Digital Nomad Information to Residing in Phu Quoc

Welcome to my digital nomad information to dwelling in Phu Quoc. Residence to gorgeous seashores, spectacular nationwide parks, and a few improbable cultural and historic sights, it’s a distant employee’s dream vacation spot. To alleviate any confusion it’s pronounced Foo Kwuck, and it’s simply one in all many idyllic places inside Vietnam.

Vietnam’s largest island has every little thing a distant employee may need. Whether or not you get pleasure from kicking again on the seaside following a busy day on the laptop computer or mountain climbing amongst gorgeous lush countryside between on-line conferences, right here is why you must take into account Phu Quoc as your subsequent digital nomad location.

About Phu Quoc

The island metropolis of Phu Quoc is residence to round 180,000 individuals and is at the moment going by a interval of speedy growth due to a tourism increase. Since 2014, the Vietnamese authorities has allowed 30-day visa-free journey for all foreigners to Phu Quoc, which has resulted in a large uptick in guests.

Phu Quoc consists of the principle island however contains 21 further smaller islets. Such is its magnificence and within the hope of conserving it, Phu Quoc has terrestrial nationwide park and marine safety.

As a result of wealthy provide of contemporary anchovies offshore, it’s broadly agreed amongst Vietnamese those who one of the best fish sauce on the planet is made in Phu Quoc. Black Pepper is one other main export and is cultivated broadly on the island.

Residing in Phu Quoc As a Digital Nomad

Phu Quoc was the ultimate cease of my time in Vietnam and I’m glad I saved it till final. Just because If I’d gone there first I’ll by no means have left! It’s an extremely lovely place that feels each bit like an island paradise.

Like a lot of Vietnam, WiFi is broadly obtainable in Phu Quoc which means distant working potentialities could be discovered nearly in every single place. And whereas there aren’t too many devoted coworking places on the island, laptop-friendly cafes are very commonplace. I loved having a couple of common spots to work from (extra on this later).

My work/life steadiness was nearly as good as I’ve identified it in Phu Quoc. The low value of lodging and meals meant that having fun with the great life was extremely reasonably priced. It’s utterly possible for a Phu Quoc digital nomad to spend the morning working amongst tranquil countryside, drive into city for lunch, and end the working day on the seaside. Sounds dreamy, proper?

Is Phu Quoc Secure?

Phu Quoc is mostly thought of secure for vacationers. The island maintains a low crime fee and violent crimes in opposition to vacationers are uncommon. That being mentioned, it’s all the time wise to train primary precautions resembling safeguarding valuables and being aware of your environment.

The island’s regularly bettering and growing tourism trade ensures well-maintained seashores and resorts, and as such, I all the time felt comfy and secure while working remotely in Phu Quoc.

Within the occasion of any medical incidences, Phu Quoc does have amenities that may deal with minor illnesses and accidents. Nevertheless, with the dearth of recent growth present in Vietnam’s larger cities, I’d advocate looking for remedy on the mainland for any critical points.

Finest Locations for Digital Nomads in Phu Quoc

There’s a wide range of neighborhoods and areas for a digital nomad dwelling in Phu Quoc to think about. Listed below are 5 of one of the best areas to base your self. Every has its distinctive attraction and facilities;

1. Duong Dong City

The primary city and business hub of Phu Quoc is Duong Dong. That is the place you’ll discover the largest confluence of recent facilities and important providers on the island. The Dinh Cau Temple and the evening market are simply two common sights which are loved by vacationers and locals alike.

Located on Phu Quoc’s central west coast, Duong Dong has nice entry to some fabulous seashores and lots of cultural sights such because the Dinh Cau Lighthouse. It’s additionally a brief 15-minute drive to the worldwide airport, making it a great location for exploring not solely Phu Quoc, however additional afield too.

2. Cua Lap

If it’s extra of that seaside life you crave, then head south of Duong Dong and keep at Cua Lap. The seaside right here is sensational and picturesque ocean views are so frequent you’ll run the danger of taking them with no consideration.

