Vietnam - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 908

PHU QUOC
Lying in the Gulf of hailand 45km west
of Ha Tien and just 15km from the coast
of Cambodia, PHU QUOC is a relatively
undeveloped tropical island of almost six
hundred square kilometres, much of which
is part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Fringed with golden and powder-white
sandy beaches, with the lively Duong
Dong town halfway along the west coast,
a tropical forested interior, and an
archipelago of fifteen small islands off
the southern tip - perfect for diving,
snorkelling and fishing - the place is
currently a low-key alternative to the beach
resorts along Vietnam's south coast, though
there are plans for further development.

shoehorned tightly between Le Loi and
Tran Phu. Most visitors simply pass
through on their way to or from Phu
Quoc island, but it's worth visiting the
Nguyen Trung Truc Temple at 18 Nguyen
Cong Tru; it's dedicated to the leader of a
resistance campaign against the French in
the 1860s who turned himself in and was
executed by them when they took some
civilians hostage, including his mother,
and threatened to execute them.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Flights from HCMC (daily; 50min) and Phu Quoc
(daily; 40min) arrive in Rach Soi airport, 7km from Rach
Gia. From the airport, you can take a xe om (50,000VND) or
taxi (around 90,000VND) direct to Rach Gia. If you're
coming from town, xe lam and minibuses to the airport can
be picked up on Tran Phu.
By boat Superdong boats (4 daily; 2hr 15min;
W superdong.com.vn) to Phu Quoc depart from Ben Tau
Khach Bien quay on Nguyen Cong Tru, a 10min walk from
the centre, daily at 8am, 9am, 12.40pm and 1pm (2hr
20min; 320,000VND). Tickets can be bought in advance
from o ces along Nguyen Cong Tru or from the dock.
By bus Local buses depart when full from the central
bus station along Nguyen Binh Khiem, 500m north of
town, at Nguyen Binh Khiem. There are several scheduled
departures daily to Can Tho with the plush Futa Express,
with onwards connections to other Mekong Delta destina-
tions. Comfortable a/c minibuses to Ha Tien (80,000VND)
can be organized through Mai Linh Express ( T 077
3929292). Express buses to HCMC cost 140,000VND, and
leave hourly starting from 4pm.
Destinations Can Tho (3hr); Ha Tien (3hr); HCMC, Mien Tay
bus station (7hr).

11

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Besides the island's main beaches and the
islets offering diving and snorkelling
opportunities, the network of partially
paved but mostly dirt tracks throughout
the island makes for bumpy exploration
of Phu Quoc's protected forest, waterfalls,
and deserted stretches of sand by
motorbike or bicycle .

Duong Dong
he island's only town, Duong Dong , is a
congested little place with fishing boats
bobbing in the harbour and a bustling
port-side market, just over the Nguyen
Trung Truc bridge. Phu Quoc is famous
for its fish sauce ( nuoc mam ), and you
can check out the enormous vats of
fermenting fish at the Hung hanh
factory on Nguyen Van Troi (daily
8-11am & 1-5pm; free). At sunset,
locals congregate at Cau Castle - a cross
between a lighthouse and a temple on
Bach Dang.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Ao Dai Moi 2 161 Nguyen Hung Son. Run by a local tailor,
this simple but popular place cooks up cheap and delicious
dishes, some with a Chinese twist. Mains 40,000VND.
Daily 11am-9pm.
Hai Au 2 Nguyen Trung Truc. Large restaurant with a
pleasant riverside terrace serving somewhat well-executed
seafood dishes, including sautéed eel with lemongrass
(140,000VND) and Thai cockle salad. Daily 11.30am-9.30pm.
Hong Yen 259-261 Mac Cuu T 077 3879095, E hongyen
[e-mail]. Friendly hotel north of the Cai Lon
River, with smart, spaciou s rooms complete with TV and
a/c. Double 200,000VND
Kim Co Hotel 141 Nguyen Hung Son T 077 3879610,
W kimcohotel.com. Central hotel offering clean, brightly
painted doub les with a/c; most face the corridor. Double
400,000VND

The beaches
he palm-fringed, 20km stretch of
golden grainy sand sweeping down the
island's west coast, aptly named Bai
Truong (Long Beach), is the most
accessible and well known of Phu Quoc's
beaches. hough the northern end is
crammed with hotels and luxury resorts
all jostling for their section of the
beachfront, the southern 10km is
currently deserted.