Phu Quoc: A Luxe Guide Around the Pearl Island of Vietnam

Discover the Pearl Island: Vietnam's Phu Quoc. Explore UNESCO jungles, luxury resorts like Regent & JW Marriott, the Kiss Bridge, and cable car adventures in this ultimate luxury travel guide.

Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s largest island, floats off the southwest coast in the Gulf of Thailand, luminous enough to earn its own title: the Pearl Island. Its shores read like a daydream in pale sand and clear water, the kind of beauty that stays with you long after the suitcase is closed. Beyond the beaches, the island turns inward into a velvet hush of jungle, part of the UNESCO recognized Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve, where green feels deeper, air feels cooler, and time slows into something almost ceremonial.

Now, that poetry carries a new kind of spotlight. In Expedia Group’s Unpack ’26 report and its “Destinations of the Year 2026” list, Phu Quoc steps onto the world’s wish list, representing Southeast Asia and joining Okinawa as one of only two Asian destinations featured.

Think of Phu Quoc as Vietnam’s most elegant exhale. Mornings arrive soft and honeyed, salt clinging to your skin while light gathers like silk along the shoreline. Afternoons drift between forest paths and open water, breeze led and bright with discovery. Evenings belong to gold hour chasers and seafood tables, to linen and quiet shine, to the simple pleasure of carrying a beach bag that feels like a promise you already intend to keep.

Phu Quoc in Green, Gold, and Blue

Phu Quoc’s beauty begins with its lush ecology. The island sits within the UNESCO recognized Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve, where forest, coastline, and protected marine areas form one living system. Here, the scenery feels less like a backdrop and more like a design: dense green at the center, bright water at the edges, and a sense that nature sets the rules.

Start inland at Phu Quoc National Park, where the air turns cooler under the canopy and the island’s pace softens. Follow forest trails for a reset that feels physical, leaves and birdsong replacing screens and schedules. Then return to the coast for the perfect contrast: a boat day that carries you into open water, where the sea shifts from jade to turquoise, and the horizon makes everything else feel lighter.

For a sense of Phu Quoc beyond the resort gates, start in Duong Dong, the island’s main town and its most lived in heartbeat. Mornings feel practical and local, with coffee shops opening early and small streets warming up as scooters begin their daily flow. By late afternoon, the waterfront and Duong Dong Night Market become the center of gravity, where stalls line up with grilled seafood, tropical fruit, local snacks, and small souvenirs, and the energy shifts into an easy, sociable evening.

Then set an alarm at least once for Ham Ninh fishing village on the east coast. Arrive close to sunrise when the light is gentle and the sea looks like glass. This is one of the island’s clearest windows into daily life: fishing boats returning, simple breakfast plates, and a quiet, unpolished charm that reminds you Phu Quoc is still, at its core, an island that works for a living.

The south of Phu Quoc has an ethereal, cinematic beauty. Built for travelers who love a little theatre with their sea view, this is where large scale experiences cluster together, making it easy to plan an afternoon that flows straight into a glamorous night out.

Start at Sunset Town, a coastal district designed for strolling. Located on the shores of Phu Quoc, Sunset Town offers a seamless blend of luxury, culture, and entertainment. The town’s heart, La Festa Bazaar, combines upscale shopping, international cuisine, and art, featuring renowned brands like Maison Kayser, Umai, and Pop Mart Flagship Store. As night falls, the "Symphony of the Sea" performance lights up Sunset Bay with mesmerizing light shows, fireworks, and extreme sports like Jetski and Flyboard. Sun Bavaria GastroPub offers a prime view of the show while serving modern European cuisine and craft beer.

Kiss Square is the lively center of Sunset Town, hosting street festivals, 3D light shows, and beer celebrations. Meanwhile, the VUI-Fest Bazaar Night Market offers nearly 100 shops and food stalls along the beachfront, where visitors can enjoy global flavors, live performances, and dazzling fireworks. With its vibrant atmosphere and breathtaking views, Sunset Town promises an unforgettable experience filled with excitement and luxury.

At the center of the sunset ritual is Kiss Bridge, an iconic landmark that has quickly become the south’s must see photo stop. People gather early to claim the best angles, then stay for the atmosphere: sea breeze, music, and that collective pause that happens when the horizon catches fire.

Sky Ride, Sea Day, Sunset Shores

Some experiences deserve a whole itinerary, and Phu Quoc has a few that instantly justify the flight. Start in the south with the Hòn Thơm cable car, a Guinness World Records holder at 7,899.9 meters, first recognized on January 3, 2018. In about 15 minutes, the cable gondola glides from An Thới out over the sea toward Hòn Thơm, passing above islets like Hòn Dừa and Hòn Rỏi, with a 360 degree view that turns the archipelago into a watercolor map beneath your feet. Pair the ride with an island day in the An Thới area, where swimming and an unhurried lunch feel better simply because the horizon stays wide and uninterrupted.

Then take the sea route into the An Thới archipelago itself, a cluster of more than 15 islets scattered across bright lagoons and coral pockets. A private or small group boat day is the classic luxury move here: snorkel in clear shallows, photograph that impossible turquoise, and keep your essentials dialed in with reef safe sunscreen, a light cover up, and extra phone storage for the blues that keep reappearing in your camera roll. For calmer water and better visibility, many travelers time snorkel days for the dry season, roughly October through April.

Finish with beach hopping as a curated ritual, because each shoreline wears a different mood. Bai Sao feels airy and luminous, all powder sand and gentle water that invites long swims and slow mornings. Bai Khem reads more polished, with resort energy and a sunset that turns the coast dramatic and cinematic. Long Beach brings easy elegance close to Duong Dong, perfect for golden hour walks that flow straight into dinner plans.

Phu Quoc and the art of beachfront hospitality

Regent Phu Quoc: Set along Long Beach, the Regent unfolds like a contemporary coastal village, shaped by Vietnamese vernacular cues and a strong sense of place. Suites and pool villas lean spacious and serene, made for slow mornings on the terrace, long swims that drift into afternoon, then an easy reset before dinner, when dressing up feels like part of the island’s natural pace.

JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay: Designed by Bill Bensley, the resort is built around the invented legend of Lamarck University, a mythical French era campus said to have thrived between the late 1800s and the early 1900s before being “rediscovered” and reimagined as a five star escape. That backstory shapes everything you see: buildings are styled as academic “departments,” the arrival experience plays like stepping into a dean’s world, and even signature spaces nod to characters from the tale, turning check in into storytelling. The result is glamorous, whimsical, and unapologetically photogenic, a stay for travelers who collect hotels like destinations and want every corridor to feel like a set.

Fusion Resort Phu Quoc: Fusion is built around its signature “all spa inclusive” concept, where treatments feel like a daily rhythm rather than an occasional add on. Wellness sits at the center of the stay, with a schedule that naturally makes room for massages, body therapies, and slow resets between pool time and beach air. The resort’s villa focused layout leans private and quiet, so mornings start soft, afternoons stretch into long calm hours, and the whole experience suits travelers who want their holiday to feel restorative, unrushed, and gently structured around self care.

The takeaway

Phu Quoc leaves you the way the best holidays do: lighter, warmer, and slightly changed. You arrive for the water and the weather, then you stay for the feeling, the island’s quiet confidence, the way jungle shade and sea glare teach your body a calmer tempo. When it is time to go, Pearl Island slips into your carry on as something you cannot fold, a salt bright memory, a lantern glow, a long horizon that keeps widening inside you. And later, back in the rush of routine, you will catch yourself thinking of green, gold, and blue, and realize Phu Quoc still moves with you, like a promise you made to your future self and plan to keep.