Discover Hidden Beaches Near Phu Quoc Island

The honest truth about "hidden" beaches on Phu Quoc

I will say this up front, because most articles on this topic skip it. Phu Quoc does not have many truly secret beaches any more. A few years ago you could rent a scooter, follow a red dirt track through the rubber trees and find a bay with nobody on it. Today the dirt tracks are mostly paved, the resorts have spread north, and a bay that was empty a few years back may have a beach club on it now. What the island still has, and this is the good news, is a lot of quiet. There are stretches of sand that are simply too far from the airport, too awkward to reach, or too exposed in the wrong season for the crowds to bother with.

So this guide is not a treasure map with an X on a cove. It is closer to what I would tell a friend over dinner before they fly in from Singapore. Which beaches reward the effort. Which ones need a boat. Which ones look wonderful in photographs and are disappointing in person. When the water is clear and when it turns the colour of weak tea. And how to fit a few of them into a trip without spending half your holiday in a taxi.

A word on names, because it trips people up. Phu Quoc beaches go by several spellings, and local drivers, hotel maps and phone navigation do not always agree. "Bai" simply means beach, so Bai Sao is Sao Beach, Bai Khem is Khem Beach, and Bai Dai is Long Beach. If a driver does not recognise a name, show him a photo or pin it on a map before you set off. It saves a surprising amount of arguing, and I have lost a good forty minutes of a holiday to a polite misunderstanding about which Bai we meant.

One more piece of honesty. Some places named in older travel posts, including the earlier version of this very article, were described in broad strokes, with boat times and features that I cannot stand behind. I have rewritten everything here around what is actually on the island, how people really get to it, and the tours that pass through these places. Where I give a figure, such as a tour length or a visa fee, it comes from the tour listing or the official source. Where I describe how a beach feels, that is my own judgement and you may well disagree with it.

How Phu Quoc is laid out, and why that decides your beach day

Phu Quoc is the largest island in Vietnam, shaped a bit like a teardrop with the point facing south. Almost everything useful to know about its beaches follows from that shape and from one fact about the weather. The western coast faces the sunset and holds most of the sand people write postcards about. The east and north are rougher and wilder, with fewer resorts. The southern tip breaks up into the An Thoi archipelago, a scatter of small islands that is where the boat tours go.

The airport and the main town of Duong Dong sit on the west side, a short drive from the busiest beaches. If you stay near Long Beach you are central: the north is a long drive away, the south somewhat less. If you stay in the far south near Sao Beach you will have a quieter base but you will pay for every trip north in time. Think about where you want your mornings to start before you book a room, not after. I have met more than one couple who booked the cheapest room on the map and then spent a small fortune on cars getting anywhere interesting.

Notice what that table does not say: nowhere is a whole day's journey from anywhere else. The island is small enough that you can sample the south, the north and the islands in a single week without feeling rushed, as long as you give each its own day and do not try to do two corners in one.

When to go, because the sea changes completely

If I could give you one piece of advice for a beach holiday here, it would be this: choose your month before you choose your beach. The listings for the boat tours on this island all say much the same thing, and they are right. The dry season from roughly November to April brings calm seas, blue skies and clear water for snorkelling. The monsoon months from May to October bring rougher conditions, more cloud and sometimes boats that do not run at all.

I have been in the shoulder of the season, and it can go either way. One morning in late October the sea was glassy, and the next day the wind picked up and the crew quietly shortened the route. That is not a failure of the tour operator, it is just how the weather works here. If your dates are in the wet half of the year, build in a spare day for the boat trip and do not leave it for the last day of your holiday, because if it gets cancelled you will have nowhere to move it to.

Early mornings help in every season. The tour listings repeatedly point out that mornings bring calmer water and fewer people at the snorkelling spots, and I agree. By two in the afternoon on a hot day the best bays have filled up with speedboats, and the light is flat and unflattering. If you are the kind of traveller who likes a lie-in on holiday, do your lie-in on a cloudy day and save the clear mornings for the sea.

