Hola! If you caught our last video, you’ll know that Super Typhoon Ragasa had us making a sharp exit from Hanoi with a day’s notice. We couldn’t reroute our existing flight to Thailand, so instead we made a split-second decision and headed south — to Phu Quoc Island.
It was completely unplanned. And it turned into one of our favourite travel experiences yet.
Here’s what four days on this beautiful Vietnamese island looked like for our family — including everything it cost us.
🌴 Day 1 — Villa for £22 a Night & a Beach in a Storm
We arrived to find our villa was genuinely lovely. Both rooms — one for us, one for the kids — plus a private pool, for around £22 a night. That works out at roughly £11 per room. For what we got, it was a proper bargain.
After a quick freshen up, we set off to find the beach. Following signs through a few residential streets, past a communal pool, and along a long narrow bridge nestled between the jungle, we arrived at Golden Sands Beach.
Phu Quoc was still catching the tail end of the typhoon that day — the sea was wild, and debris had been washed up all along the shore. Even so, you could clearly see how stunning this place must be on a calm, clear day. The kind of beach you want to come back to.
🚡 Day 2 — Hon Thom Island: The World’s Longest Cable Car
We booked a package deal to Hon Thom Island — cable car, buffet lunch, and the Kiss of the Sea show — for around £46 per adult and £39 per child. And it was absolutely worth every penny.
The Sunworld Hon Thom cable car holds the record for the world’s longest freespan steel cable car, stretching across the sea between the islands. The views crossing over are something else — turquoise water, jungle-covered hills, and the constant reminder that you’re somewhere truly special.
What we didn’t fully appreciate until we arrived was how much was included with the ticket: a nature park, beautiful gardens, a water park, a roller coaster (closed for maintenance on our visit, but no complaints — the water park more than made up for it), shuttle buses around the island, and plenty of spots to eat and grab a cold drink.
Also included: the Eagle’s Eye, a 120-metre observation tower with panoramic views across the island. From up there you can really see how much construction is happening all over Phu Quoc — it’s developing rapidly. We’re hoping, as it grows, it holds onto the natural beauty that makes it so special.
Back on the main island, we strolled through a European-themed village (a bit random, but fun), crossed the Kiss Bridge, and settled in for the Kiss of the Sea show — an incredible performance of water, lasers, music, and fire, followed by a full fireworks display. An unexpectedly spectacular evening.
🚌 Day 3 — Free Buses, Grand World & the Teddy Bear Museum
It rained hard on day three, so we improvised. We hopped on a local bus to see where it took us — and discovered that routes 17 and 19 around the island, including to the airport, are completely free. We hadn’t been anywhere before where public transport just costs nothing. Woohoo indeed.
We ended up at Grand World in the north of the island — a beautifully designed complex of European-inspired streets, sculptures, gardens, and entertainment spaces. We also got a free golf cart ride once we arrived, which the kids found deeply satisfying.
Honest verdict: it was stunning to look at, but the worker-to-tourist ratio was dramatically out of balance when we visited mid-afternoon — we counted maybe 100 other tourists in the entire place. Callum couldn’t stop laughing at the vast, immaculate streets with barely a soul on them. However, by late afternoon it filled right up — apparently that’s when the crowds arrive — so if you’re planning a visit, factor that in.
And then the Teddy Bear Museum. This was not our idea. The kids decided. We went. Entry was around £6.45 for adults and £4.85 for children, and we genuinely had no idea what to expect.
It turned out to be a themed walkthrough — room after room of elaborately staged teddy bear scenes. Completely unique. Completely strange. The kids absolutely loved it. Callum maintains it was worth it. He’s probably right.
We also wandered through the Bloom and Slide Gardens nearby — sculptures, flowers, and (the one mild negative) being offered a massage approximately every five minutes. All in all, Grand World earned its spot.
🦒 Day 4 — Vinpearl Safari
Our final day: Vinpearl Safari. Tickets were around £24 per adult and £18 per child, with free entry for children under 100cm.
The concept is brilliant — the animals roam free and you’re the ones inside the enclosure. It flips the whole traditional zoo experience on its head, and the kids thought it was fantastic. After a very, very long queue in the pouring wet-season rain (by the end of which Callum was claiming to have visibly aged), it was absolutely worth it.
And to finish the day — lunch at the giraffe restaurant, where you eat overlooking the giraffe enclosure. Watching giraffes wander past while you have lunch is the kind of thing that never gets old, no matter how many times you see it.
💰 Phu Quoc Budget Summary
| Experience | Cost |
|---|---|
| Villa (per night, 2 rooms) | ~£22 |
| Hon Thom package (adult) | ~£46 |
| Hon Thom package (child) | ~£39 |
| Teddy Bear Museum (adult) | ~£6.45 |
| Teddy Bear Museum (child) | ~£4.85 |
| Bus around the island | Free |
| Vinpearl Safari (adult) | ~£24 |
| Vinpearl Safari (child) | ~£18 |
Four days of proper family adventures — hidden beaches, the world’s longest cable car, a safari where you’re the one in the cage, and a giraffe restaurant — and it all came in at a very manageable cost. Southeast Asia continues to surprise us.
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Have you been to Phu Quoc? Or had a travel plan completely derailed — and ended up somewhere even better? Tell us in the comments. ¡Hasta la próxima! 🌻