Phu Quoc - full review of all places. The best beaches in Fukuoka - which one to choose? What to see and do

03.07.2021

Its main pride and attraction. It is because of the beaches that thousands of tourists come here. But Phu Quoc continues to be considered a place that has not yet been spoiled by civilization. Almost the entire island is surrounded by the purest sandy beaches and palm trees almost right next to the water. Most of this area is not equipped for tourists, and you can only be left to your own devices. Of course, before wild beaches you will have to walk or drive from your hotel.
The bulk of hotels in Fukuoka are concentrated within a few beaches, so the choice of accommodation is not that great. The most budget hotels located in Duong Dong city and near the airport, as well as in the southern part of Long Beach. When you stay in a hotel on the city beach, you find yourself in the center of the island’s “party” life - this is where the most of shops, cafes and entertainment venues. There is, of course, a minus - the beach is not particularly clean and calm. So, which Phu Cauca beaches should you consider staying at?
Long Beach / Duong Dong Beach

This is the most popular and largest beach on the island. It starts in the city, almost from the airport, and lies 7 kilometers south. The most budget accommodation is located closer to the airport. In the far part of the beach, housing is more expensive and comfortable - hotels here are located on a clean beach, which is constantly cleaned.

Bai Sao (Sao Beach or Bai Sao)
This beach has repeatedly been included in the ratings of not only the best beaches in Phu Quoc, but throughout Vietnam. The beach is very clean and still poorly equipped. Clear turquoise water, white, very fine sand and palm trees right next to the water - isn’t this what all lovers of Bounty-style holidays dream of?
In order to visit this beach, it is not at all necessary to check into a local hotel - Bai Sao is easily accessible by taxi or rented bike. The beach is located in the southern part of the island on east coast. The beach infrastructure is still underdeveloped; in the evenings it is boring - vacationers entertain themselves on their own. If you like a secluded life, as well as lounging in the evening with a book, the beautiful Bai Sao beach is your choice.

Ong Lang Beach.
The beach lies north of the city Duong Dong, on west coast islands. If you compare it with Long Beach, there are fewer hotels here, it is calmer and more distant from civilization. But you can’t call it secluded. Rather, it is something between Long Beach and Bai Sai. The beach infrastructure is gradually developing - there are many cafes and bars. Even amateurs water activities they won't be bored.

It is here on the east coast, in its southern part, that Bai Sao beach is located.

Bai Sao Beach is famous not only in Vietnam, but throughout South Asia. It gained popularity due to its fine and very white sand. The whitest sand covers northern part beach, and in the southern part the color of the sand begins to approach yellow shades.

General information about the beach

Bai Sao east coast

The total length of the beach is about 2 km. Its crescent shape is formed by two green mountain ranges that stretch all the way to the sea and surround the beach on the north and south sides.

Bai Sao beach on Phu Quoc island

According to the stories of local residents, the beach was so named (“Star”) because a long time ago, when it was still virgin and untouched by civilization, every full moon the white sand was dotted with starfish washed ashore by the surf.

Long beach club Bai Sao

During high season(from December to April), especially in the daytime, the beach is quite crowded; tourists from all over the island are brought here by bus. People come here not only to sunbathe and swim in the sea, but also to enjoy the exotic beauty of this beach, combining bright colors white sand, sapphire water, blue sky and green palm trees.

More detailed information You can see about the weather in Fukuoka

For a long time there was no developed tourist infrastructure on the beach. But gradually the beach is changing. Several hotels and restaurants have been built along the coast. The area around restaurants and hotels is clean and well-groomed.

Bai Sao Beach

On the beach you can always retire by finding a secluded place to relax. But if you walk a little further from hotels and restaurants, you can stumble upon natural and industrial waste, which spoils the overall positive impression of this beautiful beach.

Snorkeling on Bai Sao

You can see the location of all beaches, hotels, restaurants and attractions on a map of Phu Quoc Island, specially prepared for your convenience.

Where to eat

There are several restaurants on the Bai Sao coast, two of them are the most popular: in the central part of the beach there is a restaurant Long beach, and in its northern one - Paradiso restaurant.

