Phu Quoc - Day 1 (Phu Quoc Night Market - Công Viên Bạch Đằng (Dinh Cậu) - Dinh Cau Temple - Phu Quoc Beach - Dinh Bà Temple - King Kong Mart)

Our latest getaway was to Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island. It was suggested by my partner's buddy, who is absolutely obsessed with beach life. To be honest, I'd never even heard of this island until he brought it up! The return flight from KLIA Terminal 2 to Phu Quoc International Airport was RM 660 per person, with an additional RM 90 for 20kg of checked luggage.

We arrived at KLIA Terminal 2 just before 11am. We walked to the self-check-in kiosk to reprint our boarding passes and luggage tags before heading over to the Air Asia counter for baggage drop. We had purchased 20kg of checked luggage, but our combined bag weighed slightly more than 20.4kg. So, we did a quick reshuffle in which I removed my shoes and my partner removed his towel and placed it in our hand-carry bags.

Since we still had some time before our 1pm flight, we decided to grab lunch at Uncle Roger. We ordered the Uncle Roger special fry rice (spicy), Fuiyoh crispy chicken, and a cup of Pepsi. The fried rice came with Uncle Roger's secret sambal, eggs, and spring onions. The rice texture was a bit on the hard side, and there was ginger torch flower (bunga kantan) mixed in, which isn't really my thing. Personally, I still prefer Uncle Soon's fried rice.

The fried chicken was nice and crispy, but the flavour was pretty average. It came with pineapples, which added a sweet little contrast. Overall, my partner really enjoyed the fried rice, but for me, it just didn't hit the mark.

(Total bill - RM 54.90)

Fuiyoh! It's Uncle Roger: Pepsi - RM 6.90

Fuiyoh crispy chicken - RM 27

Uncle Roger's special fry rice (spicy) - RM 16

Address:

Fuiyoh! It's Uncle Roger KLIA 2 Food District

Lot 33 & 47, K1 Food District,

Level 3, KLIA2 Departure Ln,

64000 Sepang,

Selangor Darul Ehsan

Opening hours: 24 hours

Around 11.55am, we made our way to the departure hall. The first checkpoint was a boarding pass and passport check, followed by a quick luggage scan. Then came another luggage screening, and this time we had to surrender any water bottles before proceeding. After that, we went through the automated immigration process. I placed my passport on the scanner and entered a small cubicle for facial recognition. However, the system was unable to detect my face, so I had to use my thumbprint instead. Once through, we headed to Gate L11, where we met up with his buddy and wife.

We initially planned to refill our water bottles at the nearby dispenser, but the queue was surprisingly long. The water pressure was really low, so everyone was stuck waiting ages just to fill up. In the end, we skipped the wait and just grabbed a bottle of mineral water from a convenience store instead. On top of that, the queue for the women's restroom was extremely long too. It had been a while since we last flew out of KLIA 2, and the departure hall was crowded and a little chaotic.

Boarding started at 12.20pm. The flight wasn't full, so his buddy and wife were able to switch seats and join us in the same row. The in-flight menu looked really tempting, so we decided to try the honey sesame roasted chicken wrap paired with a fizzy iced yuzu. You could choose from a range of drinks, including Americano, jasmine green tea, Ceylon tea, teh tarik "kau kau," or fizzy iced yuzu.

We were mistakenly charged RM 21 instead of RM 12. So, we brought it up with the crew and requested a refund. The crew member wasn't aware of the discrepancy until we pointed it out. As for the meal, unfortunately, the sesame roasted chicken wrap didn't live up to expectations. The wrap was too thick, heavy on the wheat, and quite chewy. In terms of flavour, it simply fell short. However, the fizzy iced yuzu was light, citrusy, and refreshing.

Mineral water from myNEWS - RM 6 and fizzy iced yuzu

Honey sesame roasted chicken wrap with fizzy iced yuzu - RM 12

The flight took about 1 hour and 45 minutes, and we landed at Phu Quoc International Airport at 1.30pm local time. Vietnam is an hour behind Malaysia. Immigration was a bit of a bottleneck, with only three counters open. The queue was long, and we ended up waiting nearly an hour before we were done around 2.25pm.

After collecting our luggage, we spotted a guy at the arrival hall holding a signboard that read Dusit Princess Moonrise Beach Resort. He escorted us, along with a few other guests, to a 10-seater van that took us straight to the hotel. It was a short and comfortable ride. He even handed each of us a bottle of drinking water as we got on board.

We arrived around 2.45pm and were welcomed with a drink, which was a little too sweet for my liking. We had to wait in the lobby for our room key because the room wasn't ready until 3pm. The bellboy insisted on carrying our bags to the room and seemed irritated when we preferred to handle them ourselves.

