Travel Adventures
4. ACCOMMODATION:
Phu Quoc offers a great range of accommodation for all budgets, whereas Con Dao’ s accommodation is limited to a dozen hotels and one international standard luxury resort. The greatest concentration of places to stay on Phu Quoc is in and around the town of Duong Dong, and along Long Beach. From high-end resorts to backpacker dorms, there’ s plenty of choice here and value for money is good. In particular, the mid-range resorts on Long Beach are excellent: my favourite is Thanh Kieu Resort. The rest of the island is peppered with accommodation; there’ s an especially appealing cluster of atmospheric resorts on Ong Lang Beach, including the rustic-romantic plantation bungalows of Mango Bay. On a remote, gorgeous beach in the north of the island, the comfortable and classy Peppercorn Beach Resort is superb. Budget travellers will find nhà nghỉ( local guest houses) in Duong Dong. Almost all accommodation on Con Dao is in the small town of Con Son. In the quiet backstreets, nhà nghỉ( local guest houses) offer $ 10- $ 20 rooms, whereas the handful of resorts on the seafront promenade charge a premium for their location: expect to pay around $ 100 a night. The most affordable seafront accommodation is Con Dao Camping, but for the best location( and sublime sea views) get a room at Con Dao Resort. The island’ s first luxury accommodation, Six Senses Hideaway, opened a few years ago. On its own beach, northeast of Con Son Town, Six Senses is secluded and private. It received global press attention in 2011, when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie spent a family holiday there but expensive.
5. DINING:
Plantation bungalow, Mango Bay, Phu Quoc
Sublime views from Con Dao Resort
Unsurprisingly, seafood is famous on both Con Dao and Phu Quoc. However, really good seafood is still not that easy to find on either island, as much of each day’ s catch is sent to restaurants and markets in Saigon. On Phu Quoc, the most popular place to eat is the Night Market in Duong Dong Town. Seafood is fresh and there’ s a lively atmosphere, but it’ s a bit of a tourist trap these days. The resorts on Long Beach all have decent restaurants, and recently many international restaurants – including Indian, Italian, Spanish – have opened along the Long Beach road. For a more local meal, head up 30 / 4 Street in Duong Dong Town, and step into one of the Quán Cơm or Quán Ốc eateries. Phu Quoc has its very own noodle soup: bún kèn is an island specialty, which even most mainland Vietnamese have never heard of. Outside of the Duong Dong / Long Beach area, the best dining I’ ve experienced is at Peppercorn Resort.
Bun ken: Phu Quoc’ s very own seafood noodle soup
When it comes to food, Con Dao is an anomaly: it is the only place in Vietnam where there is not a thriving street food scene. In short, there are very few places to eat on the island. The larger hotels and resorts have decent restaurants, the best of which is ATC Resort. In Con Son Town, several informal places to eat have opened around the market, offering hotpots and tabletop BBQs. A night market has recently opened, but it’ s got a long way to go before it acquires the same energy and bustle as the one on Phu Quoc. Food at Six Senses Resort is exceptionally good but again not cheap.
Fresh from the sea: seafood is good on both islands
40 The MAG Vung Tau