It’s a preferred spot for ex-pats and vacationers because of the scenic environment and the accessibility of Duong Dong. Cua Lap has a really chilled vibe and welcoming environment and but gives sufficient facilities to justify calling it residence.

3. Ong Lang

A good quieter and extra secluded seaside city is Ong Lang, round a 25-minute drive north of Duong Down. As soon as once more, you’ll discover pristine seashores, clear waters, and a tropical backdrop that appears too good to be actual.

Being fairly near the principle middle of Phu Quoc means vacationers often make the journey to Ong Bang Seaside. Nevertheless, I all the time discovered it considerably much less busy, even on weekends, than close by seashores. The city has an actual neighborhood really feel to it with a small collection of cafes, bars, and eating places to take a look at.

4. Cua Can Village

Relying on the kind of expertise you’re in search of in Vietnam, Cua Can Village will not be for everybody. It’s a a lot smaller neighborhood positioned in the direction of the island’s northeast nook and located alongside the Cua Can River.

I discovered Cua Can Village to have a captivating setting with very laid-back vibes and pleasant locals. Surrounded by mangrove forests and rivers, that is definitely an space for anybody who enjoys eco-friendly dwelling and outside actions. Residing right here would attraction to digital nomads looking for a detailed connection to nature and a slower tempo of life in Phu Quoc.

5. An Thoi

Don’t overlook the South! A 30-minute drive south of central Phu Quoc will carry you to the island’s southernmost city – An Thoi. The brief and fairly easy journey ought to provide you with a sign of simply how small the island actually is.

Although it lacks among the facilities of Duong Dong, there’s nonetheless lots to get pleasure from in An Thai. variety of eating places, a improbable stretch of shoreline with some glorious seashores, and a extra chilled social scene are just some of the advantages of establishing camp within the south.

Tips on how to Discover Lodging in Phu Quoc

The favored tourism increase in Phu Quoc implies that there are numerous resorts and residences obtainable for guests to lease. Listed below are a couple of high locations to look and a few concepts to think about to make sure you get one of the best offers going.

1. Airbnb. The standout lodging possibility for a digital nomad in Phu Quoc is Airbnb. It has many listings that characteristic handy reserving choices, free cancellation, and reasonably priced charges. I’ve usually seen reductions of as much as 40% to 50% for month-long stays.

2. Reserving.com – Reserving.com has an intensive array of lodge rooms and residences for each finances in Phu Quoc, most with versatile reserving choices together with no prepayment or free cancellation. I’d additionally advocate enrolling within the Genius Membership for important reductions and extra perks in your bookings.

3. Trusted Housesitters – Home sitting is an more and more common possibility for budget-friendly journey. Trusted Housesitters is my go-to web site of alternative – I secured a 2-week sit throughout my time in Phu Quoc. When you’re thinking about pursuing home sitting alternatives take a look at my earlier article, 8 Skilled Ideas for Touchdown a Home Sitting Job.

4. Workaway – An effective way to save cash on lodging, and sometimes meals, is to make use of Workaway. When you have time in your schedule to assist out with neighborhood tasks, train English, or assist on an eco farm, Workaway is all the time price a glance.

Price of Residing in Phu Quoc

Many guests will discover Phu Quoc a really reasonably priced place to dwell. There aren’t any data-led web sites to spotlight a lot of this, so I’ll give you my very own expertise from being a digital nomad in Phu Quoc. For additional verification, I direct you to the value of dwelling in Hoi An, which I discovered to be akin to island life in Phu Quoc.

Eating places and Groceries

Road meals stalls and conventional Vietnamese eating places are in every single place in Phu Quoc. A good meal could be bought for underneath $1.50 and the standard may be very excessive. You’ll discover many locals utilizing these institutions every day – which is all the time a great signal!

Extra upmarket eating places are after all obtainable too, and also you count on to pay round $8-$10pp for a pleasant 3-course meal. Going out for a espresso will value between $1-$2 relying on how fancy you plan to be.

Grocery buying is one specific space the place I seen an enormous distinction from again residence within the UK. Issues like eggs and meat are greater than 50% cheaper in Phu Quoc, as are many vegatables and fruits.