Restaurants offer dishes of Vietnamese, Russian, and Western cuisines.

Paradiso restaurant

On the beach near the Long beach restaurant you can rent sun loungers for three dollars and use a shower for a dollar. And on the coast next to the Paradiso restaurant, you can use these beach attributes for free if you buy a drink at the restaurant (freshly squeezed watermelon juice costs about two dollars), another bonus from this restaurant is free Wi-Fi.

How to get to Bai Sao Beach

By taxi

If you are staying at a hotel located on Long Beach, a round trip will cost about $20. When renting a taxi for the day – about 35 dollars.

By motorcycle taxi

The cost of a trip to the beach is about 8 dollars.

Where to stay on Bai Sao

An Yen Resort Hotel

Room at An Yen Resort

Private beach at An Yen Resort

The hotel has its own private beach, there are opportunities for scuba diving and kayaking. There is free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. Pets are allowed at the hotel.

West coast beaches

There are very few hotels on Bai Sao beach, as on the entire east coast, so tourists prefer to stay in hotels located on the beaches of the west coast of the island. One of the most popular and equipped beaches among Russian tourists considered a beach.

We spent a full seven days in Fukuoka. We drove the length and breadth of the island. We visited basically all the places mentioned in tourist brochures and more. I decided to build this review according to the principle: place - description, abandoning the more familiar structure of a diary by day. Recommendations for choosing an area of the island for accommodation and our hotel will be at the end.

How to get to Fukuoka

Opened in Fukuoka in 2012 new airport(PQC code) which accepts regular flights from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Haiphong and Can Tho. In addition, hundreds of charters fly here from all over the world.

The most convenient way to get to this Vietnamese island is from Ho Chi Minh City. Depending on the season and day of the week, the number of flights per day from Saigon can reach 10 or more. The journey is only 1 hour. Flights operated by: Vietnam airlines, VietJet Air, JetStar. Ticket prices range from 4,000 rubles. up to 20,000 rub. for round trip flight per person. We bought tickets for New Year's dates 5 months before departure (in August). Low-cost airline - JetStar, price - 4,300 rubles (round trip). I recommend booking tickets in advance if you want to save 10-15 thousand rubles. Aviasales to help.

Road from/to Fukuoka Airport

If I'm not mistaken, there is no public transport. You need to get from the airport to the hotel by taxi or a previously booked transfer at the hotel. Taxi stands are located at the exit, also in the baggage claim area. Everything is simple here, show your hotel reservation with the address, pay for travel at the counter, receive a voucher, and go out. We get into the hands of a driver who, using a voucher, takes us to the hotel without any problems or questions. The island itself is not small, so the price of a taxi will be from 100,000 dong to 300,000 - 400,000 dong, depending on the location of the hotel.

Fukuoka beaches

The map below shows all the places we visited in Fukuoka:

Perhaps we should start with what people fly here for 10-15 hours - the beaches. The climate features in Fukuoka are such that:

From November to March is the dry season, the wind blows from east to west;
From April to October is the rainy season, the wind blows from west to east.

Accordingly, on west bank all the hotels and resorts are located, since in winter, during the season, this coast is quiet, closed from the winds. On east coast in the winter months there are waves and a huge amount of dirt and household garbage washed up from all over the Gulf of Thailand.

Bai Sao Beach is the pearl of the island. Phu Quoc and Vietnam in general

The place is very beautiful. The beach is located in a small bay surrounded by hills covered with tropical vegetation. White sand.

During low tide (afternoon) the coastline increases greatly. The beach, especially in the photo, looks heavenly.

We were not able to enjoy this natural beauty, relax, or swim in the sea. There is so much dirt and garbage here that there are simply no words. Wild trash. The entire coast is strewn with bags, bottles and other nasty things. The desire to swim here immediately disappears when a pack of condoms floats next to you and a meter-long piece of driftwood drags along the bottom.

Infrastructure: along the beach there are several cafes in traditional Vietnamese style - dirty tables, dishes, waiters sleeping on the move. I didn’t have any particular complaints about this, since this is Vietnam.