Phu Quoc International Airport baggage reclaim hall

Complimentary airport shuttle service from Dusit Princess Moonrise Beach Resort

10-seater van from Dusit Princess Moonrise Beach Resort

Complimentary drinking water

10-seater van from Dusit Princess Moonrise Beach Resort

Welcome drink

Once we got our room key, we dropped off our bags and headed out to find something to eat. VinBus is a free public bus service in Phu Quoc, making it really easy to get around. The Khu nghỉ dưỡng Salinda VinBus stop is only 300m (4-minute walk) from the hotel. We hopped on Route 17, which runs between Phu Quoc International Airport and Grand World every 15 minutes. The bus was air-conditioned and comfortable.

We got off at the Chùa Sùng Hưng Cổ Tự (Chợ đêm) stop and walked to Bánh mì Tâm. It's a small street stall set up in front of a shop. There are just four types of banh mi on the menu. Banh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich made with a crispy French-style baguette with local ingredients. It's one of Vietnam's most popular street foods.

Four types of bread menu:

a) Banh Mi Thap Cam (special combination bread) - pork, shumai, steamed pork roll, pate, butter, herb and cucumber

b) Banh Mi Xiu Mai (bread shumai) - shumai, pate, butter, herb, cucumber, chili and pickled radish

c) Banh Mi Thit-Cha (pork meat bread) - pork, steamed pork roll, herb, cucumber, chili and pickled radish

d) Banh Mi Op La (omelette bread) - egg, pate, butter, herb, cucumber, chili and pickled radish

We tried the Banh Mi Thap Cam (special combination bread). The bread was crispy, but the filling was quite fatty, especially the pork and pate, which made it feel a bit too heavy. The overall flavour was decent, and it didn't really stand out.

VinBus

Sùng Hưng Cổ Tự (Buddhist temple) and Phu Quoc Night Market

Bánh mì Tâm

Banh Mi Thap Cam (Special combination bread) - 25,000 VND

Banh Mi Thap Cam (Special combination bread)

Address:

Bánh mì Tâm

11 đường 30/4, TT. Dương Đông,

Phú Quốc, Kiên Giang,

Vietnam

Opening hours: 6am to 9.30pm

The weather was hot and humid, and nothing beats a bowl of shaved ice. So we headed to Green Cafe, just 100m away from Bánh mì Tâm. We ordered the Green set that comes with a bowl of shaved ice, French toast, and two drinks. You can choose from a range of options: smoothies like mango, mango & watermelon, avocado & banana, coconut, coconut & chocolate, or coconut & mango & passion. If you prefer juice, they have watermelon, pineapple, or banana. Tea options include mint tea, dragon fruit berry tea, or mango black tea.

We went with the avocado banana smoothies, while his buddy chose watermelon juice. The shaved ice was topped with a scoop of creamy coconut ice cream, which was smooth and refreshing. The shaved ice itself had a milk base, lightly sweeten but it melted really quickly in the heat. The mango topping was sweet and juicy, adding a nice contrast.

However, we didn't really enjoy the French toast. It was dusted with cinnamon flakes, and the inside was soft with a custard-like texture. We requested a sharing bowl, but they gave us four small plates with wooden spoons, making it difficult to eat. On the plus side, they did offer complimentary face towels, which was a thoughtful touch. Overall, the whole set didn't taste very good.

 

Green Cafe

Green set - 420,000 VND

French toast

Address:

Green Cafe

1 Đường Trần Hưng Đạo, TT. Dương Đông,

Phú Quốc, Kiên Giang 31078,

Vietnam

Opening hours: 9am to 11pm

Dinh Cau Temple is just an 8-minute walk (550m) from Green Cafe. It was built in 1937 to honour Thien Hau, the Goddess of the Sea. On the way there, we passed Công Viên Bạch Đằng (Dinh Cậu), a lively promenade with vibrant rainbow-coloured walkways. Right next to Dinh Cau Temple is Phu Quoc beach, where you will find plenty of people relaxing and children playing in the sand. However, the water wasn't very clean during our visit.

Phu Quoc street

Công Viên Bạch Đằng (Dinh Cậu)

Công Viên Bạch Đằng (Dinh Cậu)

Công Viên Bạch Đằng (Dinh Cậu)

Công Viên Bạch Đằng (Dinh Cậu)

Dinh Cau Temple

Dinh Cau Temple

Dinh Cau Temple

Duong Dong Port South Breakwater Light

Duong Dong Port South Breakwater Light

Duong Dong Port South Breakwater Light

Phu Quoc Beach

Phu Quoc Beach

Phu Quoc Beach

Dinh Bà Temple

Petrol station

Cháo ếch Singapore Phú Quốc, which sells frog porridge, is located near the Phu Quoc Night Market. However, when we got there, it was closed for two days. So we decided to stroll along Phu Quoc Night Market instead. The night market was relatively quiet, with numerous stalls selling ice cream rolls, peanuts, Crocs shoes, and souvenirs like seashells and pearls. There were also plenty of massage parlors, and the rates here were much more affordable compared to those near our hotel.

