Khem Beach (Bai Khem), Phu Quoc (Bãi Khem)

Khem Beach (Bãi Khem, also spelled Kem) is a curve of fine white sand backed by coconut palms on Phu Quoc’s south-east coast, a few minutes from Sunset Town and the Hon Thom cable car. Many visitors rate it the best beach on the island: it scores 4.4 on Google Maps from over 2,100 reviews (October 2026), and the words that come up again and again are “clean”, “white sand” and “calm”. The complaints are just as consistent — it gets busy by mid-morning in the high season, sunbeds are not cheap, and on some days the water is greenish rather than clear.

The beach was long military land and off the tourist map. Sun Group’s resorts opened here from the end of 2016, when JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay launched, followed by Premier Residences and New World. They line most of the beach, but the sand itself is open, and a strip of beach bars and restaurants in the middle serves visitors who are not staying there. The name is usually explained as kem, “cream”, for the colour and texture of the sand.

The essentials

Where: on the south-east coast of the island in An Thoi, just south of Sao Beach.
Getting there: about 15 minutes (5 km) by road from Sunset Town, 30 minutes (20 km) from the airport and 35 minutes (29 km) from Duong Dong (OSRM routing estimates). Grab and taxis come here easily.
Cost: the beach is free. You pay for sunbeds, towels and drinks.
When: because it faces east, Khem is sheltered from the south-west monsoon, and is often calmer than Long Beach from May to October — a visitor in August 2026 still found the water calm and clear. From November to April it is at its best, and at its busiest.

Sunbeds in the shade of coconut palms at Khem Beach Photo: Алёна Чуракова, via Google Maps

Sunbeds, towels and prices

The beach bars rent out their loungers and umbrellas, and the deal varies from bar to bar. What visitors reported in 2026:

About 150,000 dong per sunbed, in some places for a four-hour slot. One couple who also visited Bai Dai paid 50,000 dong there with no time limit.
Some bars let you use a lounger if you order food or drinks — ask before you sit down.
Coconuts cost around 50,000 dong.
Towels can be rented at the entrance or at Herring Bar.

If you would rather not pay, there is plenty of shade under the palms further along the beach, and several reviewers simply sat on the sand. Arrive before 10:00 in the high season if you want a good spot.

Reviewers mention a lifeguard on the main stretch and a cleaning crew that rakes the sand every day. A few also found plastic washed up at the quieter ends and rubbish dumped in the far northern corner. Conditions depend on the wind and the currents: in early January 2026 VnExpress reported Khem and Sao beaches covered in water hyacinth and rubbish washed in from the sea, with only the resort frontages cleaned and swimming unsafe for several days.

Where to eat and drink

All on the beach or a short walk from it. Ratings from Google Maps, October 2026:

Istanbul Bai Kem — 4.8 from 4,018 reviews. A Turkish beach club with halal food, beach chairs, showers and a changing room for diners.
Ann Seafood — 4.8 from 3,934. Vietnamese seafood — tamarind mantis shrimp, clay-pot fish, crab fried rice — with attentive service that reviewers single out.
The Deck — 4.6 from 1,461, open 9:00–21:00. Burgers, seafood and sunbeds; see our beach clubs guide.
Kaisun Restaurant & Bar — 4.7 from 842. Cocktails and a relaxed beach-club setting; reviews of the food are mixed.
Herring Bar — 4.6 from 387. Named after the island’s herring salad, with oysters and Vietnamese dishes on the sand.
Jo’s Cucina — 4.6 from 1,233. Italian, in the shophouses behind the beach; reviewers praise the fresh fish of the day and the pasta.
Com Tho Tay Cam — 4.7 from 597, opposite New World. Clay-pot rice, fish soup and Vietnamese home cooking at more moderate prices.
Thyme Bistro — 4.8 from 264. European food — pizza, pumpkin soup, steaks — in the shophouses.
Thanh Nga — 4.2 from 548. A very basic local seafood shack at the far end of the beach, reached on foot along the sand or down a rough track off the main road near the old prison. Reviewers love the grilled fish and clams and the honest prices, and warn about flies, dogs and very basic toilets.

The shoreline of Khem Beach looking towards the headland Photo: Larissa L., via Google Maps

Where to stay

Premier Residences Phu Quoc Emerald Bay — 4.8 from 10,063 reviews. A large resort with apartments and villas on the beach.
New World Phu Quoc Resort — 4.7 from 6,014. Villas with private pools.
JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay — 4.7 from 3,526. Bill Bensley’s “university” themed resort; see luxury resorts.
Alba Sand Hotel and Spa (4.8 from 191) and JM Boutique Hotel (4.6 from 563) — smaller hotels a short walk from the sand.

For the area as a whole, see where to stay on Phu Quoc.