Vietnam's largest island is having a moment. Phú Quốc, off the country's south-west coast, is pulling in visitors from an ever-wider spread of markets — and the construction cranes everywhere suggest it's only getting started. But a round of interviews with first-time travellers from Saudi Arabia, India and South Korea shows the island still has some obvious gaps to close before it can rival Phuket or Bali.
The positives come up again and again. Lojin Ali, visiting from Saudi Arabia with family after earlier trips to Phuket and Bali, was struck by the island's beauty, weather and friendly people — and by the shrimp noodle breakfasts. Getting around from a far-flung resort proved easy enough with ride-hailing app Grab. Rajat Mittal from India found the island on social media and loved how much is packed into one place: the cable car at Sunset Town, the VinWonders adventure park and Vinpearl Safari, all wrapped in a calmness that's rare in Southeast Asia's big resort islands. Injun Choi from South Korea praised the beaches, the light shows and fireworks at Sunset Town, the local food — bánh xèo and bún chả got a specific shout-out — and prices that feel cheap compared to home.
The complaints are just as consistent. Mittal found parts of the island strangely empty, with unoccupied shops and deserted streets after dark — even the casino was dead. Getting there from India meant exhausting connecting flights with five-to-seven-hour layovers, and he's hoping a planned airport expansion brings direct routes. Choi flagged bumpy, unpaved roads that make taxi rides uncomfortable. And Ali, impressed by the scale of development, hopes the island keeps its Vietnamese culture, food and identity as it internationalises rather than becoming a generic resort strip.
A key driver of all that construction: Phú Quốc is set to host APEC in 2027, and visitors interviewed for the piece see that as the catalyst that could turn it into a genuine international events and conference destination. The consensus among all three was that the raw ingredients are there — nature, resorts, entertainment — and that connectivity, nightlife and infrastructure are what's missing. Mittal says he'd happily return in five to seven years to see how it all shakes out.
Why should this matter to you? If you like the idea of a Bali- or Phuket-style resort holiday but with quieter beaches and lower prices, Phú Quốc is arguably at its best right now — polished enough at the big resorts and attractions, still a little rough around the edges. Go with realistic expectations about roads and evening options, and consider it for a resort-centric break rather than a nightlife trip. — Vietnam News Life
