An independent guide to Phu Quoc island
Region · East coast
The east coast and Ham Ninh
Phu Quoc's east coast faces the mainland. It has no big resort strip, but it holds the old fishing village of Ham Ninh, the Bai Vong port where boats from the mainland land, seagrass beds that feed dugongs, and the pepper gardens and pagoda of the hills behind.
The east coast at a glance
The coast runs below the Ham Ninh range. Bai Vong beach, near the port, is about 7 km long and about 6.5 km from the airport, according to the An Giang tourism department. South of it the coast leads to Bai Sao and Bai Khem, covered on the south page.
Sources: Vietnam Airlines — Ham Ninh fishing village guide; Vietnam National Authority of Tourism — Phu Quoc seafood; An Giang tourism department — Bai Vong · checked .
Ham Ninh fishing village
Ham Ninh sits at the foot of the Ham Ninh mountains, facing the sea, and is described by Vietnam Airlines as one of the oldest fishing villages on the island. Its well-known wooden bridge is damaged and no longer in use. People come for seafood served on floating houses moored offshore, and for the small, speckled Ham Ninh crab, usually boiled and eaten with salt, pepper and lime, as the national tourism authority describes it.
Vietnam Airlines suggests early morning, around 5 to 6 am, when the boats come in.
- Prices are by weight: ask the price per kilogram and see the catch weighed before it is cooked.
- In February 2026 a complaint about a plate of prawns priced at VND 300,000 led the special zone to remind restaurants to post clear prices, Tuoi Tre News reported.
- Raw or barely cooked seafood carries real risks; see the food-safety note on our responsible-travel page.
Sources: Vietnam Airlines — Ham Ninh fishing village guide; Vietnam National Authority of Tourism — Phu Quoc seafood; Tuoi Tre News — pricing complaint over a plate of prawns (24 Feb 2026) · checked .
Seagrass, dugongs and the protected sea
The Phu Quoc Marine Protected Area was set up in 2007 and covers 26,863 ha. Its seagrass beds, about 6,825 ha, stretch from the former Bai Thom commune to Ham Ninh along the north-east and east coast, according to the special zone (September 2025). They are feeding grounds for dugongs and sea turtles, and dolphins are also recorded; the special zone reports their numbers have risen in recent years.
The same article names overfishing, destructive fishing and polluted inshore water as the main threats. Seagrass is easy to damage by anchoring and trampling, so keep off the beds at low tide and choose boats that moor rather than drop anchor where possible.
Sources: Phu Quoc special zone portal — Phu Quoc Marine Protected Area (12 Sep 2025) · checked .
Pepper gardens, Suoi Tranh and Ho Quoc pagoda
The road from Duong Dong to Ham Ninh passes pepper gardens, Vietnam Airlines notes. The Phu Quoc pepper collective trademark was granted in February 2011. Tap chi Cong Thuong (2024) gives more than 400 ha of pepper, mainly in Cua Duong and Cua Can, harvested in the twelfth and first lunar months; Lawyers Vietnam (2021) gave about 360 ha.
Suoi Tranh, a stream in the former Duong To commune about 10 km from Duong Dong, has most water from June to October; in the dry months there is little water. Further south on the hillside, Ho Quoc pagoda (Truc Lam Ho Quoc), in Suoi Lon hamlet, was inaugurated on 14 December 2012. It is built in the style of the Ly and Tran dynasties, faces the sea and occupies about 12% of a spiritual-tourism site of more than 110 ha, Giac Ngo reported.
Dress with shoulders and knees covered, speak quietly in the halls, and do not photograph monks without asking.
Sources: Vietnam Airlines — Ham Ninh fishing village guide; Tap chi Cong Thuong — Phu Quoc pepper (30 Sep 2024); Lawyers Vietnam — Phu Quoc pepper growers (Jan 2021); An Giang tourism department — Suoi Tranh; VnExpress — streams that flow only in the rainy season (Sep 2021); Giac Ngo — Ho Quoc pagoda inaugurated (Dec 2012) · checked .
A half-day on the east side
- 01
Pepper garden
Stop at a garden on the road from Duong Dong to Ham Ninh; harvest is around the lunar new year.
- 02
Suoi Tranh, in the wet months
A short walk to the stream between about June and October.
- 03
Ho Quoc pagoda
Go before the midday heat; allow an hour for the halls and the sea view.
- 04
Ham Ninh
Eat on a floating restaurant, prices agreed first.
Distances are short (Vietnam Airlines puts Suoi Tranh about 7 km from Ham Ninh), so a car with a driver for half a day is usually enough. In the north-east monsoon, roughly November to March, the floating restaurants can be windy; ask before you drive out.
Arriving at Bai Vong
Bai Vong is where fast boats from Rach Gia and Ha Tien and the Thanh Thoi car ferries arrive. Viet Nam News reported in August 2025 that it has five temporary ports working on provisional licences. Superdong lists a shuttle bus to Duong Dong; timetables are on getting there.
Sources: Viet Nam News — Phu Quoc port infrastructure (Aug 2025); Superdong — Rach Gia and Ha Tien routes to Phu Quoc · checked .
Who the east suits, and when it does not
- Suits seafood lovers and people who like working villages rather than resorts.
- Suits a half-day drive combining pepper gardens, Suoi Tranh in the wet season and Ho Quoc pagoda.
- Does not suit beach holidays in the north-east monsoon, roughly November to March, when the east coast takes the wind.
- Does not suit travellers looking for nightlife or a choice of hotels.
The east coast in pictures
Common questions
Questions readers send
Is the old wooden bridge at Ham Ninh open?
No. Vietnam Airlines' guide says it is damaged and no longer in use. The village and its floating restaurants remain open to visitors.
When does Suoi Tranh have water?
Mainly in the wet season, roughly June to October. In the dry months it may be almost dry.
Can I see dugongs?
We have no source on how often visitors see them, so do not plan a trip around a sighting. Their seagrass habitat lies along the north-east and east coast; keep boats and feet off the beds.
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Settlement, fish-sauce houses, pepper, the prison site, shrines and pagodas, and souvenirs to avoid.
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