Vietnam visa on arrival - Flying to Phu Quoc Island is cheap and easy, but, if you want a real adventure, driving there by motorbike from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) is much more fun. This road trip takes you from Vietnam’s biggest city to some of the country’s best beaches, via the waterways and highways of the country’s rice basket, the Mekong Delta. Upgraded roads – both on the mainland and on the island – and regular ferry connections from two Mekong Delta towns, make it possible to complete a loop from Saigon to Phu Quoc Island and back again. This round-trip takes in Vietnam’s agricultural heartland, peaceful riverside towns with colonial charm, tropical beaches lapped by the balmy waters of the Gulf of Thailand, and a fair share of industrial hellholes created by the country’s rapid economic rise.
Phú Quốc lies south of the Cambodian coast, west of Kampot, and 40 km west of Ha Tien, the nearest coastal town in Vietnam. Roughly triangular in shape the island is 50 kilometres (31 mi) long from north to south and 25 kilometres (16 mi) from east to west in the north at its widest. It is also located 62 nautical miles (115 km; 71 mi) from Rạch Giá and nearly 290 nautical miles (540 km; 330 mi) from Laem Chabang, Thailand.
A mountainous ridge known as "99 Peaks" runs the length of Phú Quốc, with Chúa Mountain being the tallest at 603 metres (1,978 ft). Phu Quoc Island is mainly composed of sedimentary rocks from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic age, including heterogeneous conglomerate composition, layering thick, quartz pebbles, silica, limestone, riolit and felsit. The Mesozoic rocks are classified in Phu Quoc Formation (K pq). The Cenozoic sediments are classified in formations of Long Toan (middle - upper Pleistocene), Long My, (upper Pleistocene), Hau Giang (lower - middle Holocene), upper Holocene sediments, and undivided Quaternary.
SAIGON TO PHU QUOC ISLAND: MOTORBIKE GUIDE Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s largest island, is southwest of Saigon. It’s closer to Cambodia than the Vietnamese mainland, and the former also lays claim to it. From Saigon to either of the ferry ports in the Mekong Delta (Ha Tien and Rach Gia) it’s around 300km, so, unless you’re an experienced rider or know the roads well, expect to spend at least one night en route to the island: I’ve included recommendations for accommodation and food at some places along the way. To get the most out of this ride allow one week to complete the journey: this gives you plenty of time to explore the tropical beaches on Phu Quoc and to discover the bustling riverside towns of the Mekong Delta. The best time of year is December to March, when temperatures are hot but humidity is low, the sun is always out, and rainfall is rare.
I’ve written this motorbike guide in 3 sections: Saigon to Ha Tien | Phu Quoc Island | Rach Gia to Saigon
SECTION 1: Saigon to Ha Tien: 330km [MAP]
New ring roads have made finding the way out of Saigon’s sprawl much easier than in the past. From the city centre take either Võ Văn Kiệt Street or Nguyễn Văn Linh Street all the way to Highway 1, and turn southwest towards Mỹ Tho. However, as hassle-free as exiting the city is these days, the first two or three hours driving into the Mekong Delta from Saigon is truly uninspiring: flat, straight, monotonous roads pass through dull, polluted industrial suburbs and hot, dusty towns full of trucks. The only good thing is that the completion of a new vehicle-only expressway, running parallel to Highway 1 from Saigon to Mỹ Tho, means that traffic is mercifully light for the first 70km.
Only when you reach the impressive Mỹ Thuận suspension bridge and turn off Highway 1, due west to Sa Đéc town, does the journey start to get better. After the Sa Đéc bypass the Mekong Delta finally begins to show its good side. The beautiful road to Vàm Cống ferry is lush and abundant with tropical fruit. Crop fields disappear into the distance, and roadside stalls sell whichever fruit or vegetable happens to be in season to passing traffic. Street food is a highlight of a visit to the Mekong Delta – some of the best and most diverse cuisine in Vietnam can be found in its towns and cities and along the roadside. Stop and try anything that looks or smells good. Most snacks cost under $1 so you can afford to make some mistakes – eventually you’re bound to come across a tasty treat.