Sao Beach and the southern bays, the easy win

If you only have the energy for one beach outside your hotel, make it the south. Sao Beach, the one most people name first, has pale, fine sand and calm water. It has become popular, so I would not call it hidden, but the beach is long enough that you can walk five minutes and have a patch to yourself, and that is what matters in practice. The trick is to go early. Arrive well before the minibuses from town, and you will have a very different experience from the person who turns up at one o'clock with a hangover and a towel.

The simplest way to see the south without hiring a driver is a full-day sightseeing tour. The one I would look at is the southern Phu Quoc tour that includes Sao Beach, from S$36.39. It is not only a beach trip. It stops at a pearl farm, a local fishing village, Ho Quoc Pagoda and a small rose myrtle wine factory, and it lasts roughly eight to nine hours including hotel pickup. The listing says all entrance fees are included, which means no fumbling for small notes at each stop. I like this kind of tour for the first full day, because you see how the island actually works before you start chasing beaches. You can see the details of that tour here.

Do not skip the rose myrtle wine if you are a person who tastes things. It is sweet, dark and a little medicinal, closer to a liqueur than a table wine, and it is a genuinely local product. You will not take a whole case home, but a small bottle makes a decent gift. The same goes for the fish sauce the island is known for across Vietnam. If your tour passes a producer, take the stop seriously. The smell is memorable, in a good way once you get past the first breath.

There is a shorter alternative that covers the same corner of the island for less money: the southern land tour from S$31.68. If you would rather have a buffet lunch and the cable car folded into the day, the larger southern tour at S$84.52 includes both, plus the water park, and runs ten to twelve hours. Check the details on each page before choosing, because the three sound similar and the differences are in what is included and how long you will be out.

One practical note on Sao Beach itself. The shallow water is lovely, but the beach has little natural shade, so bring a hat and an umbrella or hire one of the loungers from a local stall. Prices for loungers are usually agreed on the spot, so ask before you sit down and avoid the awkward conversation at the end. If you plan to eat there, order simple grilled things, and keep an eye on the bill when you are asked to choose fresh seafood by weight.

The north: Starfish Beach, Rach Vem and the quiet coast

Head north from Duong Dong and the island changes. The traffic thins, the resorts thin out, and you begin to see what Phu Quoc looked like before the building boom. This is where the national park lies, and where several of the beaches that people call "hidden" actually are, mostly because they are a long way from the places where tourists sleep.

Starfish Beach is the famous one. It is not the sort of beach you lie on all day. The point is to wade through the shallows at low tide and see the starfish that sit on the sandy bottom. Please look and do not lift them out of the water. They suffer when handled, and some stalls on the island have been criticised for letting visitors pile them up for photographs. If you see a stall selling dried starfish as souvenirs, walk on. That is exactly the trade that damages the reefs.

The tour listing says plainly that Starfish Beach is best visited at low tide. That matters. If you turn up at high tide you will find water and a few puzzled people, and no starfish. Ask your hotel for the tide table, or ask the guide whether the timing works on your date. It is the single piece of planning that turns this trip from a disappointment into a highlight.

The tour I would suggest for the north is the northern Phu Quoc sightseeing tour from S$70.24, which includes a basket boat ride on the Cua Can River with traditional music, a silk centre, a pepper garden, Rach Vem Beach and Starfish Beach at Ham Rong Cape. If you want a slightly simpler day, the northern island tour at S$60.55 adds river kayaking, honey tasting and trails in the national park. Both take most of a day, around eight to ten hours from pickup to drop-off. Here is the basket boat tour if you want to compare itineraries.

Take a sun hat and shoes you can get wet. The paths to some of the northern beaches are rough, and the rocks near the cape are sharp. I have seen people in thin flip-flops regret it badly. Also bring some patience for the road: the northern drive is long enough that a late start eats into your beach time, and a tour with hotel pickup takes that worry away.