Lodging Prices

Residing on the attractive island of Phu Quoc is less expensive than you would possibly first think about. The common value of a long-term rental is round $250-$300/month. With all utilities coming in at roughly $60, the financial savings on month-to-month outgoings could be fairly important.

Airbnb and short-term lodging costs are a bit of steeper however nonetheless significantly extra reasonably priced than in lots of different international locations I’ve visited. A pleasant residence to your self with a shared pool, health club, and sea views can value as little as $500/month.

Transportation Prices in Phu Quoc

It’s fairly simple to get round Phu Quoc because the island isn’t too massive. Dependable buses join all the principle cities with tickets costing round $0.25 for a single journey.

Seize is a helpful app to arrange in your telephone earlier than you arrive. The Vietnam equal to Uber gives a secure and safe solution to e book a taxi with out the necessity for money or communication with a non-English talking driver. Quick journeys value underneath $1 and drivers in Phu Quoc gained’t scoff at driving longer distances with charges across the $6-$10 mark for prolonged journeys.

SIM Playing cards and Knowledge

A number of telecom giants in Vietnam supply SIM playing cards for vacationers, however the massive three are Mobiphone, Vinaphone, and Viettel. At any time when I’ve seen a value on-line, it’s differed from the worth or deal I’ve ended up getting in-store, but it surely’s nonetheless so low cost that it doesn’t make a lot of a distinction.

The primary SIM I bought was with Vinaphone for 1 month which prices $6 for 6GB of knowledge a day! The second SIM was with Viettel additionally for 1 month and price $8 (together with a $2 price for buying a brand new SIM card).

So, should you safely finances round $7-$10/month, you’ll simply discover a SIM with ample knowledge. The workers within the telephone shops in Phu Quoc are all the time useful and really conversant in establishing vacationers with new SIM playing cards there after which.

Cash Saving Ideas for Phu Quoc

Store on the markets: The quite a few every day and nighttime markets in Phu Quoc are nice locations for selecting up every little thing from garments to groceries.
Haggle: Bear in mind the Vietnamese famously get pleasure from haggling, particularly within the market.
Get Seize Limitless: The Seize app often has a free trial of its membership program, providing versatile cancellation and even larger reductions on rides and meals deliveries.
Join home sitting: Save on all of your lodging prices by signing as much as a website like Trusted Housesitters.
Eat Native: There are such a lot of nice avenue meals stalls and conventional Vietnamese eating places in Phu Quoc the place it’s potential to select up first rate meals for underneath $1.50.
Take pleasure in Nature: Phu Quoc’s pure magnificence spots, gorgeous seashores, and plush landscapes are free for everybody to get pleasure from.
Drink Native Espresso: Ca Phe Den is a brilliant sturdy Vietnamese espresso, I add scorching water to it to make a scrumptious Americano-style drink. Better of all you’ll discover it in every single place for about $0.50.
Search for Lodging Reductions: Many Airbnb hosts supply massive reductions on longer stays. I’ve seen reductions of 40%-50% when reserving for a month.
Use Public Transport: A visit on the bus prices lower than $0.25 and there are routes connecting the entire island.

Coworking Areas and Laptop computer-Pleasant cafes

As a digital nomad dwelling in Phu Quoc, gaining access to appropriate infrastructure is significant. Whereas WiFi is out there nearly in every single place in Vietnam, coworking areas in Phu Quoc aren’t as frequent as they’re within the larger cities of Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh Metropolis.

Having mentioned that, it’s nonetheless potential to search out all of the facilities wanted for distant work. Listed below are a couple of of my high locations for digital nomads to base themselves in Phu Quoc;

Nora’s Cafe and Restaurant – An exquisite, calm, and spacious setting with sturdy espresso and even stronger WiFi. Situated a brief distance exterior of Duong Dong it’s price making the brief journey south for the peaceable location and glorious meals choices.

Highlands Espresso – Because the greatest chain of espresso outlets in Vietnam, Highlands Espresso is all the time an ideal distant working location. WiFi is free to all clients and also you’re more likely to search out extra specialty espresso choices right here than in one of many smaller avenue cafes.

