Our introduction to Vietnam was a quick visit to the tropical island of Phu Quoc. The four of us spent two days, three nights here, which would have been just enough time to enjoy the beaches and do a little sightseeing. Unfortunately, we hardly did anything here. I was just recovering from a nice case of food poisoning, a Cambodian goodbye gift, that started the night before leaving Cambodia. I was the second victim of our family to fall prey to bad milk, Tyler being the first of us in Myanmar two months ago. The joys of travel through Southeast Asia!
Getting to Phu Quoc
Phu Quoc Island is located closer to the mainland of Cambodia than Vietnam. From Kampot, Cambodia we had to travel one hour south to the border, enter Vietnam, and then catch an hour and a half ferry to Phu Quoc.
Where else in the world can you ride a ferry named the Superdong?! The word “dong” is found everywhere in Vietnam: the Superdong ferry, Vietnamese currency is called dong (with an incredible conversion rate of $1 = 21,000 dong), and it is found in street signs everywhere.
Our travel from Cambodia to Phu Quoc went smoothly, arriving at our hotel at 3 pm. I was so exhausted from my illness that fell right to sleep on our bed, with yet-to-be unpacked backpacks piled next to me.
Paris Beach Resort
We were staying at the Paris Beach Resort, a nothing-special-but-it’s-right-on-the-beach kind of place. There were palm trees, amazing sunsets, a pool, and a beach with lounge chairs. It was all we needed for the next two days to keep us happy and to let me recuperate.
Photos of Famiana Beach Resort
Next door to the Paris Beach Resort is the much nicer Famiana Beach Resort. We ate dinner here and enjoyed the sunset on one of our nights on Phu Quoc.
Enjoying (?) the Beach
Tyler and Kara used the pool much more than the beach. There must have been super tiny stinging jellyfish in the water because Tim and the kids kept complaining about how the water felt like it was stinging their skin.
Having the pool was great, and Tyler and Kara made friends with two girls from Abel Tasman, New Zealand, a place I am so excited to visit in just a few months.
Dinner on the Beach
We ended our time in Phu Quoc with a candlelight dinner right on the beach. Fresh fish were sitting out on ice. We took our pick between snapper, squid, barracuda, and more, picking the barracuda, of course. I don’t think I’ve ever seen barracuda on a menu before!
A Vietnamese man grilled our fish right on the beach while we drank beers and enjoyed the sunset. Tim and I are very careful about what we order, usually avoiding beef and seafood, and sometimes even chicken, depending on where we are. So, was it really wise to be ordering fish from a tiny place on the beach, right when I was finally back to normal, and right before another day of travel (we had a transfer to the Mekong Delta scheduled for tomorrow)? We took our chances and ended up being fine. The fish was delicious, the setting on the beach was beautiful, and it was a great ending to our very brief time on Phu Quoc Island.
More Information about Vietnam
PLACES TO GO IN VIETNAM: Hoi An is our favorite city in Vietnam but Hanoi is a close second. Cruising Ha Long Bay is a wonderful experience as is taking a boat trip on the Mekong Delta. For a bigger list of things to do, read our article Best Things to Do in Vietnam.
DA NANG: Da Nang is an underrated town near Hoi An. Find out why we think this is a great city to add to your Vietnam itinerary
TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD: Learn more how to plan a trip around the world in our Around the World Travel Guide. You can also read our 13 Month Around the World Itinerary and a recap about our around the world trip.
Read all of our articles in our Vietnam Travel Guide.
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Comments 14
Hey..!!
I hope you might be doing well. Might be planning some new trips. Right?
Amazing overview which just mesmerized me for Phu Quoc Island. The images describe how extremely interesting the place is and location and view just charmed my heart. I am planning to visit Phu Quoc Island with friends. Can you suggest me which is the best season to visit? Can you recommend us a cheapest resort or hotel with best service in this island where youngster can enjoy freely? Oh..!! one more things to ask what kinds of are activities are available for youngster which worth doing.
Hows the atmosphere on island? Is there any drastic changes in weather because i got to know about that so I customized a tour package through Vietnam travel Portal they have even suggested activities so direct reserving your turn to explore the beauty of Island. I hope they will help us have a good trip like your trip.
For everyone who need to know more about Vietnam travel portal, find more info at https://bedlinker.com
Author
We were only on Phu Quoc for three days, and I was recovering from food poisoning, so we didn’t do anything other than hang out at our hotel. Cheers, Julie
Hi
Great post with full of useful info and amazing photo. I love the color of each photo that is so fascinating. I am planning to visit Phu Quoc Island with my parents. in this summer. Can you recommend us a good resort or hotel in this island? Many people say that the weather in this island is unpredicted, so i wonder that we can not know the weather when we come this island because I customized a tour package through Vietnam travel agent. I hope they will help us have a good trip like your trip.
For everyone who need to know more about Vietnam travel, find more info at http://itsvietnam.com/
Author
We stayed at the Paris Hotel which was just OK. There are nicer spots…you could try checking Booking.com for more options. Cheers, Julie
Beautiful pictures. Thanks so much for sharing. We plan to visit Nha Trang and Phu Quoc next year in 2017 🙂
Author
Thank you, Yen. Enjoy Vietnam…it’s a wonderful place to visit. Cheers, Julie
Your photos are so beautiful. I wish to see more. 🙂
Author
Thank you! 🙂
Wow, Phu Quoc is really an amazing destination for visit! This is absolutely on my travel list..Could you please help me to choose the best way to get there?
Author
Hello,
You can fly or take a ferry from the mainland.
Cheers, Julie
Hi Julie, Thank you for you valuable suggestion.
What you need to consider is weather, my advise is to check weather 3 days before departure and must have substitute plan since there is no
boat to Phu Quy island in bad weather. Thousands of islands rise from the seabed creating a mystical panorama.
Especially in Vietnam, one can see the blending of French and Vietnamese
architecture, with a little Chinese influence thrown in too.
Hi there! Great reading all these wonderful posts! The stinging sensation in the water may have been coral spawning. I’ve been stung by them a couple times in other places. Not pleasant, but not so bad either. You guys are super inspiring to say the least.
Well, if that doesn’t look like paradise, with the seafood dinner on the beautiful beach and the gorgeous sunset! Tim, Tyler and Kara look healthy and happy, too. Glad you are better now, Julie. The island in Vietnam was a good location to get some needed pampering. Love looking at all of the photos and reading the blogs!!