The An Thoi islands, where the water really is clear

This is the part of the island I would not skip, whatever else you drop. The An Thoi archipelago at the southern tip is a cluster of small islands with the clearest water on Phu Quoc. They are not secret. Dozens of speedboats leave the south pier every morning. But they are the closest you will come to the hidden-beach dream, because once the boat drops anchor off a small island such as May Rut, the scale changes. A white strip of sand, a few palms, water you can see the bottom through, and a short walk to be out of sight of the next boat.

The listings talk about visiting May Rut early to beat the larger tour groups, and I would take that seriously. A guide on one of these trips once told me, half joking, that the best island is whichever one the other boats have not reached yet. The itinerary matters less than the timing, and a guide who knows when the other boats are heading to which island is worth more than any extra stop.

There are lots of boat tours and they overlap, so it helps to understand what you are actually choosing between. The shortest is a two-island trip at S$33.90. A three-island option is S$43.94. A four-island speedboat day is S$43.03. If you want the cable car added, the four-island tour with cable car is S$82.69. The most packed one, with a water park and the cable car, is S$98.00. A shorter snorkelling and fishing trip to the southern islands is S$35.40.

How do I choose? If you can swim and you want a calm day with photographs, the two- or three-island trip is plenty. If you need to see everything and do not mind a long day, take the four-island trip with the cable car, because it adds a completely different view of the sea from above. If you are travelling with young children, ask whether the operator provides life jackets in small sizes before you pay, and keep the day short. You can read about the cable car version here.

You do not need to be a strong swimmer for snorkelling, but you do need to be comfortable with your face in the water. The boats provide the gear. If your mask leaks, tell the crew straight away. They have spares and would rather swap it than watch you struggle. Bring reef-safe sunscreen, or wear a thin long-sleeved top, because the damage to coral from ordinary sun cream is real, and the sun at midday on open water is harder than it feels.

One thing the brochures never mention is how loud a full boat can be. If you want a quieter experience, look for the smaller departures and ask your hotel which operators keep groups small. I have been on a boat with forty people and a speaker, and I have been on one with a dozen quiet strangers, and they were not the same trip at all.

Underwater, without the boat crowd: sea walking and diving

If snorkelling feels too busy and you want something that is more of an event, the sea walking and scuba option at Ocean World Coral Park is worth knowing about. The listing is priced from S$72.90 and offers either a sea walk for 10 to 15 minutes on the seabed with a guide, or a scuba dive for 20 to 25 minutes. The whole experience, including transport, runs about three to four hours.

I am not going to oversell this. Ten to fifteen minutes on the sea floor goes quickly. But for someone who does not swim well, or who is nervous about deep water, a sea walk is a very gentle way to see coral up close. You wear a helmet with air supplied from above, so there is no breathing equipment to master. It is also a good option for a rainy-season day when the surface is rough, because the water below is calmer.

The listing recommends an early start for the clearest water and fewer people, and I would follow that. Bring a towel, swimsuit, sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat. Do not wear contact lenses you cannot afford to lose. And eat lightly beforehand. A lot of people feel queasy on the boat and then pay for their enthusiasm for breakfast.

A rainy day, a sunset and what to do when the beach is not working

Not every day will be a beach day, and I would rather you planned for that than sulked in the hotel. Two things I like on a cloudy afternoon. The first is Grand World, the large entertainment complex in the north of the island. Entry is from S$10.00. The listing suggests four to six hours for the complex, and recommends late afternoon so you can see both the daytime rides and the evening light shows. It is slightly surreal, a recreated European town on a tropical island, but it works well as a rainy-day plan and the night market is good for street food.

The second is Sun World Hon Thom, where the sea-crossing cable car lands. The ticket is S$41.79, and the listing says to plan six to eight hours, with the water park, beaches and an evening show. The cable car itself is a draw. It passes over fishing boats and small islands, and on a clear day the view back toward the main island is the best photograph of the trip. Have a look at the Hon Thom ticket page for what is included.

I should also mention the sunset squid fishing trips, because they are a very Phu Quoc kind of evening. Boats go out as the sun sets, hand lines go over the side, and you catch squid with a light attracting them. The sunset itself is the real attraction. If you want it on its own, try the sunset and night fishing trip at S$19.65. It will not appeal to everyone, but it is a better end to a day than yet another beach bar.

