Phu Quoc sits in the Gulf of Thailand, closer to the Cambodian coast than to Vietnam's big cities. The west coast faces the sunset along Long Beach, the east has calmer sands such as Sao Beach, and the southern tip looks out on the An Thoi islands, a scatter of small islets with clear water for snorkeling.
The island has grown quickly, and resorts and a sea-crossing cable car are now part of the picture. Its older character is still easy to find. Fishing boats unload at Ham Ninh, pepper vines grow in neat rows inland, and the smell of fish sauce drifts from wooden barrel houses. Much of the north is protected forest within the national park.