Mong Tay islet in Phu Quoc.

Phu Quoc Island is surrounded with crystal clear waters, blue sea and white sandy beaches. Its attractions aren’t just limited to its stunning beaches, but extends to historical sites, Buddhist shrines, and fishing villages. Despite the rise of high-end beach resorts, modern facilities, and international dining venues, visitors can still enjoy plenty of sightseeing opportunities during their holiday. Phu Quoc national park takes up more than half of Phu Quoc Island, offering recreational activities such as hiking, camping, wildlife, photography and bird-watching.

To explore the diversified marine eco-system, a service of sea walking has been offered and soon become very popular. With this service, visitors can walk under the sea bed with the depth of 5 to 6 meters above the sea level and explore various kinds of coral reef and fish.

Visitors don’t need to know how to swim in order to dive and discover the beauty of coral reefs and the bright, vibrant fish.

Visitors walk in the sea bed (Photo: phuquocnews.vn)

Visitors only need to wear a diving hat, shaped like an astronaut’s helmet, weighing 38 kilos. The hat will help visitors breathe as normally as they do when on land, while having transparent glass visor so visitors can see the ocean. Visitors will be taken by coaches to a depth of about 5-6m. You will be walking along the sea floor,  immersing yourself in the incredible undersea world  in an unforgettable experience. Luong Thanh Tinh, a visitor from Ho Chi Minh City, said: “While visiting Phu Quoc, you shouldn’t miss this experience. Phu Quoc beaches are clean the water is full of marine diversity. Moreover, your safety is assured. While walking along the sea floor, you feel immersed in a new world”.

Kim Anh from Hanoi said : “I have experienced sea diving in Nha Trang but this is the first time I have walked along the sea floor. It’s so impressive. I experienced the otherworldly reality of marine life”.

Another special experience in Phu Quoc is feeding fish. While touring the sea bed, visitors are advised to hire photographers to record impressive and unique moments of feeding fish underwater. Luong Duy Ngan, General Director of the New Star group, said that apart from those services, Phu Quoc has more to offer: “Apart from traditional tourism products, we have launched cycling tours, forest trekking, and tours of fishing villages. Visitors can dive and walk along the bottom of the sea to explore the marine beauty, and also go fishing. For cycling tours, visitors can cycle either through the primeval forest or a beautiful S-shaped route to enjoy the cool weather and discover the diverse ecosystem of Phu Quoc”.

Phu Quoc appeals to visitors during the day with its beautiful beaches and aquatic activities. At night, there’s Phu Quoc night market. Located along Vo Thi Sau Street in Duong Dong town, this pedestrian-friendly market opens at 5 p.m, becomes crowded with visitors by 6 p.m, and doesn’t close until 11 p.m. Visitors are advised to go once around the market before buying anything because there is such a variety of goods on offer.

Phu Quoc night market is famous for fresh seafood (Photo: phuquocxanh.com)

There are about 100 stalls divided into 2 sections: one for souvenirs and gifts and one for fresh seafood, street snacks, and beverages. Don’t visit the Phu Quoc night market without enjoying some street food. Carts selling fresh juices, smoothies, and soft drinks are everywhere. Recommended dishes include grilled scallops, steamed squid with fermented fish sauce, boiled sea snails, crab with noodles, and shrimps. Live fish, sea snails, crabs, and scallops are kept in large tanks for customers to choose from. Minh Nhut’s seafood stall is popular with visitors. The stall’s owner said: “We have all kinds of fish: grouper, red snapper, barramundi, etc. Each can be boiled, fried, steamed, or grilled. Visitors gravitate to our fish salad, grilled fish and shrimp”.

The smoothie and juice shop owned by Ms. Mai attracts lots of customers. Mai and her French husband have spent a lot of time trying to diversify their flavors. Mai said: “We combine fruits to create 28 kinds of fruit-flavored flan. Our stall attracts lots of customers”.

Mai’s fruit flan served with roasted peanuts has become a favorite at the night market.

Dinh Cau Night Market is a must-visit for travellers on Phu Quoc Island (Photo: kinhtedothi.vn)

Along the streets are dozens of stalls selling gifts and souvenirs, including jewelry made from pearls, seashells, T-shirts, slippers, scarves, and other handicrafts. Phu Quoc specialties like fish sauce, seaweed, black pepper, and cashew nuts are also much sought after in the market. These tourists from the Netherlands seem excited to be visiting the Phu Quoc night market: “I’m from the Netherlands. There are souvenirs, many things we can buy to bring home. Very nice. We can eat also, very nice”.

There is a lot for visitors to enjoy in Phu Quoc: marvelous sandy beaches and beautiful scenery during the daytime and a busy night market full of dining and shopping opportunities. Phu Quoc has been raised in the world’s tourism map when the island was included in a list of the 17 best places in Asia by CNN this year.