Phu Quoc Island
One
of the best beach resort of
Vietnam
is
Phu
Quoc
Island
, which covers an area of 567sq.km (about 62km long and between 3km
and 28km wide), and its population is approximately 85,000 (in
2001).
Phu
Quoc is called the island of "99 mountains" because of its
many sandstone chains gradually descending from the north to the
south. The longest one is Ham Ninh which stretches for 30 km along
the eastern edge with its highest peak called
Mt.
Chua
(603m).
Phu
Quoc has a monsoon sub-equatorial climate. There are two seasons in
the year: the rainy season (October only) and the dry season
(November to September). The average annual rainfall is 2,879 m and
the average temperature is 27oC. Trips to PhuQuoc can be made all
year round, but the best time is dry season when the sky is always
sunny, clear and blue.
Phu
Quoc is also called the
Emerald
Island
because of its natural treasures and infinite tourism potential. The
island is well known for its high-quality fish sauce; Phu Quoc fish
sauce smells particularly good since it is made from a small fish,
ca com, with a high level of protein. The island produces 6 million
liters of fish sauce every year.
Phu
Quoc
Island
has many harbors such as An Thoi
and Hon Thom where international and domestic ships anchor. Also,
there are several historical sites on the island: 
National
Hero Nguyen Trung Truc's military base, King Gia Long relics from
the time he spent on the island, and Phu Quoc Prison.
Off
the coast of the island emerges a group of 105 islands of all sizes.
Some of them are densely inhabited such as Hon Tre and Kien Hai,
25km from Rach Gia. Visitors can spend time on the beach or hike
while observing the wild animals.
It
is possible to reach the island by either plane or boat from Rach
Gia, Ho Chi Minh City (1 hour by plane), Rach Gia (2,5 hours by
hydrofoil).