Each establishment diligently “cleans” its coastline from dirt and debris. It happens like this: a Vietnamese shovels garbage into a bucket, moves beyond the restaurant’s shore area and pours it out where a section of the beach belongs to no one. The sea takes all this garbage again with a wave and washes it down over time. Such is the cycle of idiocy.

One of our compatriots, who has lived on the island for more than 5 years, assured me that after the wind changes, the beach will be cleaned and it will be exemplary. The locals have the following mentality: why clean up today if tomorrow the sea will again bring all sorts of rubbish.

I don’t post photos of the mud so as not to spoil the impression of this place, because it really is amazing. I hope the local authorities will pay attention and put this beach in order; it has no equal in beauty on the island.

Beach - continuation of Bai Sao

If you stand facing the sea on Sao Beach, then on the right there is another beach, which differs in the color of the sand, it is yellow.

There are huge boulders in the water and on the shore. The coastline is slightly narrower than that of Bai Sao. There are no restaurants or sun loungers here. In a way, this is a plus, since there are almost no people, you can throw in a towel and lie in solitude.

The main problem is, again, garbage, but oddly enough there is much less of it here, there is almost none in the water, although it is no more than 1 km from Bai Sao. Apparently the features of the tide.

Ong Lang Beach

The most well-groomed and clean beach in Fukuoka. The sand is fine and golden in color. There are many decent hotels and restaurants on the first coastline, hence the impeccable cleanliness; the surrounding area is regularly cleaned. The sea is very calm and warm.

In some places there are areas with stone banks.

Large areas of this beach are occupied by hotels, mainly of the bungalow type. Since all the beaches in Fukuoka are public, this does not cause problems. You can swim and relax along the entire coastline. Restrictions are only on the use of sun loungers and other beach equipment that belongs to the hotel.

Ganh Gio Beach

Ganh Gio Beach - located south of Ong Lang beach on the western part of the island. Essentially no different from Ong Lang. Is that access to the beach is only possible through the territory of the Shells Resort hotel (one of the most expensive in Fukuoka). You could say the beach is private.

They may not be allowed into the hotel territory, so if you are not staying at this hotel, then there is nothing to do at Ganh Gio Beach.

Other beaches in Fukuoka

The above are places that I have studied well. We spent enough time on these beaches to form a specific opinion about them. In addition to these places, during our stay on the island we were taken to several more beaches, and I’ll say a few words about them.

Long Beach - the center of everything beach holiday Fukuoka. Its length is about 20 km. Probably 90-95% of all hotels and resorts are located on this beach and its surroundings. I try to avoid places where there are such crowds of people, so I won’t give recommendations.

Duong Dong Beach is a garbage dump, not suitable for swimming or relaxing

Thom Beach is a garbage dump, not suitable for swimming or relaxing

What else to do in Fukuoka

Judging by tourist brochures and notes, Phu Quoc is famous not only for its beaches. We had enough time to carefully familiarize ourselves with island life and all the entertainment for tourists. In addition to beach holidays, Phu Quoc offers activities for guests to suit every taste:

hiking trails through tropical forests;
one-day snorkeling/diving excursions to coral reefs and islands;
a modern amusement park with water slides and attractions;
safari zoo;
rich excursionist. Pepper factory, pearl factory, local fish sauce production
Getting to know local traditions and lifestyle (markets, street food, etc.)

Night market

Before going to the island, I read a lot of comments and reviews about the night market. People described this place as a paradise for fans of seafood and street food in general.

The market consists of several streets with street cafes, shops selling nuts, souvenirs and other junk. Every reputable establishment has aquariums and counters with fresh catch.

There are really no questions about the products, everything is fresh. Wide choose shellfish, fish. There is exotic stuff - for example, sharks and other unknown creatures. It’s interesting to look at sea creatures and tap their fingers on the glass. This is, in its own way, a miniature aquarium.

Guests are invited to choose their own dinner. They prepare, without exception, according to three recipes: grilled, boiled, boiled/stewed with local seasonings.