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Roadside snacks at duck, Mekong delta |
The 10 minute ferry crossing at Vàm Cống, over the vast, muddy Mekong River, takes you to the busy riverside town of Long Xuyên. This is a typical Mekong Delta city: bustling, hectic, industrious, and full of life and food. The Mekong is an exciting mélange of ethnicities, religions, cultures and cuisines: Khmer, Chinese, Cham, Buddhism, Islam, and Catholicism all play their part in this region. This diversity creates a great buzz in cities like Long Xuyên. If it’s getting late or if you’ve had enough driving for one day, Long Xuyên makes a good overnight stop. It’s by no means beautiful or charming, but there are plenty of mini hotels (look for signs saying nhà nghỉ, which means ‘guesthouse’) on the main street, and food can be found of every corner. I stayed at Hải Trà Hotel (45/5 Khóm Đông Thạnh street; 076 383 2994) not far from the Vàm Cống ferry pier. Clean and comfortable rooms are 200,000VNĐ ($10).
From Long Xuyên, continue northwest on the main street for 10km and bear left (west) on Road 941 towards Tri Tôn. This small back-road takes you deeper into the green, watery heart of the Mekong Delta. The vast, flat landscape is crisscrossed by canals and rivers, navigated by boats small and large: narrow wooden canoes and junk-like vessels weighed down with rice, and minor tankers full of coconuts, heading straight from the fields and orchards of the delta to factories and store houses, where the goods will be processed and packaged for sale or export. At times, there’s more traffic on the waterways than the highways – even the canals have signposts.
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Busy waterway, Mekong delta |
Tri Tôn is an intriguing little town with a large Khmer temple and lots of street food during meal times. This town is in the middle of a triangle of three sacred hills that rise from the rice fields. During religious holidays it receives a lot of pilgrims, so there are a handful of small guesthouses here (look for signs saying nhà nghỉ ) where you could spend the night – it’s a much quieter and more ‘off the beaten track’ option than staying in Long Xuyên.
From Tri Tôn weave your way through town and onto a road named N2. Part of this road has been resurfaced and it’s a straightforward ride along a canal, through a eucalyptus plantation, and past rice fields to Vàm Rầy. Here, turn right (west) for the last leg to Hà Tiên. The Mekong Delta is one of the most densely farmed parts of Vietnam, which makes it green and, occasionally, beautiful. But, it’s also one of the most densely populated parts of the country, which means it’s busy – on roads, rivers and in the fields – and full of industry. The drive from Vàm Rầy to Hà Tiên highlights this contrast. Half an hour after Vàm Rầy is Kiên Lương, a town blighted by thundering trucks carrying cement from the enormous factory that dwarfs the town and rains down a fine grey dust that settles on every surface within a mile radius. However, immediately after Kiên Lương, the road bears right and heads along the coast to Hà Tiên: the landscape opens up, traffic fades away, the Gulf of Thailand glistens on one side of the road and peppercorns lay drying in the sun on wicker mats on the other. The smoking chimneys of Kiên Lương’s cement factory are but silhouettes in the distance; a world away from this peaceful scene. This is the prettiest part of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region.
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Peppercorns drying on the sun, near Hà Tiên |
Hà Tiên is a quiet, slow-paced town, especially compared to the general busyness of other Mekong Delta settlements. It lies on the north bank, at the mouth of the Giang Thành River, in mainland Vietnam’s southwestern-most corner. Small, forested limestone hills rise around it, and mangroves line the coastline. Hà Tiên is just a few kilometres from the Cambodian border and is fast becoming the main port for boats to Phu Quoc Island. It’s hoped that, in the future, Hà Tiên will thrive as a transit point for travellers on the Southeast Asia beach trail; linking the up-and-coming beaches of Cambodia’s south coast with the increasingly popular Phu Quoc Island. But, for now, Hà Tiên is perhaps the hidden gem of the Mekong Delta. There’s a sleepy grace to it: crumbling colonial buildings and old shop fronts still stand on its quiet, shady backstreets; birdsong fills the streets at dusk when cafes and seafood stalls set up their plastic chairs along the riverfront promenade; in the early mornings the big fish market teems with activity as the fish are unloaded straight off the wooden boats as they return from a night at sea. Hà Tiên is charming in a way that few other Mekong Delta towns are.
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Old shop house, Hà Tiên |
Food and accommodation is plentiful and good value, and boats to Phu Quoc Island leave from Hà Tiên pier at least twice daily. Depending on how much time you have, I recommend spending two days in Hà Tiên to soak up the lazy ambience of this border town, and recharge your batteries after the long drive through the Mekong. There are dozens of mini-hotels and guesthouses clustered around the market, all of them offering good, clean rooms for 200-400,000VNĐ ($10-20), and all of which sell boat tickets to Phu Quoc Island – click here for everything you need to know about getting the ferry to Phu Quoc. I stayed at the wonderful Gia Phúc Guesthouse: 48 Đặng Thùy Trâm Street, 077 3851 469, 200,000VNĐ ($10). Ask for the room at the top, which has a large balcony where you can watch the boats come and go. Of all the hotels in Hà Tiên, Hải Phượng (52 Đặng Thùy Trâm Street, 077 3852 240) is always full of backpackers sitting on the terrace with their heads in guide books, so this could be a good place to stay if you’re looking to meet other travellers – or one to avoid if you’re not.
