Foreign tourists visiting Hon Thom.

Phu Quoc has been endowed by nature with stunning beaches stretching from north to south, with many being ranked among the most beautiful in the world, such as Bai Kem, Bai Dai, Bai Truong, and Bai Sao. Its natural scenery and sea–island tourism culture create a dual advantage for Phu Quoc to become a “sea–island tourism paradise”, an international-level destination. In recent months, during the summer combined with major holidays, Phu Quoc Special Zone has attracted a surge in visitors, particularly with a sharp increase in international arrivals.

According to An Giang Province’s Department of Tourism, in the first seven months of 2025, the province is estimated to have welcomed more than 16.3 million visitors, including more than one million international tourists, with total revenue of about 42.6 trillion VND. Specifically, in July 2025, Phu Quoc alone welcomed over 789,900 visitors, more than 96,800 of whom were internationals, generating nearly 3.3 trillion VND in revenue. Cumulatively for the first seven months of 2025, Phu Quoc received more than 5.2 million visitors (up 31.8% compared to the same period last year), including more than 978,800 international tourists (up 74.1%), with total revenue reaching approximately 24.866 trillion VND (up 93.6%).

Statistics show that Phu Quoc welcomes tourists from more than 150 countries and territories. Visitors are brought via the many direct flights from Thailand, the Republic of Korea, and Malaysia, as well as charter flights from Russia, Japan, Greece, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. On average, Phu Quoc Airport handles more than 20 international flights per day, nearly double that of the same period in 2024. “From July 2025, Greater Bay Airlines (Hong Kong, China) officially launched a direct Hong Kong–Phu Quoc route with a frequency of three flights per week. Thus, just in the Hong Kong market alone, there are three airlines including Hong Kong Express Airways, Greater Bay Airlines, and VietJet Air operating direct flights to Phu Quoc Island. Meanwhile, the Republic of Korea market has about eight flights per day,” said Bui Quoc Thai, Director of An Giang Province’s Department of Tourism.

Bill Kelly, a British tourist visiting Phu Quoc for the second time, said he would return with friends due to the hidden beauty and warm climate of the pearl island. “Phu Quoc not only does it have the over-sea cable car but also shows, traditional fish sauce, and distinctive culture… This time, I brought my two children so they could experience it,” he shared. Meanwhile, Min Sung Woo (from the Republic of Korea) enjoys travelling to Phu Quoc because of the convenience of flights and the warm sunshine of Viet Nam in general and Phu Quoc in particular. “I learned about Phu Quoc through the media and travel agencies with activities such as snorkelling, swimming, squid fishing, and island exploration. Phu Quoc’s cuisine is also fresh and appealing,” he said.

According to An Giang Province’s tourism sector, Phu Quoc attracts international visitors thanks to its breathtaking natural scenery, appealing experiences, competitive service prices, and especially the visa exemption of up to 30 days. Furthermore, the pearl island has seen remarkable changes thanks to investment from major corporations. Recently, Phu Quoc was honoured by Agoda, a global online hotel booking service provider, as the most popular destination for international tourists in 2025, with a surge in searches.

Many experts believe that Phu Quoc tourism will continue to “boom” and welcome more international tourists, as it has been chosen to host the APEC 2027 Leaders’ Week. According to Associate Professor, Doctor Tran Dinh Thien, a member of the prime minister’s Economic Advisory Group and former Director of the Viet Nam Institute of Economics, the APEC 2027 Leaders’ Week is an important milestone affirming Viet Nam’s position. This is a great opportunity for Phu Quoc to make a breakthrough, becoming a centre of socio-economic cooperation and global trade. Phu Quoc will welcome many senior leaders and entrepreneurs from 21 APEC member economies, which will bring a wave of foreign direct investment (FDI) into tourism, real estate, retail, and services. Therefore, it is necessary to seize the opportunity to upgrade modern, high-class tourism infrastructure to make it a leading ideal choice for international tourists in the post-APEC period.

Nguyen Vu Khac Huy, Standing Vice Chairman of An Giang Province’s Tourism Association, said the Association is focusing on planning to accompany the locality to best serve the APEC 2027 event, with a focus on introducing new highlights of Phu Quoc to international tourists with high spending capacity and to new tourism markets worldwide.

Bui Quoc Thai, Director of An Giang Province’s Department of Tourism, stated that after the provincial merger, tourism activities and visitor targets, both domestic and international, have exceeded plans and maintained stable growth. To attract international visitors, the tourism sector has advised the provincial People’s Committee to participate in promotional activities in the Republic of Korea and China in 2025 and issued an official letter seeking feedback from central ministries and agencies on the project titled “Building Phu Quoc into a centre of high-quality eco-tourism services, marine and island tourism of national and international stature.”

In addition, the province is promoting and welcoming domestic and international famtrip and presstrip delegations to survey and connect tourism, coordinating with diplomatic agencies and Viet Nam’s representatives abroad to communicate and promote rapid, sustainable tourism development. The province is also coordinating the implementation of a website system integrating virtual reality videos to promote tourism images, online ticketing systems, and mobile applications, focusing on transport connectivity, human resource training, digital transformation, green transformation, and building a civilised and friendly tourism community.