April, is the time for beaches: calm seas, clear water and mostly sunshine, with December to March the coolest. May to October is the rainy season. It doesn’t rain all day, but showers are heavy, the sea gets rough, boat trips are cancelled and some beach restaurants close. September and October are the roughest months, and cheaper hotels reflect it.

The west coast, including Long Beach, faces the setting sun, so sunsets are the thing to do every evening.

Getting to Phu Quoc

By air

Flights from Saigon take about 1 hour, and there are also direct flights from Hanoi and a growing number of international routes. The airport is expanding: a second runway was due to open on 3 September 2026, and a new terminal is expected from April 2027 (VnExpress, 17 August 2026). Until then the existing terminal is busy, and weekends, holidays and Tet fill seats quickly, so book early.

Flying in via Saigon? A private car from Tan Son Nhat airport can take you straight to your hotel in the city before the island leg.

By ferry from the mainland

Boats run to Phu Quoc from two ports in the Mekong Delta. Ha Tien has the shortest crossing, about 1¼ hours, and a fare of about 215,000-250,000₫ for an adult (2026). Rach Gia has more departures and is nearer to Saigon, with a crossing of about 2¼-2½ hours and fares of about 315,000-330,000₫ (2026). A slower car ferry also runs from Rach Gia.

Drive time from Saigon is about 4-4¾ hours to Rach Gia and 5½-6¼ hours to Ha Tien, so a morning boat means a night in the delta or a very early start. We drive to both ports, and the pages above cover the timing. Check the operator’s timetable the week you travel: sailings change between seasons, and rough sea cancels boats.

Beaches

Long Beach (Bai Truong)

The long west-coast strip running south from Duong Dong, with most of the hotels, restaurants and the night market and the best sunsets. It’s the easiest base: busy, with plenty of choice.

Clear shallow water and white sand at Bai Sao (Star Beach), Phu Quoc — Photo: Vnecofriendly, CC BY-SA 4.0

Ong Lang

On the north-west coast, quieter, with smaller resorts and homestays among the trees and a calmer sea. It’s a short taxi ride from Duong Dong.

Sao Beach (Bai Sao)

The south-east beach with soft white sand and clear shallow water, and the one most people name when asked for the island’s best. It gets crowded around midday, and the east coast is rougher when the wind blows from that side.

Bai Khem

A smaller, softer beach in the south-east, also known for its fine sand, popular with day trippers.

Ganh Dau

A beach and fishing area at the north-west tip, where Cambodia is visible across the water. It’s a good half-day trip for seafood and a view.

What to do

The south has the biggest attractions. The Hon Thom cable car runs about 15 minutes over the sea from An Thoi to Hon Thom island, and an adult return ticket was about 850,000₫ in 2026 listings, including entry to the water park and some rides. There are also VinWonders, a safari park and the Grand World complex in the north-east, all of them large, busy and ticketed.

Quieter options are the snorkelling and diving trips to the islands off the southern tip, the pepper farms, the fish-sauce factories and the waterfalls and rock pools in the centre. The Dinh Cau night market in Duong Dong is the place to eat seafood in the evening, with the price per kilo agreed before it’s cooked.

Fishing boats in the river harbour at Duong Dong, Phu Quoc — Photo: User:Doron, CC BY-SA 3.0

Getting around

Taxis and hotel shuttles cover the main strip, and a car with a driver for the day is the easiest way to link the beaches. Many visitors rent a scooter or jeep, but be careful: a few of the roads are still dusty red gravel, and inexperienced riders lose skin or break ribs and legs. Only rent a scooter if you’re a very competent rider, and wear a helmet.

Where to stay

Choose by area.

Long Beach, Duong Dong: the widest choice, close to the night market and restaurants.
Ong Lang: quieter, smaller places, on the north-west coast.
Bai Truong and Sao Beach (south and east): the best sand, mostly resorts, with transport needed for dinner.
An Thoi and Hon Thom: the south tip, convenient for the cable car and island boats, with little else around.

Book early for December to February and for holidays; the island has far more rooms than in 2009, but the best resorts still fill.

Onward

For the mainland side of a Phu Quoc trip, see Rach Gia and Ha Tien. For the rest of the country, the Vietnam destinations page is the place to start.