What to eat when you are not on the sand

A beach guide that ignores food is not much use, because on Phu Quoc the two are tied together. The island is known for its fish sauce, its pepper, its pearls and its seafood, and you will pass producers of all four on the southern and northern tours. Grilled squid and fresh crab are the dishes most visitors rave about, and the east coast near Ham Ninh is the place people go for crab. The night markets in town are good for grilled seafood skewers, sticky rice and fruit shakes, and prices are posted at most stalls, which makes life easier than at the beach shacks.

My rule is simple. Eat the heavy seafood meal at dinner, away from the beach, where you can see prices and the turnover is high. Eat light at the beach, with fruit, grilled corn or a bowl of noodles. And always ask the price of anything sold by weight before it goes on the grill. It is rarely a scam, but it can be a shock, and a calm question beforehand avoids an unhappy end to a good meal.

If you want to try cooking some of what you eat, do it later in the trip, in Hanoi or elsewhere. Phu Quoc is for eating, not for lessons. And vegetarians will find the island easier than they expect, since most restaurants will make a vegetable noodle dish or a stir-fry without much fuss, as long as you say clearly that you do not want fish sauce in it.

A four-day plan that actually works

Here is how I would arrange a first-time visit. It is built so that no day is too long, and so that the beach days alternate with days where the weather matters less.

The weather caveat applies to this plan as it does to everything. If the first morning looks rough, swap the boat day with a land day. You lose nothing by being flexible, and the listings say plainly that the boat tours can be affected by conditions in the wet season.

For a longer stay, spread the activities out instead of adding more. A fifth day on the island is often best spent doing nothing at all. Phu Quoc is an island where the slow days become the ones you remember, and the people I know who rushed it came home needing a holiday from their holiday.

Getting around without losing your mind

The honest answer is that you will need some sort of transport, and the choice matters. Scooters are everywhere, and they are cheap, but the roads are busy and the traffic rules are loosely followed. If you have never ridden a scooter before, an island with potholes and tour buses is not the place to learn. Taxis and ride-hailing cars are reliable in the main areas, though they get harder to find once you are away from the main roads. For the far south and the north, a private car with a driver for the day is the least stressful, and the tours with hotel pickup remove the problem entirely.

Keep small notes on you. A lot of the quieter places are cash only, and nobody will change a large note at a beach shack. A phone that works also matters, because you will want maps, photos and the ability to message a driver. Mobile data is easy to arrange before you leave. There are eSIM and SIM options for Vietnam in our travel add-ons, and sorting it out before landing means one less queue at the airport.

If you are arriving into Phu Quoc International Airport and want to skip the queue at immigration, there is a fast track service at the airport, from S$19.12. I only suggest it if you land at a busy time and are travelling with children or a lot of bags. On a quiet arrival it is not necessary.

Visas, money and what to pack

Visas first, because they cause more last-minute stress than anything else. Singapore passport holders are exempt from a visa for short stays in Vietnam, for up to 30 days per entry according to the official facts we hold, verified in August 2026. For many other nationalities, including India, an eVisa is available. The official fee we have on record is USD 25, valid for up to 90 days, and processing takes about three working days, so apply five to seven days before travel. Always check the current rules with the official source before you fly, since requirements change. If you would rather have help with the application, our team can assist through the visa pages on this site.

Money: the local currency is the dong, and the numbers look alarming at first. A coffee might cost tens of thousands. Take cash for small purchases and use cards where they are accepted in hotels and larger restaurants. A rough daily budget for Vietnam in our travel data is somewhere between 500,000 and 2,000,000 dong per person per day, which gives you a sense of scale, though Phu Quoc tends to sit toward the more expensive end for the country.

Packing: swimwear, a lightweight long-sleeved top for the sun, a hat, reef-safe sunscreen, a dry bag for your phone, water shoes for rocky entries, insect repellent and a power bank. Add a light rain jacket if you travel between May and October. Pack light clothing because the humidity is high and nothing dries quickly, and keep a spare set of clothes in a bag for the ride home from a boat day.

