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White sand beaches, lush waterfalls, and an awesome street food scene.
Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largest island, and despite not being the most well-known destination in the country, it’s exploding in popularity right now. And it’s easy to see why!
Up to September of this year, Phu Quoc welcomed 724,000 foreign tourists.
Though these might not seem like huge numbers, they represent a 56.5% increase in tourists year-on-year. What’s more, international tourists make up over 98% of all visitors to the island.
Wondering if this is the Southeast Asian hotspot for you?
Here’s why you should add this unspoiled island paradise to your own bucket list:
Beautiful White Sand Beaches
As an island, it should come as no surprise that Phu Quoc boasts endless beautiful beaches.
In fact, these are considered some of the best beaches in Vietnam.
There are 150km of beaches on the island, and some of the best of these include Long Beach, Sao Beach and Kem Beach.
Fun fact: Long Beach is the only place in Vietnam where you can see the westward sunset.
Each of these beaches boasts local bars and restaurants and has a bustling vibe.
Even if relaxing on the white sand isn’t your idea of a good time, spending time in the water here is a must!
Stunning green in color, the water here is as calm and warm as bath water. It’s the perfect way to completely relax and unwind.
Each of the beaches in Phu Quoc are great spots for swimming and snorkeling. But to experience them from a unique perspective why not consider a boat tour?
Pacific Boat offer a Phu Quoc sunset and squid watching boat tour priced at 1,900,000 VND ($77).
Rich Cultural Attractions
Of course there’s so much more to Phu Quoc than just its beautiful beaches.
Phu Quoc sits off the coast of Cambodia in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand, which means that despite being uniquely Vietnamese it also has other cultural influences.
One of the most interesting cultural attractions on the island is the Dinh Cau Shrine. This is an unusual rock formation located close to the Duong Dong Fishing Harbour.
Carved into the shape of the rock is a small but perfectly formed Buddhist shrine. This features vibrant red structures that pop against the blue of the sea.
Entrance to the temple is free and you can reach the top by climbing up 29 winding steps.
Nature lovers should head straight to the Phu Quoc National Park, which covers a huge portion of the island and boasts an abundance of incredible animals.
Long-tailed macaques, silver langurs, otters and other rare animals and plants are found in abundance here.
Take a 4 hour trek to reach Mount Heaven, which is located inside the Phu Quoc National Park, for the very best views of the island.
This is a challenging trek but well worth the effort.
If you’re looking for all the fun of the fair then release your inner child and head to the VinWonders Phu Quoc theme park.
This is the largest theme park in Vietnam, with 6 areas inspired by global myths and legends. It even features a Disney-style castle and water fountain show.
Entry tickets cost $37 per person.
Getting To Phu Quoc
So how do you get to Phu Quoc? In reality, that there are no direct flights to the island from the U.S. is one of the factors that helps to make the destination off path.
The only nonstop flight to Vietnam from the U.S. flies from San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh City.
This flight route is operated by Vietnam Airlines; no American carrier is currently flying this route.
From Ho Chi Minh City you’ll need to hop on another short flight to Phu Quoc airport.
This route has a short flight time of just 1 hour. This is an incredibly efficient and inexpensive journey.
Using October 18 as my example date, both Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air offer a one-way flight on this route for $25.
There are 9 different nonstop flights to choose from on this date, showing just how easy and frequent the journey is.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.