Flights, ferries, and which to take
There are two ways onto this island and one of them is a great deal better than the other for most people. Here is what each actually involves.
The two ways in
| Route | Time | Rough cost | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fly from Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) | About 1 hour | USD 40 – 120 one way | The default. Frequent, and usually cheapest by the time you count a night |
| Fly from Hanoi (HAN) | About 2 hours 10 | USD 60 – 180 one way | Direct, several a day |
| Fly from other Vietnamese cities | 1 – 2 hours | Varies | Seasonal and route-dependent |
| International direct flights | Varies | Varies | Seasonal charters and some regional routes |
| Fast ferry from Ha Tien | About 1h 15 – 1h 30 | USD 10 – 18 | Good if you are already in the delta |
| Fast ferry from Rach Gia | About 2h 15 – 2h 45 | USD 12 – 20 | Longer, from a bigger town |
| Car ferry from Ha Tien | About 2h 30 – 3h | USD 8 – 15 plus vehicle | Only if you are bringing a vehicle |
Schedules, operators and fares on all of these change often enough that we are not going to print a timetable here that will be wrong in three months. Check the operators directly or ask us close to your dates and we will look it up.
Flying, in practice
Phu Quoc International Airport, code PQC, sits between Duong Dong and the southern beaches, which is unusually convenient — most hotels are 15 to 40 minutes away and even Ganh Dau in the far north is about 75 minutes.
The domestic route from Ho Chi Minh City is the workhorse: roughly an hour in the air, multiple flights a day across several carriers, and prices that swing by a factor of three between a Tuesday in October and 27 December. Book the December and Tet periods two to three months out. Everything else can usually be booked a fortnight ahead without pain.
Baggage is the thing that catches people out. The low-cost carriers on this route sell a fare with hand baggage only and the checked bag costs more at the airport than it does online. If you are coming for a beach week with a large case, add the bag when you book.
If you are flying in on the morning of a boat day, do not. The boat leaves An Thoi at 08:45 and the first flight from Saigon does not land in time. Arrive the day before, or put the boat on your second day — which is where we put it on every multi-day tour anyway.
Ferries, in practice
Two towns on the mainland run passenger fast ferries to Phu Quoc, and both arrive at Bai Vong on the east coast, about 25 minutes from Duong Dong.
| From | Crossing | Why you would | Why you would not |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ha Tien | 1h 15 – 1h 30 | Closest mainland port, good if you are coming from Kampot or the delta | Ha Tien itself is a long way from anywhere by road |
| Rach Gia | 2h 15 – 2h 45 | Bigger town, more connections, more sailings | A longer crossing and a rougher one in the monsoon |
The honest comparison is this: a ferry saves you very little money once you have got yourself to Ha Tien or Rach Gia, and it costs you the better part of a day. It makes sense if you are already in the Mekong Delta or crossing from Cambodia. It does not make sense as a way of getting from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc, where the flight is an hour.
In the southwest monsoon, June to September, crossings are cancelled for sea state several times a month, and Rach Gia more often than Ha Tien. If your dates are tight, fly.
Getting from the airport or the pier
| To | From PQC airport | From Bai Vong pier |
|---|---|---|
| Duong Dong | 20 min, VND 200,000 – 300,000 | 25 min, VND 250,000 – 350,000 |
| Long Beach | 20 – 30 min, VND 220,000 – 350,000 | 30 min, VND 300,000 – 400,000 |
| Bai Khem and the southeast | 20 min, VND 180,000 – 250,000 | 35 min, VND 300,000 – 400,000 |
| An Thoi and Sunset Town | 30 min, VND 250,000 – 350,000 | 40 min, VND 350,000 – 450,000 |
| Ong Lang | 35 min, VND 300,000 – 400,000 | 45 min, VND 400,000 – 500,000 |
| Ganh Dau | 70 – 80 min, VND 700,000 – 900,000 | 80 min, VND 800,000 – 1,000,000 |
Grab works at the airport and is usually cheaper than the taxi rank. Every one of our multi-day tours includes both airport runs, so if you are booking one of those you can ignore this table entirely.
Visas and entry — read this carefully
Phu Quoc has long had its own visa exemption arrangement, separate from the rules for mainland Vietnam, and separately most nationalities can use Vietnam's e-visa system. Both of those things have changed more than once in recent years, in both directions.
We are not going to print the current rule here, because a page that is out of date on this subject is worse than no page at all. Check your own government's travel advice and the official Vietnamese immigration information close to your travel date, and if the answer is unclear for your nationality and route, ask us and we will tell you what we are seeing with our own guests that month.
The exemption, where it applies, is tied to arriving on Phu Quoc directly or in transit through an international gateway — not to arriving via a domestic flight after entering Vietnam on the mainland. If your route involves a night in Ho Chi Minh City on the way, you are entering Vietnam there and the mainland rules apply.
Questions travellers ask most
Is there an international airport on Phu Quoc?
Yes — Phu Quoc International Airport, code PQC. It handles domestic flights from several Vietnamese cities plus regional and seasonal international services, which vary considerably from year to year.
Check current routes when you book rather than relying on what was flying last season.
Which is better, the ferry or the flight?
The flight, for almost everybody. The ferry makes sense if you are already in the Mekong Delta, crossing from Cambodia at Ha Tien, or bringing a vehicle. Otherwise it costs you a day to save perhaps USD 30.
How far in advance should we book flights?
Two to three months for late December, early January and Tet, when both fares and availability get difficult. Two to three weeks is fine the rest of the year. September has the cheapest fares of the year and the worst weather, which is not a coincidence.
Can you book flights for us?
We can advise on timings and which flight fits your first day, but we do not sell flights and we would only be adding a markup if we did. Book them yourself; ask us first if you are not sure which arrival time works with the itinerary.
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