I can’t stand intrusiveness, so I didn’t feel very comfortable walking around the market. The Vietnamese are overwhelming from all sides, everyone offers to sit in his establishment. Cherkizovsky market in Moscow in the nineties, one to one. Only instead of sneakers and tracksuits, they sell shrimp and squid here.

All eateries, and there is no other way to call them, are the same. So we sat down where there were people and the most decent tables and tablecloths.

I don’t consider myself a squeamish person, but here there is excellent filth everywhere. You can stick tightly to the table. I had to drink beer from a bottle; I didn’t dare pour it into a glass. The seafood is fresh, you can be patient, let's go choose your dinner. We took: shrimp, squid, sea urchins, oysters and some other shells. They didn’t manage to spoil the shrimp, but what the hell were the rest of the dishes was a big question for me.

WITH clear conscience I tried everything. Then my stomach ached wildly and we moved away from the Night Market.

Bottom line. The feeling is like resentment for wasting an evening on the island, and also a pain in the stomach after the “delicious” seafood. In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing to do here. As a last resort, if you are completely tired of sitting in a cozy restaurant on the coast with a glass of beer or wine, enjoying delicious and most importantly safe food, then go here to look at the bizarre creatures in the aquarium, but under no circumstances eat anything here. Not tasty and not safe.

Phu Quoc Pepper Farm

There are several pepper factories, or more precisely, pepper farms, in Fukuoka. At least there are about five markers on the mapsme map. We visited the most “touristy” of them. It is located a couple of kilometers from the city of Duong Dong. See map above.

At first, I still didn’t understand whether we had arrived correctly or not, since there were practically no identifying signs of the factory, not counting the sign on the road. In general, the place looked more like an ordinary farmhouse. There is also a shop near the road that sells pepper and coffee. The guy showed us how to get to the farm.

The place is a plantation where peppers are grown - strict rows of climbing plants.

There is a small orchard.

You can buy a lot in the store different options already prepared seasoning. Black and white pepper, peas and ground, ground with garlic and soy sauce.

I guess that's all.

We stopped at a farm on our way from Bai Sao. You won’t be able to stay here for more than half an hour, since, in fact, there is nothing to see or do.

My opinion is that if you are passing by, you should definitely stop to buy pepper for the year ahead and then distribute it to all your friends and relatives as a souvenir. I don’t see any point in coming here purposefully to see the farm.

Fish sauce factory, pearl factory

Both of these establishments are a common ploy by local residents to attract the attention of tourists. You arrive there and all you find is a shop where you can buy pearls or fish sauce. There is nothing more to say. It's not worth going.

Trekking in Phu Quoc (Ganh Dau trail)

There are no tracking routes in the usual sense of the word in Fukuoka. Let me explain a little: on the island there is a huge national park- a tropical forest where monkeys, parrots and many others live in their natural environment. There are lakes, waterfalls, rivers, hills. Only the infrastructure and access to these nature reserves No. Complete impenetrable jungle.

In total, we had three trips to different parts of the island, with the goal of seeing wild monkeys, listening to caecas, and generally getting to know the local flora and fauna.

In the north (map above) there is a route that is marked on tourist maps - Ganh Dau trail.

It consists of a path about 2 km long through the forest. The route is a dead end. Reached the end and back.

I've seen trees like this a couple of times

On the trail you feel that the forest is simply teeming with insects, snakes and other creatures. We were already close to sunset and completely alone. The feeling is eerie, I'm happy.

This is all. More equipped tourist routes not in Fukuoka. One time we turned off the road and followed a path not marked on the road. tourist map(on my map "Forest")

After 15 minutes we came to a clearing where the Vietnamese were diligently cutting down the jungle. It looks like it's under construction for a hotel or something. They looked at us wildly; apparently it was unusual for them to see white people in the forest and not on the beach.

A couple of times we tried to find a more or less sane road/trail along which we could walk through Phu Quoc National Park National Park). Judging by the maps, there is a trail that crosses the entire park, but we were unable to reach it. Locals They looked at us as if we were plague-ridden, waved their hands and sent us away from the forest.

The DT973 road (Duong Dong - Bai Thom) runs through the jungle. You can ride along it quite comfortably on a scooter to the north and back to look at the local landscape. Along the way we happened to meet wild monkeys.

