South Phu Quoc Island Tour with Sao Beach and Pearl Farm

Pearl farm: the story of Phu Quoc pearls

Pearl farming has been part of island life for generations, and the calm, clean waters around Phu Quoc are well suited to raising pearl oysters. At the pearl farm you see how a tiny nucleus is placed inside the oyster, how the shells are hung in the sea for years while the pearl grows, and how pearls are finally harvested, sorted and graded by colour, shape and lustre.

Allow about thirty to forty minutes. Staff often open an oyster in front of visitors, which children love, and the showroom displays finished jewellery for those who wish to buy. There is no obligation to shop; for most guests the highlight is understanding why a perfectly round pearl is so rare and so valued.

Pepper garden and fish sauce workshop

Phu Quoc pepper is prized across Vietnam for its strong aroma. At a family pepper garden you walk between tall vines trained on wooden posts, see green clusters on the plant and learn how the same berries become black, red or white pepper depending on when they are picked and how they are dried. Fresh peppercorns straight from the vine are a surprising taste.

Nearby, a traditional fish sauce workshop shows the island's other signature product. Anchovies and sea salt are layered in huge wooden barrels and left to ferment for a year or more, and the first pressing is the most valued. Phu Quoc fish sauce carries a protected designation of origin in Europe. The smell is strong but the visit is short; note that airlines often restrict fish sauce in luggage.

Ho Quoc Pagoda above the east coast

Ho Quoc Pagoda, opened in 2012, is the largest Buddhist monastery on Phu Quoc and one of its most peaceful places. Built in traditional style on a forested hillside on the east coast, it rises in terraces of halls, gates and courtyards to a main hall looking straight out to the sea. Stone dragons line the stairways and a great bell tower stands among frangipani trees.

Many visitors ask about Ho Quoc Pagoda opening hours: it welcomes visitors daily from early morning to late afternoon, and there is no entry ticket. As an active monastery, it asks visitors to cover shoulders and knees and to speak quietly. Spend around forty-five minutes climbing to the upper terrace, where the view over the sea is the best on the east side of the island.

Sao Beach: lunch and swim

Sao Beach, on the south-east coast, is often called the most beautiful beach on Phu Quoc. Its sand is fine and almost white, the water shades from pale green to turquoise and coconut palms lean over the shore. The name means star beach, after the starfish that were once common in its shallows. Lunch is served at the beach, followed by free time to swim, relax in the shade or walk along the sand.

This is the longest stop of the day, about two hours. The sea here is usually calm in the dry season from November to April; from May to October waves and washed-up debris are more likely, though it remains pleasant on good days. Bring your swimwear and a towel. Is Sao Beach worth visiting? For most guests it is the moment they remember most clearly.

Sunset Town, the Kiss Bridge and the clock tower

Sunset Town is a new seaside quarter at the southern tip of the island near An Thoi, designed in a Mediterranean style with pastel houses, cobbled lanes and squares. Its symbol is the Kiss Bridge, two curved halves reaching towards each other over the sea that stop a few centimetres apart, so couples standing at each tip almost meet. A tall clock tower overlooks the harbour.

You arrive in the late afternoon, around half past three, with time to walk the waterfront and take photographs as the light softens. From here our vehicle drives you back to your hotel in Duong Dong, arriving around half past four. If you would rather stay for sunset, you can return on your own; tell the guide in advance.