2024-07-05 18:33:03
Phu Quoc is a rising tourist destination in Vietnam. It is expected to form one of the three largest tourist areas in Asia along with Bali in Indonesia and Phuket in Thailand. In fact, Phu Quoc is not as familiar as Bali or Phuket. When you think of Vietnam, Danang, Ho Chi Minh, and Nha Trang (Nha Trang) come to mind first. However, these days, the praise from travel experts is focused on Phu Quoc.
Last year, ‘World Travel’ magazine selected Phu Quoc as the ‘Island with the World’s Best Natural Scenery’. It was selected for the second consecutive year. It beat out Zanzibar in Africa, Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean, and the Isle of Skye in Scotland, which are famous for their beautiful scenery. The famous American travel magazine ‘Travel + Leisure’ selected Phu Quoc as one of the ’10 Best Value Tropical Travel Destinations’ in its May issue. Only Phu Quoc and Bali were selected in Asia.
● Equipped with natural scenery, cost, and accessibility
What makes Phu Quoc more attractive to Koreans is its accessibility. It takes only 5 and a half hours to get to Phu Quoc International Airport from Incheon International Airport by direct flight. This is in contrast to many other tourists who use connecting flights because there are no direct flights.
As the COVID-19 situation calmed down and Koreans’ demand for Southeast Asian travel exploded, Korean Air began operating the Incheon-Phu Quoc route in November last year, following Jeju Air in October. Until then, only Vietnam’s VietJet Air had operated the route. At the time, the news of the Korean national airline’s launch was a hot topic in Vietnam, to the point where it was reported as top news. This is because there has never been a case of a national airline launching a route so quickly.
According to statistics from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the number of foreign tourists visiting Phu Quoc in the first quarter of this year (January to March) was 500,000, doubling the same period last year. Of these, Koreans accounted for nearly half, or 220,000. Taiwan came in second with 80,000. When the reporter visited Phu Quoc recently at the invitation of La Festa Phu Quoc Curio Collection by Hilton Hotel, the airport was full of Koreans even though it was close to midnight.
●’Vietnam’s Jeju Island’… Island of Abundance
Phu Quoc has two geographical features: it is an island and it is located in the southwestern part of Vietnam. Phu Quoc, the largest island in Vietnam, is not a single island but a conglomerate of 22 islands. It is similar to Jeju Island in many ways, so Koreans call it the “Jeju Island of Vietnam.”
Vietnam borders tourist powerhouses such as Hong Kong and Macau to the east, Thailand to the west, and Malaysia to the south. Vietnamese media has often published articles such as “Why do foreign tourists go to Thailand rather than Vietnam?” In the past, the Vietnamese government, feeling a sense of crisis, turned its attention to the west instead of the east and south, which had already established themselves as tourist destinations, in the mid-2010s. It focused on developing Phu Quoc, a small island with an area of less than 600km², one-third the size of Jeju Island. A huge amount of investment was made in a short period of time. Development is currently in progress. Contrary to the image of a leisurely tourist destination, construction is in full swing everywhere.
Phu Quoc is pronounced as ‘Phu Quoc’ in the Vietnamese local dialect. To understand the meaning of the place name, it is better to pronounce it as Phu Quoc. Phu means ‘wealth’ in Chinese characters, and Quoc means ‘country’. In English, it means ‘fertile land’.
What is abundance? If you ask the locals, they will give you three answers: ‘an island with many pearls’, ‘an island made of 99 mountains’, and ‘an island full of emerald colors’. It means an island rich in sea and mountains. The northern part is lush with forests, the southern part is a beach where you can enjoy leisurely time, and the central part is popular with tourists who want a balance between mountains and sea.
● Plenty of things to see for tourists
Vietnam is heavily influenced by leisure conglomerates. Phu Quoc is no different. The northern part was developed primarily by Vingroup, while the southern part was developed primarily by Sun Group. In the southern part, where the reporter stayed, the word “Sun” cannot be omitted. The name of the neighborhood is Sunset Town, and the name of the theme park is “Sun World Hon Thom.”
Sun Group has also developed marine-type entertainment to take advantage of the southern characteristics of Phu Quoc, where many tourists visit the beach. The ‘Kiss Series’ consists of places to enjoy in the evening after spending the day island hopping and snorkeling.
Kiss of the Sea is a multimedia show that debuted in January. It is held every day except Tuesday at 9pm in a dedicated floating theater. Produced by ECA2, a French production company that is good at making shows, it is different in scale. Using a 1000m² seawater screen, three continuous projection domes, and 300 devices, it realizes the story of a young man from Phu Quoc and a girl from the galaxy fighting against evil and protecting their love.
Water shows, fire shows, light shows, laser shows, and trampoline shows unfold nonstop for about 40 minutes. Fireworks adorn the finale. Although it has only recently opened, word of mouth has spread, and most Korean tourists buy tickets through travel websites.
Next to the Kiss of the Sea concert hall is the Kiss Bridge. It is a building designed by Italian architect Marco Casamonti and was completed last Christmas. It is a unique structure where two bridges meet. The gap between the bridges is about 30cm, and it is designed so that the sun sets between them when viewed from a distance. The idea is that lovers who meet at the ends of the bridge kiss with the sunset in the background. It is easy to see couples holding hands, although they may not kiss. It is also famous as a wedding photo spot, and there are many Vietnamese women taking pictures in their wedding dresses.
● Feel the Italian beach vibe in Sunset Town
On the nearby Hon Tom Island, there is a huge theme park developed by Sun Group. The cable car, which is the means of transportation to Hon Tom Island, is a landmark in itself. Each cable car has a Guinness Book of World Records plaque that says, “The world’s longest nonstop three-line cable car.”
It takes 20 minutes to travel 8km. Looking down from the 174m high cable car, you can see fishing boats spread out like small dots on the sea. For the locals, this is the moment when they feel that this is their home.
When the hot sun goes down, Phu Quoc experiences a population exodus. Everyone heads to places where they can see the sun setting over the horizon. Sunset Town, developed along the western coast, is a famous sunset spot. Sunset Town is an entertainment center created by the chairman of Sun Group, who was impressed by the southern Italian beaches he visited in the past. There is the only Starbucks in Phu Quoc, and there are also many Western-style bars.
As I sat with a cup of coffee in front of me and watched the sunset crowds, I remembered why World Travel chose Phu Quoc as the best travel destination. ‘Picture perfect.’ The charm of Phu Quoc, where gorgeous resorts and old fishing boats coexist and where you can enjoy both the sun and the sunset, is picture perfect.
Phu Quoc = Reporter Jeong Mi-gyeong [email protected]
2024-07-05 18:33:03