In general, as I understand it, the national park is a wild and undeveloped place. Even the locals don't go there. According to verified information, there are over 61 species of reptiles alone. You can read about the park using the link.

My opinion:

To me, as an amateur wildlife it was simply necessary to try to climb into the jungle and see wild monkeys. I was pleased to see the nature of this region. Since the infrastructure on the island is completely unsuitable for such a holiday, not everyone will like such entertainment. For those who are bored of lying on the beach all day, I can advise the following:

The Ganh Dau Trail walking route will take 1-2 hours, you can “feel” the jungle a little, especially closer to sunset;
Ride a scooter along the Duong Dong - Bai Thom road along National Park. It will take about 1.5 - 2 hours round trip. You can meet wild monkeys.

Snorkeling/diving in Phu Quoc

There are no living creatures or corals on the beaches of Fukuoka. Travel agencies offer day trips to small islands that are located north or south of Fukuoka. We took a tour to northern islands, since in the south there were unfavorable conditions due to the wind. It doesn’t matter which islands you go to; the program is the same everywhere and includes:

Transfer from the hotel to Duong Dong pier where the boat is waiting
The road to the islands by boat is 1-1.5 hours
Fishing for about an hour per donk
Snorkeling off the islands, about 2 hours
Lunch after snorkeling
free time on one of the beaches of Fukuoka, which is taken by boat

Price per person per group excursion about 20-30 dollars, depending on the travel agency. We took a private trip for $120 from Phu Quoc Beach Travel, in an office located near Ong Lang Beach. In appearance, this agency was the most decent, you can pay by card, there were even brochures in Russian with a description. Additionally, they offered to take a Russian-speaking guide for $20, but we refused. As a result, the guide was our Russian former pilot, who settled on the island in retirement.

We went to several other agencies: in one the Vietnamese woman still didn’t understand what a Private tour was and just pointed at the brochure, in another there was no one at all.

Since we had a private excursion, we did not have to go to Duong Dong to the pier. The boat itself came to us on Ong Lang beach, next to which we lived.

The purpose of the excursion is small islands: Fingernail Island and Turtle Island. The journey is about an hour in total. Next to them you can fish from a boat to the bottom, swim with fins and a mask.

It is difficult to call them islands. Small pieces of land that can be reached by swimming.

We tried fishing and decided not to waste time on it. firstly, it wasn’t particularly biting, and secondly, catching fish from the palm of your hand is not particularly interesting.

We spent all the allotted time in the water on a coral reef

You can get out onto land and relax a little. There is garbage on the island that comes from the sea, and there is quite a lot of it. Some bottles and flasks look like they have been lying here for years. Since they bring tourists here, why not collect all the dirt. The area of the island is only 100 square meters. But this is Vietnam, no one picks up trash here.

Two hours is enough to swim above the corals and look at small fish.

On the way back from the islands, lunch is offered, which includes local dishes: Pho soup, rice, chicken. The dishes are simple and tasty, especially after 2 hours on the water. For exotic items, you can try sea urchins for an additional fee.

By 15:00 we were brought back to Ong Lang Beach.

General impressions: If in your life you have never seen anything underwater except sand and stones, then you should definitely take an excursion. For beginners, snorkeling in Fukuoka will delight you. It so happened that I first became acquainted with the underwater world while scuba diving in the Red Sea and now snorkeling or diving in other places does not evoke strong emotions in me. Local undersea world it’s sparse and not as motley and colorful, but it’s there. I like active holidays, I’d rather swim for 3 hours and look at the corals than lie on the beach, so I recommend it.

Safari Zoo in Phu Quoc (Vinpearl Safari Phu Quoc) + Vinpearlland Amusement Park

Since we had plenty of time on the island, we decided not to bypass the recently opened Vinpearlland amusement park and Safari Zoo. They are located in the north of the island. We traveled around the island for the entire seven days on a rented scooter, so we didn’t encounter any problems getting to one or another part of the island, but there also seem to be free buses from Duong Dong several times a day.