There’s a Highlands Espresso primarily based in the principle hub of Duong Dong a avenue or so away from the river, making it a vibrant and common spot good for digital nomads who get pleasure from a full of life environment while working.

Like Espresso – If it’s a extra tranquil setting amongst Phu Quoc’s pure magnificence you need in your day of distant working, situate your self at Like Espresso. Primarily based on the sting of a small park in Duong Dong, the cafe/restaurant with a big exterior patio feels very far faraway from the workplace.

The meals choices listed below are nice, the WiFi is robust even exterior, and the workers are all the time very glad to see you.

Store 3S Hoa Mai – One of many solely locations in Phu Quoc that advertises itself as a coworking house is Store 3S. And whereas they do have a couple of desks extra suited to an workplace setting, it’s extra of a restaurant that’s hoping to draw a digital nomad crowd.

Primarily based in the direction of the northwestern tip of the island, that is one other glorious cafe that’s welcoming of distant employees who want to spend the day utilizing the free WiFi, topping up their espresso cups, and dealing their method by the meals choices.

Printing Amenities – Whereas espresso outlets are an ideal possibility without cost WiFi and a cushty house to work, they usually lack among the facilities digital nomads sometimes require. Worry not, as scattered throughout the island are round 18-20 unbiased setups with printing and scanning capabilities.

Now, dependable on-line info on such shops is fairly slim as they’re usually small-run operations which are open at any time when the proprietor is there. Nevertheless, I used to be in pressing want of some printing and scanning while in Phu Quoc and managed it shortly and simply. It value me round $2 for over 50 printed and scanned pages.

Actions and Issues To Do in Phu Quoc

We didn’t turn out to be digital nomads simply to take a seat and work now did we? Phu Quoc is among the finest locations on the planet for some superior post-work actions.

1. Speedboat Island Tour, Snorkeling and BBQ

I discussed earlier that Phu Quoc is made up of 22 islands, however what I didn’t point out is that the whole space is a hub for snorkeling and scuba diving. The turquoise waters are residence to a improbable and protected coral reef.

I needed to discover a couple of of those islands so opted to take action by speedboat – why not? All of the snorkeling gear was supplied, and an ideal lunch and even a beer for good measure have been thrown in. If you wish to discover and fairly actually dip your toe within the waters then check out this glorious full-day tour.

2. Eat and Drink Like a Native

There are a ton of wonderful avenue meals choices obtainable in Phu Quoc, so that you’ll usually be spoiled for alternative. Nevertheless, figuring out the place to go and what to eat when the menus aren’t in English generally is a little daunting at one of the best of instances.

Through the first few days in Phu Quoc, I took a avenue meals tour and bought to know some native delicacies, what I needs to be paying for them, and the place one of the best locations to purchase native dishes have been positioned. It’s an ideal introduction to the road meals scene, click on right here for extra info.

3. Go to the Greatest Theme Park in Vietnam

It’s solely a small island however Phu Quoc is residence to the largest theme park in Vietnam. VinWonders is residence to an array of sights and thrilling rides that make for an thrilling day trip. Rollercoasters and epic water slides characteristic alongside a 4D cinema and family-friendly playgrounds and carousels. Click on right here to skip the traces and e book your tickets now.

4. Expertise the World’s Longest Cable Automobile Experience

Phu Quoc can also be the situation of the longest sea-crossing 3-wire cable automobile on the planet. It has a size of practically 5 miles and may carry 3500 individuals an hour. It takes in unequalled, breathtaking views of the ocean and the gorgeous inexperienced landscapes of the island.

There are quite a few excursions obtainable, however I extremely advocate one which additionally features a go to to a couple of the opposite islands and a seaside for a buffet lunch. Click on right here to learn extra and e book your journey.

5. Go Scuba Diving

Improve your snorkeling expertise and go scuba diving within the lovely waters of Phu Quoc. An authorized teacher is all the time with you and there are periods appropriate for all ranges of expertise. When you’ve all the time fancied giving scuba diving a attempt, now could be your probability!

