LittleSandyBeach

Our first outing in Phu Quoc was VinWonders which is a theme park, water park and giant aquarium. After explaining to 10 taxi drivers that we’re taking the free bus we made it to the entrance…

Once inside you are greeted with many shops and restaurants on the main boulevard. We went straight to the Sea Shell Aquarium as we wanted to see the fish feeding show.

The Sea Shell Aquarium is the largest aquarium in Vietnam and is in the top five largest in the world, it’s also inside the largest turtle shaped building in the world which is pretty cool!

We have never been to such an impressive and clean aquarium. Every tank was spotless and so many different aquatic creatures to see. Over 255,000 sea creatures in fact.

They even have over 200 penguins of six species, including King, Gentoo and African. Again the enclosures were amazing and very large with giant pools for them to swim in and even snow for them to cool down on.

Just before entering the tunnel through the main tanks we passed through a restaurant that isn’t in the budget for us but that’s not a bad place to eat lunch…

We then walked through the underwater tunnel which had great views from within. Many sharks, stingrays and huge fish to see!

You can then go upstairs and walk on some rope bridges that hang over the top of the tanks which gave a great perspective of the size.

Next stop was the Viking River Rapids. We’re not quite sure what made it Viking themed but it was a nice breeze to cool down a bit!

To stay on the water theme we then went on the Amazon Volcano Log Flume which took you through the inside of the volcano in the pitch black and then down two drops. For two slightly visually impaired people we’re sure it looked good as glasses weren’t allowed…

We then went inside the castle where the 3D ride called Dragon Spell is. Basically you spin around on a small roller coaster and try and get the highest score by shooting the enemies that appear.

We then headed back to the aquarium as a mermaid show was about to start. It was very impressive especially seeing the divers do the whole performance without breathing apparatus.

We did lots of rides and experiences but the main one that stood out was the Eagle Warrior indoor rollercoaster. It was very intense, in the dark with great lighting, we loved it!

The next day, we moved from our homestay in the centre of the island down to an apartment in the south. After let’s say an eventful check in…. the host couldn’t open the door, Tasha’s food poisoning from the night before made an appearance in the hallway (luckily in a bag) and then the apartment had no water. As always it was meant to be as we got moved to a bigger apartment with an even better view!

The apartment was in Sunset Town which is a Mediterranean inspired resort town. It was spectacularly clean, all very new and also very empty!

Just a few kilometres away from Sunset Town is Phu Quoc Prison. It was a detention centre created by French colonialists and later used by the South Vietnamese Government as a prison for captured Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam War.

It’s famous for its harsh conditions and torture methods including breaking teeth, boiling them alive and solitary confinement in ‘tiger cages’.

Just down the road we went to Khem Beach which was recommended to us by our last host. It didn’t disappoint, not busy, very clean and crystal clear water. We went for a swim and saw lots of fish!

It was lovely to walk around the town at night with picturesque streets, lovely fountains and waterfalls. It also has a small night market with different snacks for sale.

Every night in Sunset Town there is a show called Kiss of the Sea. It is the largest permanent water projector show in the world, including a firework display as well. At 1,000,000 VND (£28) it’s not a budget traveler’s idea of a deal however from the rooftop of our apartment and also our balcony we had an amazing view of it for free!

The next day we headed back to Ho Chi Minh City. First on the ferry and then another 7 hour sleeper bus. As this was our last bus in Vietnam we upgraded for £3 to a VIP bus…. It had massage seats, massive beds and two free bottles of water!

This morning we headed back to a cafe we found last week called PhinPhin. The owner is extremely nice and recommended lots of things to do while we’re here.

This is our last 8 days in Vietnam and then that’s 84 days travelling here. How time flies!