Recommended itinerary for a 4-day, 3-night trip to Phu Quy Island for only 1,500,000 VND

Vietnam boasts many stunning islands worth exploring and immersing yourself in, rather than just visiting for photo ops and social media posts. And Phu Quy Island is one such destination.

Recommended itinerary for a 4-day, 3-night trip to Phu Quy Island for only 1,500,000 VND

Explore the 4-day, 3-night Phu Quy Island tour with your best friends this summer!

Day 1: Saigon – Ke Ga Cape – Phan Thiet

To reach Phu Quy Island, you first need to get to Phan Thiet city. From Saigon, there are various transportation options such as buses, trains, or private cars. However, our group chose to travel from Saigon to Phan Thiet by motorbike, following the coastal route via Lagi, passing through Ke Ga Cape.

To reach Mui Ke Ga from Saigon, drive approximately 130km on National Highway 1A to the intersection of Bo Six, then turn right onto QL 55. After about 17km, you'll see a large roundabout. Turn left and drive to the end of the road (Lagi Town Hall), then turn right onto Nguyen Chi Thanh Street. After another 18km, you'll reach DT 719 (you'll pass through Tan Hai Market on the way). Turn right onto this road and drive another 15km to arrive at Mui Ke Ga.

The plus point of this route is its beautiful scenery, less truck traffic, and fairly pristine landscape, allowing you to enjoy the beautiful views of the sea and the vast dragon fruit gardens. However, taking this coastal route will be longer compared to going straight from Saigon to Phan Thiet on National Highway 1A.

If you leave Saigon by motorbike around 6 in the morning, depending on your rest stops, you should arrive at Mui Ke Ga around noon. Here, you can rent a boat to visit Ke Ga Lighthouse, with a round-trip price of about 50,000 VND per person.

Mui Ke Ga is located in Thuan Quy commune, Ham Thuan Nam district, about 30km from Phan Thiet. Mui Ke Ga is actually a small island about 500 meters from the mainland, commonly referred to as Hon Ba. When the tide rises, Ke Ga is separated like an island, but when the water recedes, a strip of sand connects Ke Ga to the mainland.

After enjoying Mui Ke Ga, around 4 in the afternoon, it's advisable to return to Phan Thiet to check into your hotel, freshen up, and spend the night.

In the evening in Phan Thiet, you can stroll along Doi Duong Beach and dine on local specialties such as Banh Xeo, Mi Quang, Banh Can,... If you're craving Banh Xeo, you can visit Tuyen Quang Street, famous for this dish. You can eat at any of the eateries along this street. However, the most famous ones are Cay Xoai and Cay Phuong. If you prefer savory dishes, choose Cay Phuong.

Day 2: Phan Thiet – Phu Quy Island

The only way to reach the island is to go to the port of Phan Thiet city and catch a boat to Phu Quy. Previously, travelers had to spend 6 hours on Binh Thuan 16 or Binh Thuan 18 boats to reach the island. However, there are now high-speed boats like Hung Phat 26 and the SAVANNA Phu Quy - Khai Thinh KG, which shorten the distance from Phan Thiet to the island to only 3.5 hours for high-speed boats and 2.5 hours for express boats. A special point to note is that not every day has boats going to the island; boat schedules depend on the weather, so you should contact the port before you go to check the boat schedule.

Book tickets during office hours, including Sundays and public holidays, directly contact: Phu Quy Port Authority (062) 3 506 374; Phan Thiet Port Authority (062) 3 506 358.

Fast boat ticket prices: (travel time 3.5 hours)

- Regular seat or bed: 250,000 VND/person

- Air-conditioned bed: 350,000 VND/person

Slow boat ticket prices (travel time 6 hours):

- Regular seat: 150,000 VND/person

- Cabin seat: 250,000 VND/person

Round-trip motorbike parking fee for the island: manual bike 500,000 VND/vehicle, automatic bike: 540,000 VND/vehicle.

Before heading to the ferry terminal in the morning in Phan Thiet, make sure to have a hearty breakfast. One suggestion for you is to try the broken rice at My Hong restaurant, which is well-known for its deliciously marinated meat and flavorful dipping sauce. The restaurant is located at 198 Tran Hung Dao Street.

We took the slow boat with a ticket price of 150,000 VND/person/way, departing from Phan Thiet port at 10 a.m. and arriving at Phu Quy Island around 3 p.m.

