Ten amazing things to do in Phu Quoc as a family!
We had never heard of Phu Quoc. In fact, until we discovered the existence of the Better Together Hub we were considering skipping Vietnam. But the 3 weeks we spent on Phu Quoc as a family were some of the best days of our trip. We spent all our time staying with 12 other families who all came together from their travelling adventures to create a temporary community: a wonderful Worldschooling Hub.
Phu Quoc is a super destination for families. It is an island now largely developed for tourism, with some local flavour retained.
Here’s our favourite and the best things to do in Phu Quoc with kids.
The water park, Aquatopia
No trip to Phu Quoc with kids is complete without visiting the water park – even without kids! Located at the south end of the island, the water park is only accessible via cable car. It is the longest cable car in the world, spanning nearly 8km and takes 20-30 minutes to travel the distance. You’ll get a birds eye view of islands, local villages and fishing boats before landing at the water park entrance.
Fees for the water park work in height rather than age: 100cm and under are free, 100-140cm are child prices and over 140cm is adult prices. This aligns to which rides they can go on. And warning – they are very strict on following the rules. They will measure all children before any ride and even 1cm smaller and it’s a no! Nyle is 119cm and many rides are 120cm – you can imagine how that went down with him!
Also word of warning – no zips, metal, buckles etc on swimwear. If you have adjustable straps you’ll need to cover that ‘metal’ with a rash vest! This is relaxed a little for slides in rings, but when you are just sliding on your board, it’s strictly observed!
The water park itself if huge. Lockers are 30-60k Dong / £1-£2 for the day. There are plenty of food restaurants which are not over expensive too. There are sunbeds for leaving towels and sitting whilst the kids play, and there is a huge pool with wave machine. The rides are well spread out and queuing was maximum 10 minutes which was refreshing. Most rides we just walked on, but we were there in shoulder season.
For kids under 120cm, there is a dedicated kids area – the best OI have ever seen. There are water spray guns, buckets overflowing, and 8 slides they can go on their own. Even kids up to 10 years old will enjoy this area. There is also another area with 3 smaller version of the inflatable rings slides and Nyle was delighted he could just keep going on these to his hearts content. The lazy river was also superb and probably the longest we have enjoyed!
For taller / braver kids there are over 20 slides to enjoy, from kamikazees, vertical drops, inflatables, and surfing / racing slides. It was genuinely the best water park we have EVER been to – everyone came away tired and happy!
When the park closed there was quite the queue for the cable car so be prepared to wait – make sure kids are fed and watered before leaving as it took us nearly an hour queuing for the cable car.
There is one rollercoaster at the park too, but warning, if you want to go on that remember to take your water park ticket with you otherwise you’ll not be allowed on!
A must visit when travelling to Phu Quoc with kids.
VinWonders – aka Disney World in Phu Quoc
You will see a Disney style princess castle, but this is not the real Disney. However, you will have a lot to see and do and enjoy as a family. A free bus runs the length of the island to Vin Wonders where a shuttle will them take you to the entrance. Open from 10am-7pm this is a long fun-filled day and you won’t get to do and see everything over 1 day. There’s even a water park (which we didn’t manage) here and you could spend a whole day at this alone, so if you can stretch to 2 days, it’s probably worthwhile.
Like the water park, entrance fees are based on height and not age. It’s the same 100 / 140 boundaries but rides are also split by height of 100 / 120 / 140! Again they are very strict and there was much debate about Nyle going on a simple slide as he was 119cm. I had to walk with him to the top as part of the deal. And he wasn’t allowed on the log flume!
The park is broken into various areas – one with scarier rides including the scariest rollercoaster of my life! And spinning rides, and drop rides. There is a log flume, rapids, trains, walzers scattered all around. And finally there is an entire area suitable for 120cm and under – inspired by Disney but with a Vietnamese twist! For small kids there is even a soft play area. I’m not sure there is a great deal for under 100cm to go on, but everyone else will get their moneys worth.
