An independent guide to Phu Quoc island
Region · North
The north and the national park
Most of northern Phu Quoc is forest protected as a national park, ringed by fishing villages and long beaches. The north-west coast also holds the island's big resort and theme-park cluster, so the north is two places: busy on its western edge, quiet inside the hills.
The north at a glance
The north-west coast, from Cua Can up to Ganh Dau, has Bai Dai and a large cluster of resorts, theme parks and a safari park that opened in December 2015. Inland and to the east is forest, with few villages and empty roads. A range of hills separates the two, so decide which half you want before you set out.
A road runs through the forest across the island, which locals call the cross-island road, Nhan Dan reported. The semi-wild safari park opened on 24 December 2015 at Ganh Dau, Nhan Dan reported at the time; with the neighbouring theme park and Grand World it now forms a resort area that most visitors reach by car or VinBus rather than as part of a forest day.
Sources: VinWonders — location and distances (Jul 2025); VnExpress — Ganh Dau cape (20 May 2021); Nhan Dan — the island's primary forest (30 Mar 2025); Nhan Dan — semi-wild zoo opens on Phu Quoc (Dec 2015) · checked .
Phu Quoc National Park
The park was established by Decision 91/2001/QD-TTg of 8 June 2001. Its area is given differently by different sources. The park's own website gives 36,262 ha, made up of 29,596 ha of special-use forest and 6,666 ha of protection forest, with forest covering about 97% of the park, or about 63% of the island. The An Giang tourism department gives 31,422 ha, about 70% of the island, and Nhan Dan (March 2025) “more than 37,000 ha”.
The park lies mainly in the former communes of Bai Thom, Cua Duong and Ham Ninh. Its highest point, Nui Chua, rises to 603 m. UNESCO recognised it in 2006 as part of the Kien Giang World Biosphere Reserve. The park's website lists more than 1,397 plant species and 480 animal species; Nhan Dan counts more than 30 mammal, 200 bird and 50 reptile species.
The park website has pages titled visitor rules and visitor routes, but on 12 October 2026 they showed no text. Ask at the park office, or go with a licensed guide, before walking off the road into the forest.
Surveyed routes mentioned by Nhan Dan include Dong Tram to Bai Thom and K7 to the Rach Tram river. Da Ban stream, in the former Cua Duong commune about 10 km from Duong Dong, is reached by a red-dirt road; the special zone says it runs strongest from June to September, the tourism department from May to November.
Sources: Phu Quoc National Park — official overview; Phu Quoc National Park — visitor rules page; An Giang tourism department — Phu Quoc National Park; Nhan Dan — the island's primary forest (30 Mar 2025); Phu Quoc special zone portal — Da Ban stream; An Giang tourism department — Da Ban stream · checked .
Ganh Dau and the Nguyen Trung Truc temple
Ganh Dau cape, at the island's north-western tip, is about 30 km from Duong Dong. The Cambodian islet of Hon Nan lies only about 3 km offshore. Fishing boats still leave from the cape, VnExpress reported in 2021.
Islanders built a temple here to Nguyen Trung Truc, the 19th-century resistance leader who was captured on Phu Quoc in 1868 and executed at Rach Gia on 27 October that year, according to the An Giang tourism department. Each year on the 28th day of the eighth lunar month people gather at the temple for his memorial.
Sources: VnExpress — Ganh Dau cape (20 May 2021); An Giang tourism department — Nguyen Trung Truc temple · checked .
Bai Dai and the north-west coast
Bai Dai runs about 15 km between Ganh Dau cape and Cua Can, according to the An Giang tourism department; do not confuse it with Bai Truong, the Long Beach south of Duong Dong. It faces west and gets waves in the south-west monsoon.
VinWonders, the safari park and Grand World are on this coast; VinWonders gives a distance of about 25 km from Duong Dong. VinBus routes link the area with the airport; see getting around.
Sources: An Giang tourism department — Bai Dai; VinWonders — location and distances (Jul 2025) · checked .
Rach Vem and the north coast
Rach Vem is a fishing village on the north coast, more than 40 km from Duong Dong, reached by about 13 km of road through the forest, VnExpress reported. From January to May starfish gather in the shallows in large numbers, the tourism department says.
Leave starfish in the water: lifting them out for photos can harm them. The seagrass beds of the north-east, between Bai Thom and Ham Ninh, feed dugongs and turtles; more on the east coast page.
Sources: VnExpress — forest road to Rach Vem village; An Giang tourism department — Rach Vem; Phu Quoc special zone portal — Phu Quoc Marine Protected Area (12 Sep 2025) · checked .
A day in the north, by car
- 01
Morning in the forest
Drive the cross-island road early, or visit Da Ban stream if it is the wet season.
- 02
Ganh Dau before noon
Look across to Hon Nan and visit the Nguyen Trung Truc temple.
- 03
Rach Vem in season
Between January and May, see the starfish from the shallows; leave them in place.
- 04
Bai Dai for sunset
Finish on the west-facing beach in the dry months, when the sea is calm.
The loop is long: Ganh Dau alone is about 30 km from Duong Dong and Rach Vem more than 40 km. Without a licence for a scooter, book a car with a driver for the day.
Who the north suits, and when it does not
- Suits families based in the north-west resorts who will spend days at the theme parks and safari park.
- Suits travellers with a driver who want forest roads, fishing villages and Ganh Dau.
- Does not suit people without transport who want to explore beyond their resort: distances are long and ride-hailing is thin.
- Does not suit forest walking without a guide, or stream visits in the dry months when they barely flow.
The north in pictures
Common questions
Questions readers send
Can I walk in Phu Quoc National Park on my own?
Roads cross the park, but its visitor rules were not published online when we checked. Ask the park office or go with a licensed guide before walking into the forest.
When can I see starfish at Rach Vem?
From about January to May, according to the An Giang tourism department. Look but leave them in the water.
Is Bai Dai the same as Long Beach?
No. Bai Dai is in the north-west between Cua Can and Ganh Dau. Long Beach, or Bai Truong, runs south from Duong Dong.
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