On the island, there are currently no resorts or hotels, only guesthouses, hostels, and homestays. You can consider some guesthouses and homestays such as: Truong Huy Guesthouse (0963337316), Phu Quy Homestay (0937194908), Long Vi Guesthouse (0918680344), Hoang Phu Guesthouse (0168643531),…

Upon arriving at the island, we stayed at Hoang Phu Guesthouse, which is quite close to the ferry terminal, with a room price of 250,000 VND per day for a room with 2 beds and air conditioning for 4 people. The rental price for motorbikes on the island ranges from 100,000 to 120,000 VND per day, depending on the quality of the bikes. You can easily rent a bike right at the guesthouse you stay at, as every guesthouse on the island provides this service. Another special highlight here is that despite being a small, pristine island where you never see the presence of traffic police, the locals here are very law-abiding when it comes to traffic regulations. Therefore, wherever you ride your motorbike on the island, always remember to wear a helmet.

After getting the bikes, our group started our journey to explore Phu Quy Island. Phu Quy Island has an area of ​​17 km², with a population of about 28,000 people. Although the population is small, the island has a very rich religious life, with 4 main religions: Buddhism, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Caodaism. Walking along the roads on the island, you will easily come across magnificent religious works with impressive architecture, not inferior to any works in other big cities.

Our first destination was to find a place to eat. We just went into whichever restaurant we saw, and although the restaurants on the island are modest in appearance, the snacks are plentiful and incredibly delicious and affordable.

On the first evening on the island, you should ride towards the Ngũ Phụng embankment and admire the sunset there.

There are not many evening activities on the island, so tourists usually gather to eat and drink at seaside restaurants. One suggestion for you is the Ong Gia restaurant behind Hoang Phu Guesthouse, which is quite close to the port. This restaurant doesn't have a specific address, but it's so famous that if you ask any local, they will enthusiastically show you the way.

Day 3: Exploring Phu Quy Island

Today is the main exploration day on Phu Quy Island, so you can sequentially visit and experience various destinations such as:

Trieu Duong Bay: A familiar spot for locals and travelers alike, with its wide, smooth, white sandy beach, clear blue water, and a lush casuarina forest on the shore, perfect for outdoor excursions.

Nho Beach - Hang Cliff: One of Phu Quy's beautiful beaches with a crescent-shaped shoreline bordered by rocky promontories. Although the beach is small, it's very spacious and tranquil. The sea here is clear blue, with few anchored boats, fresh air, an ideal place for any tourist wanting to immerse themselves in nature.

Van An Thanh: Located on a white sandy beach adjacent to the coastline of Trieu Duong village, Tam Thanh commune, Phu Quy district. Currently, Van An Thanh still preserves nearly 100 sets of skeletons (including whale and sea turtle skeletons). It can be considered a marine biology museum with a rich collection of whale specimens.

Visit the small islets around the island: Visiting Phu Quy Island without renting a small boat to leisurely explore the small islets around the island would make the trip incomplete. There are several islets such as: Tranh Islet, Black Islet, Egg Islet,… Cruising on a small boat around the small islets around the island, you can truly appreciate the crystal-clear waters here, as the water is so transparent that you can see the bottom. You can easily rent a small boat at the port for around 300,000 – 400,000 VND depending on the number of people. You can consider renting a boat from Mrs. Hai Dong Thap (phone number: 0972.031.325).

Lighthouse Hill – Forbidden Mountain: Phu Quy Lighthouse is located on Forbidden Mountain with a height of 108m above sea level, 3km west of the port in Ngũ Phụng commune. At the summit of the mountain stands the largest lighthouse in Vietnam.

Thay Nai Tomb: Built since the 17th century, this is considered the spiritual refuge of the coastal residents.

Linh Son Pagoda – High Sand Mountain: It is a beautiful scenic complex of Phu Quy. High Sand Mountain is considered a sacred mountain by the islanders, located in the north of the island, where there is a majestic statue of Quan Âm Bodhisattva placed on the mountain top. From the summit of High Sand Mountain, tourists can overlook a vast expanse of space around the island.

Day 4: Phu Quy Island – Saigon

The boat departure from Phu Quy Island back to Phan Thiet usually sets sail at 6 a.m., so you need to arrive at the port early to catch the boat. The boat arrives in Phan Thiet around noon, where you will rest and then travel back to Saigon, concluding your exploration of Phu Quy Island with many exciting experiences.

Estimated Expenses:

Ferry ticket for Kê Gà sightseeing: 50,000 VND/person

Round-trip boat ticket to the island, economy class, slow boat: 300,000 VND/person

Self-fuel expenses: 100,000 VND/person

Motorbike rental for 2 days on the island: 100,000 VND/person

Food and beverages: 500,000 VND/person

Accommodation for 3 nights: 350,000 VND/person

Boat rental for island tour: 70,000 VND/person

Excluding additional expenses, souvenirs,...

Please note that these reference costs are based on traveling with a group of friends rather than solo. Depending on the number of people in your group, your trip may cost slightly more or less.

By Phong Chau

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Reference: Mytour Travel Guide