Phu Quoc: 10 answers to travellers’ main questions

1. What currency should you bring, and where can you get the best exchange rate?

Currency: the best option is clean, newer-series US$100 notes with a blue security strip, without tears, stamps or writing. Most places offer rates 1-3% lower for older dollars from 2001-2006 and smaller notes such as $1, $10 and $20.

Where to exchange: the best rates are at jewellery shops, such as Tiệm Vàng Kim Nga 2 and Robinson Pearl, and trusted private money changers in the island centre. Airport and hotel rates are traditionally the lowest: travellers recommend exchanging only enough for the first taxi there.

2. Do you need a licence to rent a motorbike, and what are the fines for riding without category A?

Legal requirements: riding a petrol motorbike with an engine capacity from 50 cc officially requires a national licence with motorcycle category A and an International Driving Permit (IDP).

Fines and police checks: if stopped during a traffic-police operation, riding without category A carries a fine of VND 2-8 million for the rider, plus a fine of up to VND 9-12 million for the bike owner, with the vehicle detained at an impound lot.

Riding without a licence: it is entirely legal to rent an electric scooter rated up to 4 kW or a small motorbike with an engine capacity up to 50 cc without a driving licence.

3. What are the visa and visa-free stay rules?

Russian citizens: the standard visa-free entry stamp allows 45 days throughout Vietnam.

Island exemption, 30 days: citizens of all other countries arriving in Phu Quoc on a direct international flight receive a special 30-day Visa Exemption stamp.

4. Where should you buy a SIM card, and which operator should you choose?

Operators: Viettel, Vinaphone and Mobifone are the most reliable operators with the best coverage.

Where to buy: travellers recommend registering a physical SIM card at an official shop in town using your passport.

Airport: buying SIM cards at the airport is not recommended. They cost 1.5-2 times more, and resold SIMs registered under someone else’s name are common, which can lead to disconnection after a week.

eSIM: a popular option is buying an eSIM online through Airalo or Klook before arrival.

5. What bites you on the beaches, and how can you protect yourself?

What bites: these are mainly microscopic beach flies, known as sandflies, rather than fleas. Bites may go unnoticed at first, but cause intense itching and blisters 12-24 hours later, which can remain itchy for two to three weeks.

Protection: avoid lying on dry sand near grass or bushes in the evening. Coconut oil and sunscreen appear in travellers’ tips, but do not guarantee that insects cannot bite. Use a suitable repellent according to its label; sunscreen does not replace it.

Heat for itching: brief, controlled heat can reduce itching after some insect bites. Use a device designed for this purpose strictly according to its instructions. A spoon heated at home can burn because its temperature and contact time are hard to control. Do not cauterise the skin or apply a device’s settings to a household spoon.

Heat restrictions: do not use it on broken or inflamed skin, near the eyes or mucous membranes, or with reduced skin sensation or impaired circulation. Age limits, use with diabetes and other contraindications depend on the device instructions. Heat does not replace medical care for a significant reaction.

Golden Star balm and antihistamines: use the balm only as directed for the specific product, on intact skin, avoiding mucous membranes and observing age limits and ingredient allergies. Choose an antihistamine suitable for your age and medical conditions, with a pharmacist if needed.

Lime: do not use lime juice to treat bites or stings. Contact with sun-exposed skin can cause painful blisters and pigmentation. If juice gets on your skin, wash it off with soap and water and keep that area out of the sun.

6. What should you do after a sea-urchin puncture or a jellyfish sting?

Sea urchin: do not dig into the wound or squeeze deeply embedded spines with tweezers. Hot but non-scalding water, around 40-45°C and no higher than 45°C, is used to ease pain. Test the temperature on unaffected skin first: pain at the puncture site can impair your ability to judge heat.

Vinegar may help dissolve some superficial sea-urchin spines. It is not a guaranteed way to remove deep fragments. Seek medical assessment if spines are deep, pain persists, walking is difficult or the puncture is close to a joint. Lime juice is not an equivalent substitute for vinegar.

Jellyfish: do not rinse the affected area with fresh water or rub it. Use seawater and do not touch tentacles with bare hands; remaining tentacles should preferably be removed by a lifeguard or with protected hands.

Vinegar for jellyfish: it is used for certain species, including some tropical box jellyfish, under the local first-aid protocol. It is not a universal neutraliser: other species can react differently. If the species is unknown, ask a lifeguard or medical professional. Do not replace vinegar with lime juice.

Urgent help: breathing difficulty, fainting, a marked deterioration or rapidly increasing swelling require immediate medical assistance. Do not delay it for home remedies.

7. How do you get around on VinBus?

The main tourist routes are No.17, Airport ⇄ Centre ⇄ Ông Lang (Ong Lang) ⇄ Grand World, and No.19.

To track buses on the map, download the VinBus app, switch the language to English and choose Phu Quoc as the city.

8. How should you plan visits to Vinpearl Safari and VinWonders?

Arrive at Safari for opening, around 08:30-09:00, to catch the bird show, visit the lemurs and feed the giraffes before the daytime heat.

Travel chats do not recommend Safari and VinWonders on the same day: it is physically exhausting. A two-day combo ticket is the best option.

9. Can you travel to mainland Vietnam with the island entry stamp?

If you entered with the special 30-day Phu Quoc Visa Exemption stamp, travelling to the mainland on scheduled transport is prohibited: an e-Visa is required for travel around the country. Russian citizens using the 45-day visa exemption have no such restrictions.

10. What should you bring in a first-aid kit, and what can you buy at a local pharmacy?

Travellers recommend bringing familiar sorbents such as Enterosgel or Polysorb, Regidron and antihistamines from home. Local pharmacies sell Golden Star balm and aloe or menthol ointments.

With diarrhoea, you need to replace lost fluids and salts. For some reason, locals use Coca-Cola for this. However, it does not replace an oral rehydration solution: use a suitable solution prepared according to its instructions to replace fluids and electrolytes.