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BEACHES

Bai Dai & Bai Thom
These are both remote beaches: Bai Dai is in the far northwest and Bai Thom is on the northeastern coast. A new road to Bai Dai cuts down on motorbike time and red dust in your face. You can rest assured that neither beach is crowded.
Both are in military areas, hut Bai Dai is open to the public and has a couple of restaurants. The military usually opens Bai Thom to civilians on Sunday but you must leave your passport with the military receptionist while you're on the base. In any event, do not try to sneak onto the beaches make local inquiries and obey the rules.

Bai Cua Can & Long Beach
The most accessible beach, Bai Cua Can is in the northwest. It's 11km from Duong Dong.
Long Beach (Bai Truong) is one, well, long spectacular stretch of sand from Duong Dong southward along the west coast, al¬most to An Thoi port (20km). The southern end of the beach is known as Tau Ru Bay (Khoe Tau Ru). The water is crystal clear and the beach is lined with coconut palms.
Long Beach is easily accessible on foot (just walk south from Duong Dong's Can Castle), but you will need a motorbike or bi¬cycle to reach some of the remote stretches towards the southern end of the island The beach around the family-run guest-house area is a particularly popular spot. There are a few bamboo huts where you can buy drinks, but bring water if you're plan¬ning a long hike along this beach.

Bai Sao & Bai Dam
Two beautiful white-sand beaches along the southeastern part of the island are Bai Sao and Bai Dam, just a few kilometers from An Thoi. There is a couple of beachfront restaurants at Bai Sao. ust south of these beaches is undevel-oped Bai Khem, one of the most beautiful beaches on the island and also, sadly, a military area that was closed to the public at the time of writing.

 

FOREST RESERVE

Phu Quoc's poor soil and lack of surface water have disappointed farmers for gen¬erations, although their grief has been the island's environmental salvation. About 90% of the island is forested and the trees now enjoy official protection. Indeed, this is ¬the last large stand of forest in the south
The forest is most dense in the north¬ern half of the island. The area is a forest reserve (Khu Rung Nguyen Sinh). You'll need a motorbike or mountain bike to get into the reserve. There arc a few primitive dirt roads, but no real hiking trails.

 

AN THOI ISLANDS
Off the southern tip of Phu Quoc an Ihc tiny An Thoi Islands (Quan Dao An Thoi). These 15 islands and islets can be visited by chartered boat, and it's a fine area for sight¬seeing, fishing, swimming and snorkeling. Hon Thorn (Pineapple Island) is about 3km in length and is the largest island in the Island). Chan Qui (Yellow Tortoise) and Hon Mong Tav (Short Gun Island).
Most boats depart from An Thoi on Phu Quoc, but you can make arrangements through hotels in Duong Dong. The Tropicana Resort has a large boat for charter that can make the trip directly from Long Beach, The Kim Linh also has two boats for day hire, one that can carry eight to 10 passengers (US$35) and a larger one that can earn 15 lo 20 people (US&65). Boat charters arc seasonal and generally do not run during the rainy season.

 

DIVING
Though Nha Trang gels the heaviest billing as Vietnam's best dive destination group diving opportunity also around Phu Quoc. The reputable Rainbow Divers has a dive centre on the island.

 

COCONUT TREE PRISON
Being an island and an economically marginal area of Vietnam, Phu Quoc was useful to the French colonial administration -chiefly as a prison. The Americans took over where the French left off and as a consequence Phu Quoc was used to house about 40,000 VC prisoners.
The island's main penal colony was known as the Coconut Tree Prison (Nha Lao Cay Dua; Map p446, and is near An Thoi town. Though it's con¬sidered an historic site, plans to open a museum here have been stalled. It's still used as a prison, so not surprisingly, few visitors come up check it out.

CAU CASTLE (DINH CAU)
According to tourist brochures, Duong Dong's main attraction is Cau Castle. In fad, it's not so much a castle as a combination temple and lighthouse. It was built in 1937 to honor Thien Flau (Goddess of the Sea), who protects sailors and fishermen. The castle is worth a quick look and gives you a good view of the harbor entrance.

FISH SAUCE FACTORY
OK, so it's not your average sightseeing attraction, but more than a few have enjoyed a visit to the distillery of Nuoc Marn Hung Thanh, the largest of Phu Quoc fish-sauce makers. At first glance, the giant wooden vats may make you think you've arrived for a wine
tasting, but one sniff of the festering nuoc mam essence brings you right back to reality (it's actually not so bad after a few minutes).
Most of the sauce produced is exported to the mainland tor domestic consump¬tion, though a surprising amount finds its way abroad to kitchens in Japan, the USA. Canada and France.
Thi factory is a short walk from the markets in Duong Hong There is no admission charge lo visit. Enough you'd be best off taking a guide along unless you speak Vietnamese.