p h u q u o c // what we did on a family trip

Our family had a 3-day trip to Phu Quoc in the middle of July. This is the first time that all of us have been to this beautiful island and here are what we did during our trip.

Day 1 - Here we go

Arriving from Ho Chi Minh City at around 5:30 pm on a Vietjet Air flight after one hour delay due to bad weather, we got to the hotel at 6 pm, checked in, and went for dinner.

The hotel we stayed in was located in a small alley and not very far from the center. I booked a big room for 6 on Agoda but there was a problem reservation so we had to take 2 separate rooms. We can still get a taxi right from there without going out to the main road. They have around 10 lovely bungalows with various choices for number of guests. And they offer super good price! It was the rainy season so we were filled with humid and sticky atmosphere all over. And the worst, mosquitoes!

Her Bungalow - Cua Lap Street, Duong To

We had dinner at one of the most well-known seafood restaurants back there. They served the best seafood and all the related dishes. The price was reasonable comparing to the quality of the food ($30 for 6 people). If you're a seafood lover, try it out!

Ra Khoi Restaurant - 131, 30 Thang 4 Street

Suggestions: Lau dau ca bop (Cobia fish hotpot), Goi ca trich (Herring salad). These 2 are the signatures in Phu Quoc so make sure you don't miss them!

Headed up to the night market! Only 5 minutes walking from here.

Here you can see Thai rolled ice cream everywhere. And also, peanuts! There is a story of a French guy starting his own career of candied peanuts right on the island. However, you may get confused as there are 2 different vendors and we don't know which is real, or maybe both are real. But the good part is, you can get to try them and see which one is your taste.

​Day 2: Beach beach beach!

Which got me hooked was snorkeling. You can notice a lot of advertisements for this marine entertainment, which also got me confused and did not know what to choose. So I tried to go online and found out one with the best service for $88. They were a friendly and very helpful crew. We went on a canoe with 2 of them. It was shaking af so be careful if you do suffer from motion sickness. With the intensity of the wind and waves in the rainy season, we could only visit 3 islets among 5-6 in general - May Rut, Dam Ngang, Mong Tay. Those are not very touristy and quite unspoiled areas at the time, so not many places of food or drink.

(If you're looking for a tour from a non-Vietnamese speaker, check out Jerry's Jungle & Beach tours at https://www.facebook.com/jerrysjungletoursphuquoc)

We went back to Sao Beach and enjoyed hotpot at a seaside restaurant called My Lan. Lau ghe (crab hotpot) is also a must-try. It was raining, cold and windy a few hours after, so again, if you go in the summer, it's better to be at the beach in the morning. Btw, don't forget Sao Beach in your bucket list to Phu Quoc!

We also visited several touristy spots like the prison, rose myrtle wine company, etc. If you're not interested in those, there are also cool spots below to spend the night.

• Xin chào Restaurant - cafe - bar (Seaview - Vietnamese cuisines - Rooftop bar) - 66 Tran Hung Dao Street

• Chuon Chuon Bistro & Sky bar (Panoramic hilltop view) - Tran Hung Dao Street (the uphill alley next to Sao Mail Hotel)

• Q Skybar - 12 Tran Hung Dao Street

We had dinner at another seafood restaurant which is not very far from the previous one. But personally, the food here is not really good.

Cat Bien Restaurant

Day 3: Sunset glow!

Another local dish that you shouldn't skip in Phu Quoc is banh canh (cake-soup). We tried the soup at Phung - one of the most well-known here ($1.5/bowl). Try it with Gio chao quay (Youtiao) for a better experience.

Phung cake-soup (Bánh canh Phung) - Nguyen Trung Truc Street

Anyway, if you're wondering where to have good crab in Phu Quoc, try out Ham Ninh pier for fresh seafood. If you do, make sure you check the weather before heading up to. There are several restaurants right in front of the pier which look better and serve clean seafood. However, if you want to experience one of the floating restaurants, please consider because they do not serve clean seafood and there are sand and dust left all over on the food, and remember, always bargain.

There are also some streams and small waterfalls in Phu Quoc. The 2 most well-known are Tranh Stream and Da Ban Stream. Personally, I don't recommend Tranh stream as it is too touristy and crowded. And looks fake. Some of the locals told me Da Ban stream is better with less tourists yet tougher way to get in.

Tranh Stream

Let's talk about sunset. If you're a sunset person, try Dinh Cau temple. The magnificent view at the end of the day was everything I could ask for. My sister and I made it to the end of the pathway to face the sun going down and trust me, it was unforgettable!

After that, we walked back to the night market to get some more peanut butter and then, back to Saigon!

I also have some more cool recommendations if you want to:

• Pizza Taxi delivery - 39 Tran Hung Dao Street - pizzataxipq.com / 0297 3998 777

• Paradiso restaurant - Sao beach

• Jerry's Jungle & Beach tours - https://www.facebook.com/jerrysjungletoursphuquoc

• ITACA Resto - 119 Tran Hung Dao Street

Wrapping up, please check out my video for a closer look! ♡