Vietnam’s Phu Quoc is “slowly opening up to the world,” said David Lamb in the Los Angeles Times. Adrift in the Gulf of Thailand, closer to Cambodia than to mainland Vietnam, the quiet island was long known mainly for its pungent fish sauce, nuoc mam, and its history as the home of the Vietnam War’s largest prisoner-of-war camp. But today Phu Quoc is being groomed into an ideal island getaway. It’s already a “slice of tropical perfection,” with dense virgin rain forests, a relaxed atmosphere, and “mile after mile of wide uncrowded beaches.”
En route from the island’s small airport, I was momentarily worried as our taxi bumped along a dirt road lined with little but a cemetery and two bars. But “the jungle parted,” and we caught a glimpse of Long Beach’s 12 miles of “sugar-white sand.” Our hotel, La Veranda, stood in “a clearing lush with flowers.” Built to resemble a French colonial plantation, it has large louvered windows that open to the sea and ceiling fans “reminiscent of a bygone era.” After settling in, we ventured to Ganh Dau, a fishing village on the northwest coast, where we wandered past peppercorns drying in the sun and hammocks “hung in tree-shaded front yards.” At one of the island’s many pearl farms, we saw earrings for $70 and one necklace priced at $9,000.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
