Vietnam - Phu Quoc (15th-20th Jan 2018)

We had just landed in Vietnam once again, after a 35-minute flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc. We had envisioned a dream island and were excited to see what awaited us as we disembarked from the plane. Sadly, our dreams were abruptly interrupted when our taxi driver constantly honked his horn with his right hand! We are still in Vietnam 😉. Phu Quoc is known for its beautiful beaches, which we can confirm. However, there are also many hotels competing for the best location. We rented a bungalow about 7 minutes away from the beach, so it was quiet and lovely! Our bungalow was equipped with its own washing machine and a small kitchen. The resort also had a beautiful pool and garden area. For the first two days, we made good use of the shuttle service as one of us was recovering from a stomach bug! Luckily, we had booked for 5 days, so we still had 3 days to explore the island.

We rented a scooter to go on an adventure and first headed to the famous waterfall! It was quite an adventure to find it, as there were hardly any signs on the island. After about a 45-minute ride on sandy paths, potholes in the road, and through a half-lit forest, with the help of maps.me, we finally found the entrance and continued on foot for the last stretch. Unfortunately, it hadn't rained much lately, so the waterfall was more like a modest stream flowing over the rocks!

Overall, we rented the scooter for 4 days and used it to explore everywhere. We visited the Coconut Prison, where high-ranking Vietnamese officials from the North were held during the war. It was incredible to see how they crammed people into small cages or airtight containers as a form of punishment. With mixed emotions, we finally drove away from the prison.

Phu Quoc is truly an island known for beach holidays. With the booming tourism industry, you can see the construction happening on the streets and the hotel complexes being built. There is almost no place that isn't under construction. The remaining forests will likely disappear in a few years! It's nice to see that the locals in the inland areas can still build their own houses. However, the island is becoming a tourist factory.

The realization after these 5 days is that we have greatly enjoyed our time here. The beautiful beaches, the incredibly stunning nature, the locals and their traditions, the warm sea including massages on the beach 😊, and the bars with good atmosphere, delicious food, cold beer, and great music. Besides the beach, sun, and sea, the island doesn't offer much.

Now we are heading back to Ho Chi Minh, where we have booked two nights! Let's see what's next!