Honeymoons & celebration journeys
Destinations · Southern Vietnam
Phu Quoc: the beach week, in the dry months
Vietnam's largest island, in the Gulf of Thailand close to the Cambodian coast. Warm all year, dry from December to March, and the place most of our routes end — because by the last week of a celebration trip, most couples want very little to happen.
At a glance
What the island really is
Phu Quoc is a large island, warm all year at around 27°C by the tourism authority's description, with a long west coast that faces the sunset and a south that breaks up into small islands. In recent years it has been built up fast: parts of the coast are now large resort developments, and the main town and the area around the airport are busy with traffic and construction.
That shapes how we use it. For a celebration trip we book on the west coast, where the sun goes down over the sea, and we look for resorts or villas with their own stretch of beach, so that the week can be spent without needing the town at all. The southern islands are reached by boat for a day, and we charter it for your party alone.
What Phu Quoc is not: a historic place, or a quiet fishing island. If that is what you want at the end of the trip, Con Dao or the Cambodian coast at Kep suits better, and we say so when we quote.
How many nights
Four at the least, six if it ends a 14-day trip. The first beach day after a long culture week is usually spent recovering; the third and fourth are the ones that feel like a holiday. Six nights also leaves room for one grey or windy day without losing the private boat trip.
Fewer than four is a common mistake in island itineraries: a long flight to the island, two nights, and a long flight home.
When to go
3 = settled · 2 = usable · 1 = rainy or stormy. Method and sources on the beach calendar page.
| Months | Official description | Average rain |
|---|---|---|
| December – March | Dry, coolest of the year; December recommended for swimming and diving | 30 – 60 mm |
| April | Hottest months begin, rain starting | About 150 mm |
| May – June | Hot; rain taking hold | 300 – 415 mm |
| July – September | Stormy, hot, humid; rainy season in full swing | 420 – 545 mm |
| October – November | Officially the dry season begins in October; rainfall still high | 385 → 170 mm |
The two sources disagree slightly about October: the tourism authority starts the dry season then, while the rainfall average is still around 385 mm. We mark October as a 1 and November as a 2 to be safe.
Sources: Vietnam National Authority of Tourism — Phu Quoc; Vietnam National Authority of Tourism — weather and climate; Climates to Travel — Phu Quoc rainfall averages (climate aggregator) · checked .
Getting there
By air: Phu Quoc International Airport, opened in 2012, has flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City among other Vietnamese cities, plus regional international routes. Most of our routes arrive by a domestic flight and leave the same way.
By sea from the mainland: from Ha Tien, near the Cambodian border, the car ferry takes about three hours and the fast boat about one and a half, with several operators on the route. This is how the Angkor route arrives after Kep. Timetables are published by the operators and change with the season; boats do not run when the sea is too rough.
Sources: Wikipedia — Phu Quoc International Airport · checked .
What it costs here
Accommodation is almost all of it. Phu Quoc has everything from simple bungalows to large resorts with private pool villas, and on a celebration trip the villa level is the biggest single price decision on the whole route. We quote the resort and the room or villa by name.
Smaller items: the Ha Tien ferry fare is set by the operators and included in our quote; a private boat to the southern islands is quoted per boat, not per person, so it is better value for four than for two.
Pictures
When to leave it out
- From May to October. Rainfall averages run from 300 to 545 mm a month, and July to September is officially stormy.
- If you want a historic or traditional island. Much of the coast is recent resort development.
- If you will only stay two nights. The flights in and out cost more of the stay than the beach gives back.
- If you want nightlife in walking distance of a quiet villa. You can have one or the other here, not both.
Routes that end here
The 14-day honeymoon ends with six nights on the west coast. Angkor and the southern islands arrives by boat from Ha Tien for five nights. The Laos and Vietnam route ends here from November to March.
Plan My Trip
A week on the island, in the dry months
Tell us your dates and the kind of villa or room you have in mind.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Which side of Phu Quoc is better for a honeymoon?
For sunsets, the west coast. For a day of swimming in clear water, the small islands in the south, by boat. We usually stay on the west coast and visit the south by private boat.
Is Phu Quoc good in April?
Usable, but it is the hottest month and the rains are starting, with an average around 150 mm. March is safer. For April we often suggest ending on the central coast instead.
Can we arrange a dinner on the beach?
Some resorts allow it, some only on a terrace above the sand, some only on certain nights. We name the resort and confirm what it allows before you book.
Is Con Dao a better choice?
For a smaller, quieter island with a national park, possibly. Con Dao has fewer resorts and fewer flights; its window on our beach calendar is February to April, and it has strong winds in December and January.
Related
Read next
Example itinerary — fully customizable
Honeymoon 14 days
Hanoi, an overnight boat, Hoi An and six nights on Phu Quoc — the classic north-to-south honeymoon, timed for February to May.
View journey
Example itinerary — fully customizable
Angkor & islands 12 days
Temples first, then a week by the sea on two coasts — the route for a winter celebration, December to March.
View journey
Example itinerary — fully customizable
Laos & Vietnam 11 days
Four nights in Luang Prabang, a night on Lan Ha Bay and a beach chosen by the month — November to April.
View journey
Plan · Weather
Beach calendar
Twelve months against six coasts of Vietnam and Cambodia, with the rainfall figure and source behind every mark.
View journey
Destinations
Destinations
Halong Bay, Hoi An, Phu Quoc and Siem Reap: what each is like and when it suits a celebration trip.
View journey
Plan · The occasion
Celebration planning
Private dinners, cakes, room set-ups, private boats and sunrises: what is ours to arrange and what depends on others.
View journey
Start planning
Tell us the occasion, the month and who is coming
A month, the number of travellers and the occasion are enough to start. You get a draft route and an itemised quote, not a brochure.