An independent guide to Phu Quoc island
Plan · Responsible travel
Responsible travel
Phu Quoc's reefs, seagrass and forest are protected areas under heavy visitor pressure, and its sea can turn dangerous quickly. This page gathers what the sources say about protecting the island and yourself, with practical habits that cost little.
- Marine Protected Area
- 26,863 ha
- coral-reef conservation zone
- 9,720 ha
- police · fire and rescue · ambulance
- 113 · 114 · 115
Coral reefs and seagrass
The Phu Quoc Marine Protected Area, set up in 2007, covers 26,863 ha. Its coral-reef conservation zone, about 9,720 ha, is in the Hon Thom cluster in the south, and about 6,825 ha of seagrass from Bai Thom to Ham Ninh in the north-east and east. Dugongs, sea turtles and dolphins live there, and the special zone says their numbers have risen in recent years. The special zone names overfishing, destructive fishing and inshore pollution as the main threats (September 2025).
- Do not stand on, kick or touch coral; float, and fit fins before entering shallow reef.
- Do not take coral, shells or starfish out of the water, and do not buy them as souvenirs.
- Do not feed fish; it changes their behaviour and the reef around them.
- Prefer boats that tie to a mooring rather than drop anchor on reef or seagrass.
Sources: Phu Quoc special zone portal — Phu Quoc Marine Protected Area (12 Sep 2025) · checked .
Boats: registered, inspected, not overloaded
The capsizing of 11 July 2026 changed the rules. Viet Nam News reported that the canoe, returning from Hon May Rut Ngoai to An Thoi, carried 32 tourists and 4 crew, and 15 tourists died. VnEconomy reported that of about 100 passenger canoes on Phu Quoc only about 70 met the SB class for coastal waters with waves up to 2.5 m. On 14 July the special zone required registration and inspection, life jackets and rescue gear, no overloading and no departures in bad weather; Bao Xay dung added that boats must not leave if passengers are not wearing life jackets.
- 01
Ask about the boat
Is it registered and inspected for sea trips? Who is the captain?
- 02
Put on the jacket
Before departure, not when the sea gets rough.
- 03
Refuse an overloaded boat
One seat, one person.
- 04
Turn back when it changes
Wind and waves can rise without rain.
Sources: Viet Nam News — tourist canoe capsized (11 Jul 2026); VnEconomy — island canoe trips paused for review (13 Jul 2026); Tuoi Tre — special zone tightens canoe rules (14 Jul 2026); Bao Xay dung — tighter control of shore-to-island boats (14 Jul 2026) · checked .
Plastic and rubbish
Waste is one of the island's hardest problems. VnExpress has reported about 190 tonnes of solid waste a day on Phu Quoc, around 50 tonnes of it from hotels.
- Carry a refillable bottle and ask your hotel where to refill it.
- Refuse plastic bags and straws at markets and drink stalls.
- Take your rubbish back from beaches, islets and forest roads.
Sources: VnExpress — Phu Quoc under pressure from waste · checked .
In the national park and on the north coast
The national park covers most of the north of the island. Its website has a visitor-rules page, but on 12 October 2026 the page showed no text, so we cannot quote the rules. Until it does, follow the usual principles for protected forest: stay on roads and marked paths, light no fires, collect no plants or animals, and go with a licensed guide if you want to walk inside the forest. At Rach Vem the starfish that gather from January to May should stay in the water.
Sources: Phu Quoc National Park — official overview; Phu Quoc National Park — visitor rules page; An Giang tourism department — Rach Vem · checked .
Swimming and sea safety
In the south-west monsoon, roughly May to October, the west and north-west beaches get waves and murky water while the south-east beaches are sheltered. Swim where others swim, near lifeguards when there are any, and never alone after drinking. Vietnam's emergency numbers are 113 for police, 114 for fire and rescue, 115 for ambulance and 112 for search and rescue; a single national number is being piloted in some provinces, including An Giang, between 2025 and 2027.
Sources: VnExpress — where to stay in the rainy season; LuatVietnam — national emergency numbers (Sep 2025) · checked .
Fair prices, licensed guides and complaints
On 26 February 2026 the special zone launched a Tourism Rapid Response Team working around the clock, with groups for the north, centre and south of the island and an online team, to handle complaints about prices, service, security and lost property; feedback can be sent through multilingual QR codes, and tourism businesses signed a 2026 code of conduct, Viet Nam News and Tuoi Tre News reported.
In February 2025 the authorities checked for unlicensed foreign tour guides at the airport, the cable car and other busy sites, Tuoi Tre News reported. If you hire a guide, ask to see the guide's licence.
- Ask prices per kilogram for seafood and agree them before cooking; keep the bill.
- Pay in Vietnamese dong.
- Report overcharging to the response team rather than arguing at the table.
Sources: Viet Nam News — tourism rapid response team launched (27 Feb 2026); Tuoi Tre News — response team to protect tourists (27 Feb 2026); Tuoi Tre News — checks on unlicensed foreign guides (27 Feb 2025); Tuoi Tre News — pricing complaint over a plate of prawns (24 Feb 2026) · checked .
Raw seafood and food safety
Raw and barely cooked seafood, such as raw seafood salads or raw oysters, can carry bacteria including Vibrio, parasites and the hepatitis A virus, and dishes marinated in lime can still carry bacteria and parasites, Vinmec warns. Young children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, older people and anyone with weak immunity should avoid it. Choose busy places where seafood is fresh and cooked to order.
Sources: Vinmec — risks of raw and undercooked food (Jul 2024) · checked .
When advice is not enough
This page cannot check boats, guides or restaurants for you, and it is not an official safety notice. If a boat looks unsafe, do not board, whatever you have paid. If the weather turns, ask to return. If something goes wrong, call the emergency numbers first and the response team second. For the seasons that make the sea dangerous, see weather and seasons.
Common questions
Questions readers send
Is it safe to take a canoe trip to the An Thoi islands?
It can be, on a registered and inspected boat with life jackets worn by everyone, not overloaded, in good weather. After the July 2026 capsizing the special zone tightened these rules; refuse any boat that does not follow them.
Who do I contact about overcharging?
The special zone's Tourism Rapid Response Team, launched in February 2026, handles complaints about prices and service through QR feedback points and its teams around the island.
Can I take shells or coral home?
Leave them where they are. The reefs and seagrass are inside a marine protected area, and taking marine life harms it.
What are the emergency numbers?
113 police, 114 fire and rescue, 115 ambulance, 112 search and rescue.
Related
Read next
Region · South
South and An Thoi islands
Bai Sao and Bai Khem, the An Thoi islets, the Hon Thom cable car, the prison site and boat safety.
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Region · East coast
East coast and Ham Ninh
Ham Ninh village, seagrass, Bai Vong port, pepper gardens, Suoi Tranh and Ho Quoc pagoda.
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Region · North
North and national park
The national park, Ganh Dau cape, Bai Dai, Rach Vem and the north-west resort coast.
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Plan · Climate
Weather and seasons
Dry and wet monsoons, a month-by-month chart, rainfall averages and which coast to choose.
View journey
Understand · Culture
Culture and history
Settlement, fish-sauce houses, pepper, the prison site, shrines and pagodas, and souvenirs to avoid.
View journeyStart planning
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