The ‘hidden’ charms of Phu Quoc Island By Features desk
Publisher:Viet Nam News - Publication Date: 04-03-2008

Viet Nam’s Phu Quoc Island has been ranked as one of the leading five most beautiful "hidden beaches" in the world by Concierge.com.
Concierge.com said the Bai Dai (Long Beach), on the Phu Quoc Island in the southern province of Kien Giang, is an excellent place for travellers to rest and relax from October through March.
The other beaches to follow Bai Dai are the Wildcat Beach in California, Pink Beach on Barbuda, Cayo Costa State Park in Floria’s southern Gulf Coast and Majahuitas Cove of Mexico.
An untapped pearl in the Gulf of Thailand about 120km from Rach Gia Town, Phu Quoc Island is a mixing pot of flavours, history and beauty that is sure to be dazzle even the most travelled person.
There are 99 mountains on the 22-island archipelago, all low and covered by a canopy of green that evokes travellers with a refreshing feeling.
Phu Quoc is also well-known for its Cay Dua (Coconut Tree) Prison, the erstwhile detainment centre familiar to tens of thousands of Vietnamese liberation fighters and civilians.
Built by the French just before World War II, during the American War, it became a notoriously vile detention camp spread over 40ha. Now it’s a certified national historic relic complete with a magnificent commemorative monument built on the nearby hill.
Being the largest fishing port in the archipelago, An Thoi houses hundreds of fishing and passenger boats from Rach Gia and Ha Tien. And its kaleidoscopic seafood market offers big and ruddy prawns, fish crabs, squid and the island speciality, the renowned and savoury Phu Quoc fish-sauce is served up by charming and chatty young women.
Diversed fauna, flora
Not often does one have the chance to ride 20km through a primitive forest lulled to a calm homeostasis by bird songs and come across old and precious trees, some so thick two people together could hardly wrap fully around them.
Phu Quoc’s forests, blanketing 70 per cent of the island, are criss-crossed by rivers and streams with plenty of fresh water.
And unlike many other places in Viet Nam, in and around those forests you’re hard pressed to find a restaurant dishing up wild and endangered animal meat.
You could think of Phu Quoc National Park as a Vietnamese forest museum, given its rich flora of thousands of tropical plants and an equally rich fauna of 150 kinds of wild animals.
Phu Quoc National Park is a good destination for tourists as it offers a wide range of activities such as camping and trekking. It’s also ideal for those who want to study the tropical forest. As Phu Quoc develops into Viet Nam’s eco-tourism capital, the jewel in its crown, the park will become ever more attractive to visitors from around the world.
Only two-hour flight from almost any Southeast Asian metropolis, Phu Quoc has in recent years been dubbed the next big Vietnamese thing. And like places such as Sa Pa— the north-west ethnic group hill town — where hotels will soon outnumber houses, you had better get there quick while you can.

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Sounds nice! Luv to go there.