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Miếng gà (chicken noodle soup) at Quán Thủy, Hà Tiên |
The main drag of Trần Hầu has plenty of shops, cafes, and restaurants. For good, cheap and easy point-and-order meals head to Tiệm Cơm Anh Tuyết, at 61 Trần Hầu: 20,000VNĐ ($1) a meal. For a special, local bowl of soup try Quán Thúy, at 7 Trần Hầu. The dynamic, chatty owner has been serving miếng gà (chicken noodle soup) here for more than 20 years. It’s delicious, and she’s open from 3pm till late into the night: 35,000VNĐ ($1.50) a bowl. Andy’s Oasis Bar (www.oasisbarhatien.com) is the only expat joint in town. Andy is a good source of local information and his all day breakfasts and cocktails really hit the spot.
Once you’ve had your fill of the charms of Hà Tiên, buy a boat ticket for you and your motorbike, and make the crossing to Phu Quoc Island. All the information you need about taking the boat to Phu Quoc is here.
SECTION 2: Phu Quoc Island
I’ve written the drive around Phu Quoc Island going clockwise from Bãi Vòng pier, where most of the boats from the mainland arrive. Obviously you wouldn’t want to drive the whole island in one day, so I’ve included some places to stay and eat along the way. There’s a brilliant free tourist map of the island which is updated every year and has all the roads (and their current condition) on it, as well as gas stations and places of interest. The map is available from some shops, trinket stalls, hotels and tourist offices – I usually get mine from Buddy Ice cream in the main town of Duong Dong, or at Andy’s Oasis Bar in Hà Tiên.
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New Roads on Phú Quốc Island |
Phu Quoc Island is Vietnam’s beach ‘darling’. Huge amounts of money have been invested in the last 10 years and, although the pace of change has been slow, that’s set to change now that some of the bigger infrastructure projects have been completed, including an international airport and miles of new road. The latter has really opened up the island for exploration on two wheels.
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The white sands of Sao beach |
From the jellyfish-infested waters of Bãi Vòng port, weave through all the traffic meeting the boat and head northwest on the new road out of town. You’ll notice that the air is fresher than on the mainland; scented with eucalyptus and cashew fruit. Look out for some very colourful, exotic-looking birds perched on power lines and pylons. When you meet the highway turn left (south) towards Bãi Sao (Sao Beach). This brand new, four-lane highway is Phu Quoc’s main artery. It runs from An Thới at the southern tip of the island, past Duong Dong town in the centre, all the way up to remote Bãi Thơm in the north. The highway is still pretty empty and, apart from some unfinished sections which are bound to be completed soon, the drive down to Sao Beach is smooth and quick.
By contrast, the red dirt lane, leading off the highway to the beach, is still as bumpy and dusty as ever. The lane is dripping with tropical fruits, growing on trees and bushes. In amongst these shady orchards is Ái Si Guesthouse (077 629 0510), a calm, simple place, just five minutes’ walk from the sands of Sao Beach. Good, brick bungalows are $25 for up to 4 people in 2 double beds, including breakfast. This is a better deal and much better quality than what you get at the two resorts that are actually on Sao Beach: My Lan ($50) and Làng Tôi ($45). Phu Quoc is famous for rượu sim, which is an alcoholic drink made from the purple fruit of the rose myrtle bush. Ái Si grows the fruit in their gardens and produces their own brew, which you can sample at their bar.
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| Streetside seafood BBQ in Duong Dong Town |
Although few people choose to stay on Sao Beach, it’s probably the most popular day-trip destination on Phu Quoc Island. The sand is still as flour-white and the water as gin-clear as ever, but there are many more people on the beach these days. Still, there’s a good atmosphere here, and it’s one of the few places on the island where Vietnamese tourists outnumber foreign. The new Không Sao (‘No Problem’) Beach Bar is up a rocky track to the left (north) of the other beach restaurants (which are too crowded for my liking). Không Sao has a superb stretch of palm-fringed beach. There are comfortable loungers and chairs where you can enjoy a (surprisingly strong) gin and tonic in the sea breeze. Be aware that, unless you buy a drink or food, you will be charged 10,000VNĐ ($0.50) for parking at Không Sao Bar.