I discovered this nice tour that features pick-up and lunch, click on right here to study extra.

Climate in Phu Quoc

Phu Quoc has a tropical monsoon local weather, characterised by distinct moist and dry seasons. The dry season usually spans from December to March. Throughout these months, light sea breezes present reduction from the warmth which might attain as excessive as 34°C (93°F).

Round April/Might time, the climate transitions into the moist season, which lasts till November. Regardless of the occasional very heavy downpour, temperatures stay gentle, though humidity ranges rise and create a extra tropical setting.

General, Phu Quoc’s climate may be very interesting to individuals like me who dislike the chilly. When the wet season begins it will possibly trigger points with journeys, excursions, and occasions, however for essentially the most half, life carries on as regular on the island. Even in the course of the wettest months, there are nonetheless over 135 hours of sunshine to benefit from the seashores.

Execs and Cons of Residing in Phu Quoc

There are undoubtedly numerous execs to dwelling on a fantastic island like Phu Quoc, however there are additionally some cons to pay attention to too. Listed below are a couple of of my high factors for digital nomads to think about.

Execs of Residing in Phu Quoc

Beautiful Atmosphere: Pure magnificence is in every single place in Phu Quoc. From the pristine seashores, tranquil waters, and plush forests, it encapsulates the picture of a paradise island.
Inexpensive: Like a lot of Vietnam costs for guests are very low. It’s potential to benefit from the good life at a fraction of the associated fee in comparison with many different international locations.
High quality of Life: Though Phu Quoc has some sizeable cities, the tempo of life is far slower and the overbearing stresses of metropolis dwelling are miles away again on the mainland.
Onward journey: Phu Quoc Worldwide Airport is definitely accessed from anyplace on the island and has every day connections with all of Vietnam and numerous international locations around the globe.
Visa: All overseas nationals are entitled to a visa-free 30-day keep in Phu Quoc. For nationals from locations like America and Canada, this implies no charges for a vacationer visa.
Good WiFi: Regardless of being an island away from the mainland, web connections are usually excellent in Phu Quoc, permitting digital nomads to work with out concern.

Cons of Residing in Phu Quoc

No Coworking Areas: There aren’t any devoted coworking areas in Phu Quoc. Distant working choices will come within the type of laptop-friendly cafes or providers supplied by a lodge/lodging.
Wet Season: Between Might and November Phu Quoc experiences a wet season. This will imply some critically heavy downpours and disruptions to every day life.
Vacationer Crowds: Phu Quoc is a well-liked vacation spot for vacationers from around the globe and as such could be very busy throughout peak seasons and trip instances.
Restricted Infrastructure: Though Phu Quoc does have medical amenities and common infrastructure it lacks the superior growth of Vietnam’s larger cities.

Digital Nomad Visa for Phu Quoc

There aren’t at the moment any particular visas for digital nomads in Phu Quoc. Nevertheless, all overseas nationals are allowed a 30-day keep with out the necessity for a vacationer visa. It’s essential to notice that whereas Phu Quoc gives this visa-free keep, broader rules apply to different areas in Vietnam.

As an example, residents of the UK and 12 different international locations can keep for as much as 45 days in Vietnam with no visa, with an possibility to increase their keep to 90 days by an internet utility or at a delegated entry level.

Guests from the USA and Canada should receive a vacationer visa, which could be secured on-line earlier than journey or upon arrival at worldwide entry factors. The length of those visas ranges from 1 to three months, with related prices various between $25 and $50, relying on the supposed size of keep and the variety of entries wanted.

In Conclusion

I hope my digital nomad information to Phu Quoc has whet your urge for food for a slice of island dwelling. My time there was the epitome of what I hoped to expertise when setting out as a digital nomad – laptop computer and low all morning adopted by chilling on the seaside or mountain climbing within the tropical forests within the afternoon.

Though it could lack the traditional coworking areas, there are nonetheless loads of excellent places from which to base your self. Moreover, on such an accessible island, every little thing is at your disposal. Take pleasure in!