Phu Quoc Itinerary: 4 to 5 Days, Region by Region (2026)

A 4-day Phu Quoc itinerary covers the whole island with 1 arrival day on Long Beach and 3 regional day trips: the north (Vinpearl Safari and Ganh Dau), the south (An Thoi islands and the Hon Thom cable car) and the east (Sao Beach and Ham Ninh). Add a fifth day for the pool.

Base yourself on Long Beach, travel between November and April, and never combine the far north and far south in one day.

Getting there and the one rule for getting around

Most Australians connect in Ho Chi Minh City: Jetstar, VietJet and Vietnam Airlines fly Sydney to Saigon nonstop in about 8 hours 50 minutes, and the hop to Phu Quoc takes under an hour, with around 13 flights a day. Arrival day is a write-off, which is why Day 1 is light.

The rule: Phu Quoc is bigger than it looks. Ganh Dau is about 30 kilometres north of Duong Dong, and Sunset Town is 25 to 30 kilometres south, roughly 35 to 45 minutes by car. Group days by region and use Grab or a hotel car rather than a scooter. Adding the mainland? Get the official Vietnam e-visa before you fly. That spread is why our answer to how many nights Phu Quoc needs is 4 to 5, and why 3 nights only works if you skip the north. Those regional days add up fast, and our guide to whether Phu Quoc is expensive shows which ticket and resort costs blow a budget.

Still deciding whether the island deserves a slot at all? Read our honest take on whether Phu Quoc is worth visiting first. This page assumes you are going.

Day 1: Long Beach sunset and the Bai Truong night market

Check in and swim. Long Beach faces west, and the sun drops between about 5:30pm and 6:30pm, so be on the sand by 5pm. Skip the paid beach clubs; walk 500 metres either side and the sunset is free.

Then walk or Grab to the Bai Truong night market on Tran Hung Dao Street, a few minutes up Long Beach.

The old Duong Dong market on Bach Dang Street closed for good after 28 February 2026; its role has passed to newer markets such as the Bai Truong night market on Tran Hung Dao Street (Long Beach), VUI-Fest Bazaar at Sunset Town in the south and the Grand World night market in the north.

Arrive around 7pm, before the evening rush. Snacks and skewers run AUD 1.10–8 · USD 0.80–5.80 (VND 20,000–150,000), and grilled sea urchin with peanuts and spring onion is about AUD 4 · USD 3 (VND 70,000). Seafood sold by the kilo is where tourists get stung: confirm the weight and price before anything hits the grill.

Day 2: The north, with Vinpearl Safari and Ganh Dau

Leave by 8:30am. Vinpearl Safari sits in the Ganh Dau area of the far north, beside VinWonders and Grand World, 45 to 60 minutes from Duong Dong. It opens 9am to 4pm, but the safari zone stops admitting visitors in the early afternoon, so go first.

Adults pay AUD 45–51 · USD 33–37 (VND 850,000–950,000), as sources differ (check the operator’s Vinpearl Safari ticket page), and kids about AUD 35 · USD 25 (VND 650,000). Allow four hours.

Afterwards, drive to Ganh Dau cape, where on a clear day you can see Cambodia’s Ta Lon mountains across a 4-kilometre strait. Stay for sunset with the fishing boats coming in. Skip Grand World unless your kids insist; it is a themed shopping street, not a sight.

Day 3: The south, with island snorkelling and the Hon Thom cable car

The big day, and easiest on a tour. Group tours now run three islands plus the cable car: Gam Ghi for coral, May Rut Trong for white sand and Mong Tay for its wooden bridge (Gam Ghi is swapped in rough seas). Pickup is around 7:30am, boats leave An Thoi at 8:30am, and you are back about 5pm.

Adults pay AUD 77 · USD 56 (VND 1,450,000), and kids between 1 and 1.39 metres pay AUD 51 · USD 37 (VND 950,000). Snorkel gear, a seafood lunch, the cable car and the Aquatopia water park are included.

Going independently? The cable car crosses 7,899.9 metres of sea from Sunset Town to Hon Thom in about 15 minutes. A return ticket is AUD 45 · USD 33 (VND 850,000) for adults or AUD 37 · USD 27 (VND 700,000) for kids between 1 and 1.4 metres.

Departures run 9:00 to 11:30am and 1:30 to 5pm only, so do not turn up at noon. Book the tour 1 to 2 weeks ahead from December to February.

Day 4: The east coast, with Sao Beach and Ham Ninh

Sao Beach faces east and is about 25 kilometres from Duong Dong, or 30 to 40 minutes by car. Get there before 9am, because peak-season weekends are packed by late morning. The beach clubs charge AUD 5.30–10.70 · USD 3.80–7.70 (VND 100,000–200,000) a day for loungers. Swim, then leave by midday.

Drive up the coast to Ham Ninh fishing village, about 15 kilometres east of Duong Dong. Walk the pier, then eat at a floating restaurant: steamed flower crab is the order, at roughly AUD 27–43 · USD 19–31 (VND 500,000–800,000) a kilo. Midday is best, when the shallows turn turquoise. Be back on Long Beach for sunset.

What to cut if you only have 3 days

Drop the north. Vinpearl Safari is great for kids but adds little for couples, and the drive eats half a day. Keep Day 1, do the island tour (with the cable car) on Day 2, and Sao Beach and Ham Ninh on Day 3 before an evening flight. With 5 days, make Day 5 a genuine rest day.

For where Phu Quoc fits in a wider trip, see how many days you need in Vietnam. The island works well as the beach finish to a 7-day Vietnam itinerary, or as the last 4 nights of a 2-week Vietnam itinerary, where you fly in from Saigon. If your dates fall between May and August, our Phu Quoc vs Nha Trang verdict explains why the mainland beach usually wins those months.

Where to stay in Phu Quoc

– Long Beach (central and north end): Best for first-timers and this itinerary. You are close to the Bai Truong night market and 10 to 15 minutes from the airport, and roughly in the middle for the north, south and east day trips. – The north-west (Ong Lang and Ganh Dau): Best for couples who want quiet and sunsets.

It is greener and calmer, but every trip south becomes a long drive. – The south (Sunset Town and around An Thoi): Best for families doing the cable car and water park more than once. Expect resort sprawl and construction work in the lead-up to APEC 2027.