After almost 3 months in Ho Chi Minh City, we decided that it was time to enjoy a long weekend outside of the city. We investigated a few options, and eventually decided that we would head to Vietnam's largest island, Phu Quoc. It's a short hop by plane from HCMC to Phu Quoc and there are a number of flights every day.
Southern Vietnam has two seasons, a wet season and a dry season. The dry season is typically from November to April, and the wet season covers the rest of the year. As we were travelling in July, this would be right in the middle of the wet season, and therefore also the low season. The climate during these seasons is influenced by the monsoons; the winter monsoon from the north-east from November to April, and the summer monsoon from the south-west from May to October. These monsoons bring the wind, and for Phu Quoc this means that the western side of the island is more exposed to strong winds and large waves during the summer / wet season. Although we had considered these factors when planning our trip to Phu Quoc, we still ended up staying on the western side. There are far more accommodation options on the western side, and we found a resort with its own secluded beach that looked like the perfect getaway spot.
Ong Lang Beach, close to where we were staying
The small secluded beach at Phu Quoc Eco Beach Resort where we were staying
Hammock time :)
Exploring by bike. This was definitely the best way to get around the area where we were staying. Get on the bike, find a beach and go for a walk, cycle some more, stop for lunch, cycle some more, and then head back to the hotel for cocktails. It was a tough weekend :)
Not impressed about having to be the subject of this photo...
Cheesy pizza!
Cafe sua da (Vietnamese iced coffee) is something everybody should try when they visit Vietnam. Its basically filter coffee with condensed milk and ice. It might not be the healthiest option, but it is soooo good! You can find it just about anywhere in Vietnam, but this was the first time I received a 'put-it-together-yourself' version.
And did we mention the coconuts? They are huge, and fresh, and oh so good!
Some photos taken around the resort where we were staying.
From the moment we arrived until when we left, there was the constant sound of frogs croaking. We loved it!
And we also saw Tokay geckos. These guys can apparently grow to 35cm long. The ones that we saw were around 20cm, and we got to share our accommodation with three of them. Great for keeping the place mosquito free.
Orchids just seem to thrive here.
Not sure what this plant is, but it had some photo worthy flowers.
Some seaside graffiti.
Earlier in the blog I mentioned that the wet season in Southern Vietnam comes with the south-west monsoon. Unfortunately this constant wind from the south-west also brings with it lots of floating rubbish and debris that has been accumulating in the Gulf of Thailand. The result is lots of rubbish washing up on Phu Quoc's south-west facing beaches. I can imagine that trying to keep these beaches clean during the low season is a huge challenge, and the solution that seems to have been adopted is to rather wait until after the summer monsoon season is over. So, unfortunately, the western side of the island during low season is not the place or time to find clean beaches. Although we haven't been to Phu Quoc during the high season, I believe that the beaches are generally in a far better state during this time of year. But, the low season does mean that you can enjoy a cheaper and less crowded version of Phu Quoc. And while the beaches might not be pristine and the large waves might be a deterrent for entering the sea, there is always the resort swimming pool. All-in-all, we thoroughly enjoyed our low season getaway, and would be interested to see how it compares with a high season experience.