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Ong Lang Beach, Phu Quốc Island |
Head back up the lane and continue south on the highway towards An Thới. The port town of An Thới, at the southern tip of the island, is a bit of a hole, so, unless you’re looking for a cheap local lunch, it’s best to avoid it. You can do this by turning right (west) down one of the lanes before you reach the town. All these lanes lead to the west side of the island and eventually turn into Trần Hưng Đạo Street, which is not actually a ‘street’ but a dirt road. Traffic is very light on this route, but any vehicle that passes throws up a large dust cloud, leaving you and your bike covered in a fine, brown powder. However, this beautiful road runs all the way along Bãi Trường (Long Beach), so if you get too dusty just stop and have a swim in the calm sea and rest on the grass under a palm tree. Great big resorts are just about to begin construction here, and when they are finished the road will lead inland and access to this beach will only be for the resorts’ guests: make the most of this ocean road and its empty beaches before this happens. 10km south of Duong Dong town, the dirt road veers away from the ocean and joins the new airport road. Continue north to the resorts, bars and restaurants of Duong Dong town, the most developed part of Phu Quoc Island.
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Bãi Dài (Dài Beach) |
Duong Dong is really two places: to the south, along the beach, is where all the resorts and tourists are; to the north and east, around the river, is where to ‘real’ town is; where local people live and work. The beach here is very nice but it can get crowded during high season (December to March) and public holidays. Also, because all the beachfront has been built on, there’s no more public beach left for people who aren’t staying in beachfront accommodation: normal etiquette is to buy a drink at a resort and use its beach. There are lots of places to stay in all price ranges. For good mid-range value, I like Thanh Kieu Resort ($50-70: www.thanhkieuresort.com). If you’re on a budget, look out for signs along the beach road advertising ‘Dorm beds for Backpackers’. However, I prefer to find a local nhà nghỉ (guesthouse) in town: try Nguyễn Trãi Street or, for a really local area, Nhật Anh Hotel (195 Nguyễn Trung Trực Street; 077 3981 798) is near the fish market. For food you could try the incredibly popular Night Market. However, it’s become so busy and touristy in recent years that it’s a better idea to eat at the seafood stalls clustered around Dinh Castle, which is just beyond the Night Market, on Bạch Đằng Street. Here, you’ll find that prices are cheaper, and food is comparable if not better than the Night Market. For a genuine Phu Quoc breakfast speciality read this.
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Construction on Dài Beach |
Heading northwards out of Duong Dong town is a little confusing as the old airport is in the way – part of the ‘road’ is actually the disused runway! Beyond town, Bãi Ông Lang (Ong Lang beach) is only a fifteen minute drive on yet another perfect paved road. Take a lane to the left (west) signposted for Mango Bay. There are a handful of resorts here, of which Mango Bay (www.mangobayphuquoc.com) – with lovely wooden plantation houses – is the most atmospheric and also good for a sunset cocktail on the beach. Follow the paved lane past Mango Bay for a wonderful bit of public access beach, next to Coco Palm Resort. Ten minutes further north on the main road is the small fishing community of Cửa Cạn. There’s a long sandbar here which is very pretty seen from the bar at Chez Carole Resort, just north of the settlement.
After turning left (west) at Cửa Cạn the road is red dirt all the way to Gành Dầu Cape, the island’s northwestern tip. This is a gorgeous, quiet road, running the length of two fantastic beaches, Bãi Vũng Bầu and Bãi Dài. Along the entire stretch the water is turquoise, warm and calm, and the beach is shaded by casuarina trees. It’s very inviting, and you could easily spend the day swimming, picnicking and laying around, moving from one spot to another. There are a couple of resorts and a few makeshift restaurants serving seafood. As most of this area is yet to be developed, the flotsam that washes up on the beach is not cleared away. Add to that, the trash that fishermen and (sadly) many picnickers leave behind, and there’s a fair amount of rubbish. However, it’s still easy to find a good, ‘untainted’ spot.
