An independent guide to Phu Quoc island
Independent travel guide · not a government office
The island of Phu Quoc, region by region
Phu Quoc is a large island in the Gulf of Thailand, governed since 1 July 2025 as the Phu Quoc Special Zone of An Giang province. This independent guide explains how to reach it, how the island divides into regions, what the two monsoon seasons do to the sea, and how to visit its forest, fish-sauce houses and wartime sites with some care.
What Phu Quoc is today
Phu Quoc lies off the south-west coast of Vietnam, close to the Cambodian shore. The island runs about 49 to 50 km from north to south and is widest, about 25 km, in the north, according to the special zone's own overview page. Official figures for its area differ: SGGP gives more than 589 km², while the An Giang provincial portal's 2025 plan uses 575.29 km². We quote both rather than pick one.
Its administrative status changed recently. On 1 July 2025 Kien Giang and An Giang provinces merged into a single province called An Giang, and the former Phu Quoc city became the Phu Quoc Special Zone, built from the wards of Duong Dong and An Thoi and the communes of Duong To, Ham Ninh, Cua Duong, Bai Thom, Ganh Dau and Cua Can. Many maps, signs and older articles still say “Kien Giang” or “Phu Quoc city”; they refer to the same place.
The island is busy. Tuoi Tre reported more than 8.1 million visitor arrivals in 2025, of which more than 1.8 million were international. Expect construction too: Phu Quoc is preparing to host APEC meetings in 2027, with a new airport terminal, a convention centre and wider roads under way.
Sources: SGGP — Phu Quoc becomes a special zone (1 Jul 2025); SGGP — An Giang forms three special zones (30 Jun 2025); An Giang provincial portal — special-zone organisation plan (Dec 2025); Phu Quoc special zone portal — overview of the island; Tuoi Tre — visitor figures for 2025 (31 Dec 2025) · checked .
The island in four regions
We divide the island the way most first-time visitors experience it: by where you sleep and what you can reach in half a day. Each region page lists distances, the sea conditions by season, and the cases where that region is the wrong base.
West coast
Duong Dong and Long Beach
The main town, Dinh Cau shrine, the market and the long west-facing beach.
Read the region
South
The south and the An Thoi islands
Bai Sao, Bai Khem, the prison site, the cable car and the islet boats.
Read the region
North
The north and the national park
Forest, Ganh Dau cape, Bai Dai and the resort cluster of the north-west.
Read the region
East coast
The east coast and Ham Ninh
A fishing village, seagrass beds, pepper gardens and the mainland boat port.
Read the regionSeasons in brief
Two monsoons set the year. The north-east monsoon brings the dry season, roughly November or December to April, when the west coast is calm and clear. The south-west monsoon brings the rain, roughly May to October or November, when waves build on the west and north-west coasts and the sheltered south-east beaches become the place to swim. Boats to and around the island are suspended on rough days in both monsoons. Our weather and seasons page has a month-by-month chart and long-term rainfall figures.
Getting in, in one paragraph
Most visitors fly into Phu Quoc International Airport (PQC), south of Duong Dong, which has direct domestic flights from eleven Vietnamese cities and a growing list of international routes. The alternative is a fast boat or car ferry from Rach Gia or Ha Tien on the mainland to Bai Vong port on the east coast. Foreign visitors who fly or sail straight into Phu Quoc from abroad can usually stay up to 30 days without a visa, but only on the island. The details, and the cases where that exemption does not apply, are on getting there; moving about once you land is covered in getting around.
Sources: Phu Quoc International Airport — direct-flight network (14 Sep 2026); Phu Quoc International Airport — visa guidance; Superdong — Rach Gia and Ha Tien routes to Phu Quoc · checked .
What this site is, and what it is not
Phu Quoc Island Tourism is an independent travel guide written by a small editorial team. Despite the name, it is not a government tourism office and does not speak for the An Giang provincial authorities or the Phu Quoc Special Zone. Official information is published by the province at angiang.gov.vn and by the special zone at phuquoc.angiang.gov.vn.
We do not sell tours, tickets or rooms, and we do not take bookings. Each section names the sources it relies on and the date we checked them; fares, timetables and rules change, so treat those figures as references. How we work, and how to report a mistake, is explained on about and corrections.
How to use this guide
- 01
Check your entry route
Decide between flying and the boat, and whether the 30-day island exemption fits your trip.
- 02
Pick a month
Match the season to the coast you want: west coast in the dry months, south-east beaches in the wet ones.
- 03
Choose a base
Read the four region pages and sleep where you will spend most of your days.
- 04
Read before you go out
Culture and responsible-travel pages cover boats, coral, prices and etiquette.
Before booking any boat trip, read responsible travel, which summarises the safety rules the special zone tightened in July 2026. For the island's history, fish sauce and wartime prison, see culture and history.
Common questions
Questions readers send
Is Phu Quoc Island Tourism an official government website?
No. It is an independent guide. The official portals are run by An Giang province and by the Phu Quoc Special Zone; we link to them where they are the source of a fact.
Is Phu Quoc still in Kien Giang province?
No. Since 1 July 2025 Phu Quoc has been a special zone of An Giang province, after Kien Giang and An Giang merged.
Older maps, tickets and websites may still say Kien Giang; they refer to the same island.
When is the sea calmest?
On the west coast, in the dry north-east monsoon, roughly November or December to April. In the wet months the south-east beaches such as Bai Sao and Bai Khem are more sheltered.
Does this site sell tours or tickets?
No. We publish information only. To book a flight, boat, hotel or activity, deal directly with the company that provides it.
Related
Read next
Plan · Arrival
Getting there
Flights into PQC, boats from Rach Gia and Ha Tien, and how the 30-day island visa exemption works.
View journey
Plan · Climate
Weather and seasons
Dry and wet monsoons, a month-by-month chart, rainfall averages and which coast to choose.
View journey
Region · West coast
Duong Dong and Long Beach
The main town, Dinh Cau shrine, the markets and Long Beach, with who should stay here.
View journey
Understand · Culture
Culture and history
Settlement, fish-sauce houses, pepper, the prison site, shrines and pagodas, and souvenirs to avoid.
View journey
Plan · Responsible travel
Responsible travel
Coral and seagrass, boat safety rules from July 2026, rubbish, the national park, swimming safety and fair prices.
View journeyStart planning
Write to the Phu Quoc Island Tourism editors
Ask about visiting Phu Quoc, tell us when something on a page is out of date, or suggest a source we should list. Phu Quoc Island Tourism does not sell tours or tickets and does not pass your details to any company.