The Astronomer and I just got back from the most kick-ass vacation ever! Phu Quoc Island off the coast of Vietnam and Cambodia is paradise on earth. Seriously. Clear turquoise waters, abundant sunshine, sandy beaches, and seafood a plenty. Heavenly.
We arrived last Friday morning and flew home Monday afternoon. In between, we sunned on the beach, snorkeled, read, relaxed, and ate extremely well.
After checking in at our hotel and dropping off our luggage, we walked into town in search of lunch. The Astronomer was starving and impulsively chose Thuy Duong at 25 Nguyen Trai Street. The place was infested with flies, which killed my appetite, but The Astronomer ordered a bowl of hu tieu dai muc anyway. When the bowl arrived, it looked SO good that I had to order myself one. The noodle dish was comprised of a pork-based broth, a transparent and chewy noodle (hu tieu dai), bean sprouts, fresh scallions, and lightly cooked squid (muc). Everything tasted so fresh and the squid blew our minds. I think the squid in Phu Quoc has forever ruined squid elsewhere for me.
After lunch, we headed to the market to look around and score some more eats. I bought lots of fruit, while The Astronomer procured cookies (banh kep) and a barbecued meatball sandwich (banh mi nem nuong. The sandwich was good, but his heart remains true to the banh mi thit nuong in District 4.
Dinnertime brought more delicious squid! We stayed close to home and ate at our resort—Kim Nam Phuong. We ordered squid sauteed with garlic and ginger (top row, right) and a plate of pan fried noodles with squid and shrimp. The dishes were stellar all around. I love how seafood is completely satisfying and not too filling.
For breakfast the next morning, I ate fruit and cereal, while The Astronomer ordered a pineapple crepe from the resort. We ate our selections beach side, ah… The Astronomer thought the crepe was a bit dough-y, but a great way to start the day nevertheless. After breakfast, we decided to upgrade our lodging and moved to the Tropicana Resort.
After we set up our new digs and lounged around in the sun, we headed to the Troicana’s sweet beach front dining deck for lunch.
The Astronomer ordered fish with chilies and lemongrass, while I ordered a squid salad. The fish was a bit spicy for The Astronomer, while I found my salad average. The Tropicana may have nicer bungalows, but the chefs at the Kim Nam Phuong are superior.
The following day, The Astronomer and I went on an all-day snorkeling excursion along the southern islands of Phu Quoc. The sites were postcard perfect and the food on board was expertly prepared. The best dish was the squid sauteed with pineapples and tomatoes. This was hands down the most wonderful squid I have ever tasted. Who would have thought squid could melt in one’s mouth? I really don’t think I could ever order calamari at an Italian restaurant ever again. Another great dish was the fried fish, which was covered with red chili flakes.
Now that I’m back in Saigon, I will be dreaming about the fruits of the sea in Phu Quoc until I return.
could you e-mail me the name of the travel company? i would like to look into booking a trip to phu quoc. currently, we’ve booked one with du lich hoan my to nha trang/da lat.
Hello Vu – we didn’t use a travel company. We booked a flight with Vietnam Airlines for $77 a person and called the resort to book our rooms. The Tropicana is quite nice and you can access their website here: http://northvalleyroads.com/tropicana/
The snorkeling tour we took was through the resort and cost $17/person.
This is SO cool! We were thinking of going to Phu Quoc on our upcoming trip and this post is just perfect. Since there were no nature shots I was wondering what the snorkeling and other activities were like on the island. Is there enough to do for 4 days or will one weekend cover it? Also, are there other ways of getting to the island besides by plane? Thanks in advance for any advice =)
Hello Anh,
You should definitely pencil in a good four days in PQ. I wish I could have stayed longer.
The scenery is unbelievable: http://picasaweb.google.com/cathy.danh/PhuQuoc
Our snorkeling excursion was ran by Tony through the Tropicana Resort. We explored the southern islands, snorkeled in three coves, and enjoyed a deserted white sand beach. Other activities on the island include night squid fishing, fish sauce factory tours, scuba diving, renting canoes and jet skis, etc. I personally like to just bum around on the beach.
You can travel to PQ via hydrofoil from Rach Gia. I know that Sinh Cafe offers a Mekong Delta tour that drops you off in Rach Gia to travel to PQ.
Good luck!
Wow, beautiful beaches, just like the Caribbean. The seafoods sound too good to pass up. Thanks for your info. I am so jealous of you..!
heading to phu quoc next week..looks like it’s squid on the menu! Did you sample any shrimp? I hear that’s delicious there as well.
Can you give me the name of the snorkeling company, which operated the tour, please?
Hi,
I was thinking of doing Thailand and Phu quoc in march 2013. My parent want us to do tour. I was thinking we can do it our self. Was it easy and safe in Phu quoc to travel?
Lovelyn – You can definitely plan a trip to Thailand and Phu Quoc on your own. Personally, I don’t think much of tours — so very sterile. We found PQ to be easy to navigate — then again, we also speak Vietnamese. Best of luck!
Nice place for visit, i think, anyone can get a chance to enjoy the beautiful beaches as well as variety of tasty food here..