Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

Phú Quốc, is the largest island in Vietnam (about a quarter the size of P.E.I.). It lies in the Gulf of Thailand, only 15km south of the coast of Cambodia and has always been politically contentious - Phu Quoc is claimed by Cambodia.

Bai Truong

The island was granted to Vietnam by the French in 1949, as part of the formal annexation of the Mekong Delta, but unlike the Mekong, the most valuable crop on the island is black pepper. 

Islanders have traditionally earned their living from the sea but the fast-growing tourism sector now has an increasing role in driving the local economy.

Fishing boat off Bai Truong

To respond to increased tourism (Phu Quoc has many kilometres of unspoiled beaches), a new international airport, a golf course, a casino and many new resorts have popped up. Luckily, much of the island is still protected: Phu Quoc National Park covers close to 70% of the island

We stayed at the La Veranda Resort, which was beautiful.

View from our room.

Like Vietnam itself, Phu Quoc Island has a varied history with numerous nations occupying the island over the past couple of centuries, including Vietnam, Cambodia, France and America. Up to the mid 1750’s Phu Quoc island was sparsely populated with the local population making a living off fishing and harvesting and trading of sea cucumbers. 

Pool, La Veranda Resort

 From the 1760s through to the 1780s, the French missionary Pigneau de Behaine sheltered Prince Nguyen Anh when he was hunted by Tay Son rebels. From 1782 to 1786, Phu Quoc became a stronghold of Lord Nguyen Anh, who later recaptured the mainland from the Tay Son rebels and become Emperor Gia Long in 1802.

Phu Quoc is also famous in Vietnam for its production of high-quality fish sauce (nuoc mam).

Coconut Tree Prison

During the American War the island housed South Vietnam’s largest prisoner camp (40,000 in 1973). The Coconut Tree Prison, was built during the French colonial era and, more recently, was used to house Communist guerillas. At the height of the American War some 40,000 Viet Cong were exiled there. The prison still holds some prisoners but tourists are able to visit. Source:

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

The island has some unusual hunting dogs, which have ridgebacks, curly tails and blue tongues and are said to be able to pick up their masters’ scent from over one kilometre away.











There are several pearl farms on Phu Quoc raising different varieties of oysters.

At the pearl farm, we watched a demonstration of the pearl harvesting 

process.

Shellfish and mollusks excrete nacre when they are exposed to a parasite or when a foreign body is introduced to their shell. Pearls are formed inside the shell as a defense mechanism. The most valuable pearls, natural pearls, occur spontaneously in the wild, but they are extremely rare. 

Production of nacre is more commonly induced or cultured by introducing a foreign body to a shellfish. Technicians open the live oysters then gently implant a small shell bead along with a tiny piece of mantle tissue. Cultured or farmed pearls from pearl oysters and freshwater mussels make up the majority of those that are currently sold. 

Pearls have been farmed and cultured in Vietnam for hundreds of years. Under the right conditions, it takes at least five years before an oyster becomes mature enough to produce a pearl. For bigger pearls it could take up to seven or even ten years. Most of the pearls harvested in Viet Nam are exported to Japan, where they are sold to retailers around the world or sold to consumers in Japan.

Pearls are usually priced according to their lustre, colour, shape, surface and size. A key factor in a pearl's value is its size, with the larger pearls generally being the more prized.

We rented a scooter to see the island. The largest town, Duong Dong, doesn't have much to recommend itself, except perhaps the night market. There are big plans, however, to redevelop the downtown area and spruce up the restaurants and shops. The new International Airport was opened in November of 2012 and it is quite modern. When we were on the island, we talked to a German couple who told us they had come on a direct flight from Frankfurt.

Phú Quôc is still what Phuket would be if it hadn't been overrun by development.

We had dinner right on the beach - the Gulf of Thailand 3 metres from our table!

Lots of water activities provided by the hotel.

La Veranda had lovely restaurants and cafés spread out on ;the grounds and the beach.  Next to the resort, located right on the beach, the Phuong Binh House Restaurant and bungalows, served excellent food at very reasonable prices.