Forget Phuket, here’s Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s big tourism hope

Vietnam’s largest island has a big part to play in the country’s tourism ambitions, with a US$2.8 billion resort linked to the country’s richest man Pham Nhat Vuong on the drawing board

But overtourism is already a problem, with the island’s drainage system overwhelmed and rubbish washing up on its picturesque beaches

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Snorkelling in Phu Quoc island, Vietnam.

Published: 9:00am, 25 Apr 2021Updated: 11:42am, 26 Apr 2021

On a late afternoon in Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s largest island, couples and families relax on beanbag chairs at a Middle Eastern-themed beach bar, clinking their glasses while watching the sun set on the horizon. A few metres away, children build sandcastles, jump into the waves and indulge in water fights.

A scene like this in April seems far-fetched amid a raging Covid-19 pandemic that has seen spikes in new cases and fresh lockdowns in Asia and Europe.

But this is a reality in Vietnam, where life is almost back to normal thanks to many containment strategies including border closures that have kept out almost everyone since March last year, except for repatriated citizens, foreign investors and businesspeople. The country has recorded some 2,800 infections and 35 coronavirus-related deaths so far, despite sharing a border with China, where Covid-19 was first reported.

A father and son swim from a public beach on Phu Quoc island. Photo: Sen Nguyen.

While the move has kept citizens safe, it all but killed international tourism, which was charting double-digit growth before the pandemic. As the country looks to open up, the government is hoping Phu Quoc can help turn Vietnam into a major player in regional and global tourism.

Last May, officials discussed opening selected islands, including Phu Quoc, to global visitors, while last month, participants at a tourism conference on the island floated the idea of using Phu Quoc to launch a pilot project for holders of “vaccine passports”. Vice-Chairman of Phu Quoc island city Phan Van Nghiep at the conference said the island was ready to welcome international tourists and that he had been asked by the Indian embassy in Vietnam whether it could be open for Indians who are fond of the island, according to the government’s portal.

Among hundreds of developments planned for Phu Quoc is one linked to Vietnam’s richest man, Pham Nhat Vuong, whose Vingroup has built “the first sleepless super complex in Vietnam” at a cost of US$2.8 billion.

BEAUTIFUL, BUT OVERWHELMED

Even amid talk of raising the international profile of Phu Quoc, the island is already a prime example of the dangers of overtourism.

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