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Bãi Thơm (Thơm Beach) |
Bãi Dài is one of my favourite beaches in Vietnam, but at my last visit, in March 2014, construction had begun on a gigantic resort in the middle of this lovely beach. Great big earth movers were tearing up the foliage; enormous trucks were plying the dirt track along the ocean, kicking up dust and sand everywhere; ugly corrugated iron shacks had sprung up to house and cater to the itinerant labour force; there were cement mixing sites, brick ovens, and a new pier had been built for ships to dock next to the construction site with materials and supplies. When it’s completed, the dirt road will be re-routed around the resort, so there will be no more public access to this part of Bãi Dài. Of course, this is only the beginning: the pace of development in the next five years on Phu Quoc Island will be much faster than the previous five.
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The port at Rạch Giá |
The road is paved again just before reaching Gành Dầu Cape. There’s quite a large fishing town here where you can find snacks and drinks. Down a dirt path are two remote resorts: Peppercorn and Giớ Biển. The former (www.peppercornbeach.com) is on a wonderful white sand beach, with comfortable bungalows set under palm trees. The food is outstanding and you can see the Cambodian islands, just a few kilometres out to sea.
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Phú Quốc coastline |
From Gành Dầu to Bãi Thơm, in the northeast of the island, there are two routes. Either head back down to Cửa Cạn on the new road, and from here take a dirt road northeast until it meets the Duong Dong-Bãi Thơm highway. Or take a dirt road from Gành Dầu east all the way to the intersection with the Duong Dong-Bãi Thơm highway. Both routes are scenic and there’s very little traffic; both pass through dense tropical forest and the odd pepper farm (for which Phu Quoc is famous).
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Phú Quốc coastline |
Bãi Thơm has a stark beauty about it. Although the beaches are hidden down tracks and the water’s very shallow and tidal, there’s something beguiling about this remote northern tip of Phu Quoc Island. Silent, still, hot, sparsely populated, and filled with the scent of cashew fruit and the sound of midday cicadas, Bãi Thơm hasn’t seen the same development as the rest of the island. There’s not much here yet, but for a few food shacks, and a mid-range resort with simple, clean rooms and a seafood restaurant, called Coco Bay. Once or twice a day the red dust on Bãi Thơm’s dirt road is disturbed by vehicles coming off the car ferry from the mainland, at Đá Chồng Port, just a couple kilometres to the south. There are plans for a sprawling resort here, and, now that the highway to Duong Dong town is finished, perhaps it won’t be long before slumbering Bãi Thơm is awoken.
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Phú Quốc coastline |
There’s a dirt road from Bãi Thơm all the way south to Hàm Ninh Port, which makes it possible to do a complete loop of the island. However, this road is in bad condition and should only be attempted in the dry season (November to April); for the rest of the year it gets very muddy and becomes almost impassable. Until this road is upgraded, it’s best to drive back to Duong Dong town on the highway and continue south to Hàm Ninh or Bãi Vòng ports to get the ferry to Rach Gia on the mainland (see here for all ferry information).
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Fishing boat |
SECTION 3: Rach Gia to Saigon 280km
Rach Gia is another big, busy Mekong Delta town. There’s a real buzz about this place, which might come as a shock after a few lazy days on Phu Quoc Island. There’s lots of good street food around the central square, and good mini hotels can be found here too, or by the ferry pier, or the new commercial square. I stayed at Gia Thảo Hotel (164-166 Trần Phú Street; 077 878 576; $10). Rach Gia’s backstreets are good for wandering, but its main roads are busy and polluted. One of the first things you see after getting off the ferry is a replica of an old French ship called, L’Espérance. The ship was blown up by Vietnamese nationalist hero, Nguyễn Trung Trực, in 1861. There’s a colossal statue of him in the nearby square. He was eventually captured by the French colonial authorities in 1868 and executed at the age of 28, meeting his firing squad with a volley of patriotic words.
Road 80, from Rach Gia northeast to Long Xuyên, is in decent condition, but it’s fairly busy (this is one of the most industrious areas of the Mekong Delta) and the landscape is unremarkable. Take the Vàm Cống ferry back over the gaping Mekong River and retrace the same route all the way back to Saigon.
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Fishing boat |
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Manufacturing of fish sauce |
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A bridge on Dương Đông river |
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Dương Đông river's mouth |
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| Hotel in Phú Quốc |
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| Hotel in Phú Quốc |
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Dương Đông river's mouth |
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| Sùng Hưng pagoda |
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| A beach in Phú Quốc |
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| A beach in Phú Quốc (Bãi Sao) |
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| Dương Đông river |
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| Suối Tranh |
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| Nguyễn Trung Trực's temple |
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| Woman selling shellfish by the roadside |
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| Fishermen's village |
From: Vietnamcoracle
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