Small things that make a big difference

• Carry cash in small notes. Beach shacks, drinks stalls and some parking attendants will not take cards.
• Book boat days for the morning and early in your trip so you have room to move them if the weather turns.
• Check the tide before any trip to the northern beaches, and take your time at low tide rather than rushing.
• Do not touch or collect starfish, shells or coral. Take photographs and leave the sea life where it is.
• Show respect at temples and pagodas. Cover your shoulders and knees at places like Ho Quoc Pagoda.
• Keep your valuables in the hotel safe and carry only what you need to the beach. Keep digital copies of your passport.
• Buy travel insurance that covers water activities. Check that scuba and sea walking are included if you plan to do them.
• Bargaining is expected at markets, but keep it friendly. A smile gets you further than a hard stare.
• Eat the seafood where the locals do. Ham Ninh in the east is known for crab, and the night markets are good for grilled seafood.

On safety, the emergency numbers in Vietnam are 113 for police, 115 for an ambulance and 114 for fire. Save them to your phone before you leave. There is also a tourist hotline on record at +84 24 3942 3500. Medical facilities on the island are improving but are limited for serious problems, which is the reason insurance with evacuation cover is worth having.

Which beaches are worth the effort, and which are not

Let me be direct about where I would spend my time. Sao Beach in the south is worth it, if you go early. The An Thoi islands are worth it every time, as long as the weather is kind. Starfish Beach is worth it only at low tide and only if you are happy to look rather than touch. Long Beach near the main town is excellent for a sunset and for an easy swim, but it is not a place to be alone. The east coast near Ham Ninh is a place to eat, not swim.

If you are travelling with older relatives, I would skip the long northern day and choose the southern sightseeing tour, which has more stops and shorter walks. If you are travelling with teenagers, the boat day with the cable car and the water park is the one that keeps them interested. If you are a couple who just want to lie down somewhere quiet, pick a resort in the south, take the two-island boat trip once, and spend the rest of your time doing nothing at all.

And if you are travelling in the wet season, forget the idea of the perfect beach day. Plan for a good lunch, a good book and a flexible schedule. The island is lovely in the rain, just in a different way, and the evenings are cooler.

Questions people ask me about Phu Quoc beaches

Which beach near Phu Quoc is the least crowded?

The honest answer is that it depends on the time of day. Sao Beach is far quieter before mid-morning than at lunchtime. The small islands in the An Thoi archipelago are quietest if your boat is among the first to leave. The north is generally calmer than the south, simply because it takes longer to reach.

When is the best time of year to visit the beaches?

The dry season from November to April gives calm seas, clear skies and good visibility for snorkelling. From May to October the sea is rougher and boat trips can be shortened or cancelled, so build in a spare day if you visit then.

Do I need a boat to reach the best beaches?

For the An Thoi islands, yes, and the easiest way is a tour from the south pier. Sao Beach, Starfish Beach and Rach Vem can be reached by road, either in a taxi, a private car with a driver or on a guided sightseeing day.

Is Starfish Beach worth visiting?

Only at low tide, when the starfish are visible in the shallows. Please look but do not lift them out of the water. Check the tide before you go, because at high tide there is little to see.

How many days do I need for the beaches?

Three or four days is enough for the main highlights: one boat day, one southern day, one northern day and one flexible day. Five is more relaxed, especially if the weather is mixed.

Do Singapore passport holders need a visa for Vietnam?

According to the official facts we hold, verified in August 2026, Singapore passport holders are exempt for up to 30 days per entry. Always check the current rules before you travel, as requirements can change.

What should I bring to a boat day?

A towel, swimsuit, comfortable clothing, reef-safe sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat. Light, quick-drying clothing is best. Bring cash in small notes and a dry bag for your phone.

Can children join the island-hopping tours?

Many families do, but check the details on the tour page and ask about child life jackets before you pay. Choose a shorter trip for young children, and travel in the morning when the water is calmer.

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