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What is Rach Gia?
Rach Gia is the biggest town on the Gulf of Thailand coast of the Mekong Delta, and for travellers it’s the port for the boat to Phu Quoc. Since July 2025 it has been in An Giang province, after the old Kien Giang was merged into it, so ferry and bus sites may still say Kien Giang. The town has a busy seafront, a market and a long fishing tradition, but most visitors see only the car park and the pier.
If you’ve decided to reach Phu Quoc by sea, this page covers the part before the boat: the drive and the departure.
How long from Saigon to Rach Gia by car?
A private car takes about 4-4¾ hours, roughly 250 km, mostly via the delta expressways and then national roads to the coast. The expressway down to Can Tho is quick; the stretch beyond it is slower. Our prices include tolls.
The timing is dictated by the ferry. High-speed boats leave Rach Gia at about 7:00, 8:10, 10:20-10:30 and 13:00-13:10, depending on the operator, and you should be at the terminal 30-45 minutes before departure (2026 timetables; check the operator for your date). That gives you three ways to do it:
- The 7 am boat: leave Saigon at about 1:30 am. A calm driver and a quiet cabin make this survivable; a 7-seater lets a family sleep.
- The mid-morning boat: leave at about 4-5 am and arrive at breakfast time.
- The 1 pm boat: leave after breakfast, and you’re on the island by mid-afternoon.
Boats depart from the passenger terminal on Nguyen Cong Tru street, in the Vinh Thanh ward. The driver knows the way.
Rach Gia ferry: timetable and fares (2026)
Two high-speed operators cover the route, with similar fares: about 315,000-330,000₫ for an adult, 225,000-240,000₫ for a child (children under six travel free with an adult on one operator), and around 500,000₫ for a VIP seat, on a crossing of about 2¼-2½ hours. A roll-on-roll-off car ferry takes about 3¼ hours and carries vehicles. Hand luggage is limited to about 10 kg per person on one operator; heavier bags may cost extra.
Weather can delay or cancel sailings when the sea is rough, and the timetable changes between the high and low seasons. Always check the operator’s page the week you travel, and buy tickets early at weekends and holidays.
Rach Gia port: car, bus or flight?
If your plan ends at Phu Quoc, flying is quicker. But flights fill at weekends and holidays, and the ferry has been a practical choice with a lot of luggage or when seats run out.
Buses and limousine vans run from Saigon to Rach Gia in about 6-7 hours and drop you at a bus station, so you must also get to the port. A booked private car goes to the port itself, at a time that fits your boat. You know the car and driver beforehand, the price is fixed. For a trip that starts in the middle of the night, the standard matters: a calm driver who doesn’t lean on the horn, a non-smoking cabin so you can sleep, working seatbelts, no overpowering air freshener, and a 7-seater for a family.
Book the car for the day before the boat, with a night at your Saigon hotel, or stop at Can Tho for the night, which leaves about 1½-2 hours of driving to the port in the morning.
Meeting your driver
- Book in the box at the top of the page; you get an email confirming your booking, and the driver’s name, photo and number plate the evening before.
- Put the ferry time in the notes. We set the pickup to match it, with a margin for check-in.
- Pay the driver in dong or by VietQR transfer. Tolls and parking are included.
- For the return, book a transfer from the port to Saigon with your ferry arrival time.
Things to do in Rach Gia
Rach Gia isn’t a destination in itself. If you have a spare couple of hours before a boat, the seafront and the night market are the place to eat, and seafood is the local speciality. For a bigger plan, the delta’s sights are on the way: Can Tho for the floating market, and Chau Doc for the border country, about 2½ hours from Can Tho.
When to travel
The Phu Quoc ferries run all year, with fewer sailings and more cancellations in rough weather. The calmest sea and best island weather are from roughly November to April. Weekends, holidays and Tet (early February in 2027) sell out boats weeks ahead.
Onward
The other mainland port for Phu Quoc is Ha Tien, with a shorter crossing but a longer drive. For the delta itself, see Can Tho. To book any other leg, change the From and To in the booking box.