As well as the rides there is an incredible aquarium with a mermaid show on at 1400 daily. We spent over an hour exploring the aquarium and definitely make time to do this and have a bit of restbite from the heat.
Finally there is an amusement room which is free – think arcade machines, ice hockey table top games, car games – and it’s all free. Great when you as parents need a sit down! It’s also located right by the food stalls and beer stall! And it is directly next to the castle and its light show at 6pm each day. Do not miss the light show – it is a brilliant 20 minutes!
Once again there are a lot of food outlets (you do get 2 free meal vouchers as part of your entrance ticket) and drinks vendors throughout the whole park. All of this is very reasonably priced!
We totally recommend VinWonders for a day out with kids on Phu Quoc.
A beach is never a bad idea with kids! Here’s out favourites from our time there – the four best beaches on Phu Quoc to visit with kids.
Long Beach
This is probably the most famous beach on the island, down the west coast. The free buses run through it every 10 minutes too so accessing it is easy (if you aren’t already staying here). The beach isn’t very wide but from Oct – April this is the best side of the island weather wise. It was calm and there are paddleboards and kayaks to rent for 200k / £6 per hour. We spent our time on this beach by Versailles Spa and Beach Club as you could use their sunbeds if you were drinking. Until our last day these were free to use, presumably because it was quieter season. On our last day we had to pay 150k / £4. They have towels, showers and a swimming pool you can also use. Food is good and lot of variety but naturally more expensive than other local restaurants.
There is a fire show here on Wednesday and Saturdays around 7.30-8pm which is worth staying to watch – or heading back out again for!
If you head towards the south end of Long Beach, the Intercontinental Hotel being your target, then the beach is much wider and there is an inflatable water park. The free bus runs here and drops you off by the sailing club. It’s another super sunset spot, and you could combine it with a trip to the nearby night market on your way home.
Starfish beach
As the name suggests, Star Fish beach is full of starfish and kids will love spotting them. If you’re on Phu Quoc with the kids – this is another must visit place. The water is crystal clear, there are swings in the water, sunloungers and umbrellas to use, and a wooden walkway with a diving board / steps at the end.
Getting here is somewhat bumpy as the road is under development and you will need to arrange a tour / collection. There are no grabs to collect you when you have finished your day! From the drop off point, take a longtail boat over to the beach itself which takes 5 minutes. There is not a lot else there so also take lunch / food if you need – although there is a small drinks vendor who does soft drinks and cocktails. And finally, there is no toilet so plan accordingly, and probably expect to spend half a day there rather than all day.
On Lang beach
This golden sand, calm water bay is one of the best beaches for kids in Phu Quoc. There beach is wide and the sea is calm. There are restaurants scattered along the coast, including one you walk through to get there – in fact to walk through the restaurant you need to eat or drink something to get to the beach. The food was very good, but again a bit more expensive, but we thought having access to the beach was worth it.
Kem Beach
Probably the most famous and beautiful beach on the island, Kem beach is proper white sand. We nearly didn’t go as friends had told us it was dirty at this time of year (November) and is better in the April – October months. But we were blown away with the cleanliness, the white sand and the waves to play in. Along the beach there are seafood and other re4staurants all calling themselves ‘beach clubs’ which does make this more expensive for dining out.
At the far north of Kem beach is a splash park which can be used for 100k / £3 per person and looked great – we just didn’t have enough time to get the value but had we known it was there we would have gone and spent the whole day on the beach. The splash park also had 3 water slides and kids up to around 10 would have been very happy going round on these.
The Bee Farm
Phu Quoc bee farm is too cute for words. The staff are very passionate and will teach you all about bees as you arrive. You can hold a hive and a bee, and learn about the role of the worker and the queen bee. After the speech there is a herb garden to explore and try – the various flavours of mint plant is something I had never tasted before. The kids really enjoyed this bit as well. They you can go to the café, enjoy food and drinks. There is a small play area with toys for the younger kids, and a shop selling honey, bee pollen, honey combe and sampling different flavours of honey – including a chilli honey! We also had the chance to make ice cream which the kids all really enjoyed doing and we can recommend buying some of the honey there – it’s really good value.