At the ticket office of the zoo, general tickets for 1 day (Vinperalland + Vinpearl Safari) were purchased at a price of 850,000 Dong per person. It was decided to start with the zoo, since its opening hours are shorter, from 09:00 to 16:00. The park is divided into 2 zones:

Animals in cages;
Safari Park.

The zoo is very decent. The territory is well-groomed, everything is thought out and worked out to the smallest detail.

Animals are nice to look at. Clean, well-fed. Their cages are very large, there is room to roam around.

The second zone is the safari zoo. Tourists are transported by bus from one zone to another. In each zone there are certain animals. The downside is that this is an ordinary bus, the same as on the city route to MSC. You have to look at the animals through glass. Need a tall one here double-decker with an open second floor.

We couldn’t stay here for more than two hours; the scorching sun was simply unbearable. Moreover, we got here at the very peak of the heat, we arrived at 12 and walked until 2.

Next about Vinpearlland. It's a 10-minute scooter ride from the zoo. The park is divided into several zones and offers the following entertainment: water slides, attractions, an aquarium, a show of dancing fountains, etc. In a word, we have collected everything that is possible. We walked here using the previously purchased single ticket in zoo. I’ll say right away that we were only interested in the park with water slides, we didn’t go anywhere else, we didn’t see anything. So they are a solid 4k. There are no queues. There are enough slides, there is somewhere for children and adults to ride. You can read more about the park.

General impression of Vinpearlland + Zoo.

I can only recommend spending a day on Vinpearl if you have visited all the other places on the list above and still have time on the island. Also, such parks will probably be of interest to tourists with children. You can spend the whole day here. It’s better to start in the morning (from 9 o’clock) at the zoo, while the heat can still allow you to walk under open air. There is little shade in the zoo. After 12 you can move to Vinpearlland to water slides and attractions.

Asia is famous for its sunsets, and Phu Quoc is no exception in this regard. You can watch a beautiful sunset along the entire western coast of the island. The spectacle is truly impressive. We planned every day so that at 17:30 we would be at Ong Lang Beach with a bottle of Tiger. Comments are unnecessary here.

By 18:00 the sun sets in Fukuoka, people begin to disperse to their hotels and by 18:30 - 19:00 decent restaurants are full. It will be possible to sit down, but not always at a comfortable table.

Where to stay in Fukuoka

When choosing a hotel in Fukuoka, you should immediately ignore the eastern coast of the island. There is no infrastructure here, the coast is one complete garbage dump.

95% of hotels are on the west coast. For myself, roughly speaking, I divided all the hotels into 4 zones (from north to south):

1st zone: North-west of the island. vicinity Vinpearl

At the time of our trip, this territory was actively being developed. Huge multi-storey premium chain hotels were built here. In addition to Vinpearl amusement parks, a casino should open here in the near future. For whom all this will be built and who will live here, I have no idea. Europeans and Americans will not come here when they have Las Vegas, Miami, Ibiza, and Nice at home. Especially considering the mentality and service of the local residents. I do not recommend this area of the island. Anyone who wants luxury should go to Dubai, and in no case to Phu Quoc.

2nd zone: Hotels located along Ong Lang Beach

We lived in this area and I can safely say that this the best place to stay in Fukuoka. Long Beach is the cleanest on the island. Local hotels have large green areas, almost all of them have bungalows and houses. This allows you to be closer to nature. Local residents do not live here, peace and quiet. This area is located in the very center of the island, making it very convenient to make forays into other parts of Fukuoka.

Zone 3: Hotels in Duong Dong and its surroundings

I won't pay much attention. It’s only suitable for backpackers, and even then you can find more impressive options in other parts of the island for little money.

Zone 4: Hotels located along Long Beach

Long Beach is not much inferior to Ong Lang. The coast here is also very clean, a large number of hotels for every taste and budget. The difference from the Ong Lang area is that the concentration of tourists here is several times higher. Hence the bustle, the constant movement.

For those who value tranquility and privacy, I would advise staying in the Ong Lang Beach area; for everyone else, Long Beach.

