Phu Quoc Island
Country Fact: South Vietnam

Tourism development on Phu Qoc is just starting to take off, with the island's many clean and safe beaches easily outdoing anything that Bali has to offer. The most accessible and one of the most attractive is Truong Beach, stretching for nearly 20 km from Dinh Cau to Khoe Tau Ru.

In the southeast, Bai Kem ('Ice Cream Beach') has superfine white sand. It is said that in bygone days this beach was the exclusive province of wealthy aristocrats. Phu Qoc Island, in Vietnam's Kien Giang province, is about the same size as Singapore, with a population of 75,000 that swells to around 120,000 in the dry season, when fishermen from Danang descend on the island to exploit the rich catch. Development is being held back fortunately, with nearly 70% of the island being declared a National Park. The tracks of Phu Qoc are mainly well-maintained dirt roads.

For a brief period in 1975, Phu Qoc's population swelled to 300,000, as forces still loyal to the South Vietnamese government took refuge on the island. The barracks in which they were housed can still be seen near the crossroads north of An Thoi. But it was not long before the victors of the war took control of Phu Qoc, with the refugees forced to flee once again or return to the mainland.

The An Troi Islands, off the southern tip of Phu Qoc, are popular for fishing and snorkeling day-trips. But sadly, the corals around the reefs have been nearly totaling destroyed by dynamite used in 'fishing'.

South Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) | Vung Tau | Tay Ninh | My Tho | Con Dao Island | Phu Quoc Island

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