The Pepper farm
Unexpectedly, this was a great morning out. On arrival there is a park area for the kids and everyone is provided with a Vietnamese hat to offer some shade. There is a café serving food and drinks, and a tour of the farm costs 100k/£3 per person. It was really informative and we saw how pepper is grown, dried out and flavoured. We saw lemongrass plants, pineapple plants, bananas growing, and a whole host of other fruit and vegetables – even trying most of them. This is not far from starfish beach so you could visit both together in one day like we did.
Ice Jungle
Probably the most bizarre evening of the trip, but we and the kids loved it. For £8 per person, we were taken to an immersive art experience with no expectation. On arrival, before dark, we walked up to the ice cave and upon entering were told the story about a lost polar bear who arrived in Phu Quoc by accident. There was then a laser room, a corridor where it actually snowed – the kids were all so excited. Then in the main arena was a projector over the entire room. The kids were free to run around as they enjoyed the projected lights and scenery. After 45 minutes we exited into another area with a photo booth and props, and a wall where you could scan in your coloured pictures for them to then appear on the wall.
We left the building in the dark and were greeted to a light trail, colourful water fountains and igloos to play in and explore. Definitely not what we expected in Phu Quoc but worthy of a visit.
There are no / very few eateries around here so again fill the kids up beforehand or ensure they are filled enough to not turn hangry as soon as you leave!
Sunset town
I’m always very honest with all reviews and write ups, and this is a weird place. You take the cable car to the water park from sunset town but there is more to do and explore than that. Sunset town has been modelled to look like a few European cities – there is a colosseum and a marco polo square for example! But there are a few reasons to come here.
Each evening there is a fireworks show, and one idea is to stay here the night. Many hotels offer free cable car and water park access when staying with them, so it’s not going to break the bank and you can experience the fireworks properly without tired kids. There is also a ‘kissing’ bridge which is a new sculpture and you walk over the bridge in different directions to then lean over the tiniest gap in the centre and kiss. It’s a gimmick of course, but worth a stroll either when combined with the fireworks or the water park. And the gap is literally 2 inches – no children will fall into the sea!
We didn’t go, but we do believe there is also a night market and a beach at sunset town to add another reason to visit this slightly peculiar area of Phu Quoc.
Phu Quoc Night Market
Located to the north of Long Beach is Phub Quoc night market which is full of clothes, toy, fruit, souvenir and seafood stalls. The atmosphere is great fun and kids will enjoy wandering the streets spotting the various goods for sale. We managed to find veggie food without too much effort and enjoyed some delicious lemongrass tofu even. For kids there’s plenty of rice dishes, sweetcorns, and of course the icecream vendors!
Phu Quoc has an international airport with direct flights from Singapore, Bangkok and KL. You can also fly from Taiwan, Ho Chin Ming or Hanoi onto the island.
To arrive not by air, you need to take the ferry from Hat Yien which is around 2 hours and close to the Cambodian border – Phu Quoc is actually closer to Cambodia than mainland Vietnam!
UK passport holders get 30 days free visa on arrival on Phu Quoc – nothing to apply for in advance unlike the e-visas for the rest of Vietnam, so if only flying in and out of the island and not setting foot on the mainland, that’s a nice perk to remember.
Getting around is very easy with grab cars and bikes readily available and very cheap. A 5 minute taxi ride is around 60k / £2 and even less on a bike which costs £2-3 a day to rent. Laundry service is equally cheap at around 15k / 50p per kilo.
Whilst long beach has a wealth of restaurants – local and western cuisine – if you don’t fancy heading out after a day on the beach / pool, then Grab delivers food from most restaurants. You can even get your fruit juices / coconut coffees delivered to you via Grab – the convenience is insane and very cheap!