We stayed at the Palm hill resort. Mid-priced place, about $60 per night. The hotel is not located on the first coastline, about 10 minutes walk to Ong Lang Beach. It has its own green area and a small swimming pool. Accommodation is exclusively in bungalows. The cuisine in the local restaurant is nothing, the only thing I can recommend is the fruit milkshakes, very tasty. Overall, the place is cozy and worth the money.

For myself, I noted the two most attractive hotels in which it is best to stay in Phu Quoc near Ong Lang Beach:

Coco Palm Beach Resort & Spa - the same price category, about $60 per night. The hotel is located on the first coastline. Excellent green area, 20 meters from the sea. There is a restaurant main feature which is again the location, it essentially stands on the beach. We dined here most often. It’s better to arrive early; between one and three you’ll hardly be able to sit down. All the people from the beach come here. The kitchen is a solid four. For the money, this hotel can be called one of the best on the island. There are only 4 bungalows on the territory, the demand is huge. To get here during the season, you need to book 6 months in advance.

Mango Bay Phu Quoc Resort is the most... best hotel in Fukuoka. If I return to the island again, I will definitely come here. The hotel has a huge green area. The beach in front of the hotel is quiet and secluded. Lots of sunbeds and hammocks. The Mango Bay restaurant is another reason to shower you with compliments. Located, naturally, on the shore. There is a veranda where you can sit at a table and watch stunning sunset pictures. Menu, service, food - everything is in the best European traditions. During the season, a night in this hotel starts from $200. The price is decent, but it's worth it. You need to book a room probably a year in advance. 7 months before our travel date there were no rooms available.

How to get around Fukuoka

There is no public transport on the island. You cannot rent a car, since in Fukuoka it is legally prohibited for tourists to drive.

The most convenient way to get around the island, in my opinion, is a scooter. You can rent it at any hotel. Price 150,000 dong per day. No documents, contracts, insurance. It's simple, take the bike and go. Traffic on the island is not as crazy as in Ho Chi Minh City or any other metropolis, so you can move around calmly and without fear.

If for some reason the option with a scooter is not suitable, then the only option is a taxi. You can call it at the reception of any hotel. Taxi rides according to the meter.

General impression of Fukuoka

Is it worth visiting Phu Quoc? Most likely my answer will be no. There are much more beautiful and interesting places where you can spend your vacation: Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia.

If you still decide to visit this Vietnamese island, then I would recommend spending no more than 5 days on it. This will be enough to relax on the beach and see Phu Quoc. My recommendations:

Hotel: Mango Bay or Coco Palm
Beach: Ong Lang
Excursions: Snorkeling to the islands
What to see: Bai Sao Beach, pepper farm, walking route, Vinpearl Zoo

But, according to many, and throughout South-East Asia. White crumbly sand and crystal-turquoise sea attract vacationers here like a magnet. So I couldn’t resist, deciding to look at this gorgeous beach with my own eyes and personally find out whether it is as beautiful as they say.

We drove to the beach for a long time, almost across the entire island. First along an asphalt road in the sun, and then along paving stones, but in the shade. And I’m telling this so that it is clear how tired we were from the heat and dust, and how thirsty we were for the cool sea. And so, having seen a sign to the beach, having found some semblance of a parking lot and without hesitation leaving our moped there (without even asking whether we needed to pay something, because I read somewhere that it was necessary), we practically ran towards the sea . Having passed something along the way that was not entirely clear to me - either a market (because we encountered several mini-pools with various sea creatures), or a restaurant (because we saw several tables and even someone was eating something at them), or a rest room for locals (where an unimaginable number of Vietnamese nested in hammocks), we finally got to famous beach Bai Sao .And that was the first thing I saw, in agonizing anticipation, incredible beautiful beach After spending almost two hours on a moped under the scorching sun, there are crowds of vacationers and mountains of garbage.
Moreover, having looked at almost the entire shore, I realized in horror that such a situation was happening not only in the central part, but throughout the entire beach.

Oh, how sad it was to realize this. No, of course, I knew and read in advance that from the point of view of cleanliness Bai Sao The beach is quite contrasting. That the shore here is cleaned only where sun loungers are rented out and they don’t go a centimeter beyond their own territory. But I couldn’t imagine that everything was so neglected.