Cháo ếch Singapore Phú Quốc

Phu Quoc Night Market

Phu Quoc Night Market

Phu Quoc Night Market

Address:

Phu Quoc Night Market

54 Đường Nguyễn Trãi, Khu 1,

Phú Quốc, Kiên Giang,

Vietnam

Opening hours: 5pm to 12am

We decided to have dinner at Muc & Tom. So we took the VinBus from the Chùa Sùng Hưng Cổ Tự (Chợ đêm) stop to the KLC Holidays Phú Quốc stop. The bus was packed, and Yuan and I ended up standing right at the front, next to the driver. While we had the best view, it didn't feel the safest, especially if the bus had to stop abruptly. The bus dropped us off right in front of Muc & Tom, but unfortunately, it was closed until further notice.

We had no idea what to eat for dinner and just walked into a restaurant next to Muc & Tom. The restaurant was empty, and the staff didn't speak much English. So we ordered a taro net spring roll and special taro pho. The food came with a hot stone bowl. Be careful because it's quite hot. It came with taro noodles, taro banh xeo, fresh spring roll, and taro ball with coconut sauce. 

The broth was surprisingly flavourful, with a strong aroma and taste of culantro leaves. However, the beef was a bit tough and chewy. The jerky with octopus was crispy on the outside and full of flavour. Apart from that, the spring roll was crispy, and the pickled radish added a refreshing touch. The coconut dessert was sweet, while the taro ball had a salty, chewy texture that balanced it out perfectly. On the other hand, the fresh spring roll was just okay. Overall, the dish was decent and not amazing, but satisfying enough considering we walked in with zero expectations.

Just as we were about to leave the restaurant, we noticed a small note on the table that said if you leave a Google review, they will give you five pieces of Devis Sand cookies as a thank you.

(Total bill - 305,000 VND)

Muc and Tom

Mitim Noodle House: Drinking water 15,000 VND each

Restaurant ambience

Taro net spring roll - 55,000 VND

Special taro pho (combo pho tim) - 220,000 VND

Address:

Mitim Noodle House

110 Đường Trần Hưng Đạo,

Dương Tơ, Phú Quốc,

Kiên Giang 91000,

Vietnam

Opening hours: 9am to 8pm

Mì Tê is only a short 2-minute walk (130m) away from Mitim Noodle House. We were still not satisfied from our previous dinner, so we decided to try this shop as it was on our eating list. My partner and I shared a bowl of special mix with black soy sauce, while his buddy and wife shared a bowl of roasted chicken noodles with te sauce. Although the noodles were soft, the chicken tasted frozen and lacked freshness. The pork had a strong porky taste, but the chili sauce stood out. It was spicy with a bold garlic kick that added much-needed flavour to the dish.

(Total bill - 126,000 VND)

 

Mì Tê

Special mix - 65,000 VND with black soya sauce add on 9,000 VND

Roasted chicken with te sauce - 52,000 VND

Chili sauce

Address:

Mì Tê

126 Đường Trần Hưng Đạo, Dương Tơ,

Phú Quốc, Kiên Giang 92500,

Vietnam

Opening hours: 11.45am to 9.45pm

After that, we walked to Gila Gelato, and I sampled the tiramisu flavour, but ended up going with a scoop of strawberry yogurt. It was smooth, creamy, and really refreshing, perfect for the warm evening. Yuan wasn't planning to have any at first, but in the end, we both shared a scoop.

Gila gelato: Strawberry yogurt - 50,000 VND

Address:

Gila Gelato

129 Đường Trần Hưng Đạo, Dương Tơ,

Phú Quốc, Kiên Giang 922200,

Vietnam

Opening hours: 4pm to 10.30pm

On the way back to our hotel, we made a quick stop at King Kong Mart. The place was buzzing with people picking up snacks. It's a massive store, packed with everything from local treats to souvenirs. Just before reaching the hotel, my partner's buddy grabbed some beer from a nearby convenience shop. We got back around 10pm but ran into a small hiccup as the second room key wouldn't work. So we had to head down to the front desk to get it activated. Due to the hot weather, I had a mild migraine and finally went to sleep around midnight.

Note: 1,000 VND = RM 0.18

Crocodile meat stall

King Kong Mart

Doraemon noodles

King Kong Mart

Address:

King Kong Mart

141A Đường Trần Hưng Đạo, Khu Phố 7,

Phú Quốc, Kiên Giang,

Vietnam

Opening hours: 8am to 11pm

Long Beach Mart

Street cat