Vung Bau (Bãi Vũng Bầu) is a long, gently curving bay of golden sand on Phu Quoc’s north-west coast, between Bai Dai to the north and Cua Can to the south. For years it was the beach people rode out to on red dirt roads to have a stretch of sand to themselves, with casuarina trees for shade and nothing built along most of it.
That is still the appeal, but it now comes with a caveat. Recent Google Maps reviews (2025–2026) describe security guards turning visitors back at a golf course (see golf on Phu Quoc) and at a development site on the access tracks, and one reviewer found a gate being built across an old dirt road. Others reached a quiet stretch further along the coast, past a fish farm, on a very bumpy track. The beach scores 3.8 from 203 reviews (October 2026), dragged down mainly by those access problems.
Getting there
- By road: about 35 minutes (19 km) from Duong Dong and 50 minutes from the airport (OSRM routing estimates). The last part is on unpaved, potholed tracks; take it slowly on a scooter, especially after rain.
- Through a resort: the two resorts on the beach, Mai Phuong and Vung Bau Resort, have direct access to the sand. Staying or eating there is the most reliable way onto it.
Do not rely on Google Maps’ pin for the beach: several reviewers ended up at a closed gate. If you are turned away, Bai Dai is a short drive north and has public access at the Grand World beachfront.
Photo: Tín Hồ, via Google Maps
The beach
The sand is golden and fine, the slope into the sea is gentle, and on most days you will see more fishermen than tourists. Because there are no beach clubs or cleaning crews on the open stretches, rubbish washes up, worse after storms. The sea is calm in the dry season, from November to April; from May to October the west coast takes the south-west monsoon and the waves can make swimming unsafe — see our weather guide.
Watch where you put your feet: the shallows have rocks in places, and sea urchins.
Where to stay and eat
- Mai Phuong Resort — 4.2 on Google Maps from 488 reviews. A family-run resort right on the sand, with a pool and bungalows. Guests in 2026 mention a free buggy to Grand World and a free tuk-tuk into town; a few were unhappy with the service.
- Vung Bau Resort — 4.1 from 400. Villas and a restaurant with its own stretch of quiet beach; the road in is rough, and some guests found the rooms tired.
There is nowhere else to eat on the beach itself. For restaurants, head to Grand World at Bai Dai or to Cua Can.
Nearby
Cua Can river and village, Bai Dai, VinWonders and the Safari, and the north-west islands visited on snorkelling trips.
For easier, cleaner beaches, see the best beaches on Phu Quoc, compared.
Ratings, review counts and visitor comments: Google Maps, October 2026. Drive times: OSRM routing estimates.
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