Moreover, it is clearly clear that this garbage is mostly the work of human hands. In general, I would like to note that the Vietnamese, of course, are pigs. During the trip, we repeatedly observed how they throw garbage right at their feet on the street. Here all this disgustingness is fully manifested.

After this, I somehow immediately didn’t want to swim. But (and here, shocked by the terrifying photographs presented above, they can exhale) oddly enough, the water in the sea turned out to be completely clean. No papers, no bags or other human waste products. All that was left was to find a more or less pleasant place on the shore where you could place your towels and, without going around the minefield of garbage, enter the water. Looking around to determine best direction movement, we chose the left side of the beach, where there were not many people and from a distance the shore did not look very dirty.

The beach on this side actually turned out to be quite decent. And in some places you came across such clean and untouched places that you didn’t even want to look away. Suddenly, garbage comes into view and destroys the entire idyll.

And, of course, the most advertised look Bai Sao Beach and the most famous swing in all of Phu Quoc.
Everything seems to be good in this part of the beach and there seem to be even a few sunbeds. But they are somehow placed so poorly that there is no free space left to rest on a towel on the sand. Only on the grass, and there is already a lot of garbage there again.

We reached the very edge of the beach, where only local fishermen meet. But they couldn’t figure out where to locate it.
In general, the poet’s soul could not stand the wanderings in search of a place to rest. They spat on everything, dumped their belongings in a heap right under the palm tree and quickly went for a swim. I no longer had the strength to be out of the water. We decided that we would go for a swim and go to the other side of the beach to explore. If there are no prospects there, we’ll spit on this one. Bai Sao and we’ll go to our place, for a, albeit not ideal, but proven rest.
The sea, fortunately and unexpectedly, turned out to be simply amazing. Everything I like: crystal clear, cool water, small waves. And, after everything we saw on the shore, it was very strange, there was no garbage. So much for the contrast. There is nowhere to step on the beach without bumping into some kind of bag or piece of paper, and in the water there is not even a hint of human waste.

So, heading in the opposite direction, we spent quite a long time looking for a decent place where we could sit on a towel. We passed by the central part, with a completely clean shore, but a complete lack of free space between the sun loungers.
There are also several beach cafes nearby where you can buy water or ice cream and even have lunch. Later, by the way, we ate here. It’s also quite an experience, I’ll tell you. Sitting in a cafe on the shore beautiful sea, under a canopy woven from palm leaves, you feast on freshly caught seafood, and rats run between the tables. I’m not exaggerating, they just run around and are not shy. Again, Baisa contrast.
As a result, we managed to find a more or less decent place, at the very end of the beach, behind the boulders. We settled down between them. Since there were almost no people there, there was not much garbage. So, a small dump in the bushes. But when the wind wasn’t blowing, she barely even stank :)
But, separated huge stones, we were completely alone. And even with its own entrance to the sea. Therefore, there was no need to look out onto the main beach. You lie there, look at the blue sky, the turquoise sea, and even almost forget that somewhere very close there are crowds of people and garbage deposits.
We really didn’t enjoy our solitude for very long. Because it is Bai Sao on the east coast of Fukuoka and the sun sets here not in the sea, but behind the mountains. And the mountains are quite big. Accordingly, at 4 o'clock the sun is almost completely hidden, and in the shade it becomes quite cool. The shadow comes to the central part of the beach a little later, but it left our peaceful nest first. I had to crawl out of the shelter and go back to civilization, people and garbage. But even in the evening colors, the trash still caught the eye and discouraged any desire to be here. So we walked a little, swam once and drove away from this beautiful and at the same time such a terrible place.
Well, in the end, what can I say about Bai Sao beach ? Such a shore polluted by people and an absolutely clean sea reminded me of the eternal struggle between good and evil, where good is nature, and evil is, naturally, man. The poor sea is trying its best to keep itself clean, and is being beaten back by the waves. And in water it seems to even be possible. But there is no longer enough strength for the sand, and here human swinishness manifests itself in all its disgusting glory. I really want to hope that in the end good will win.

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