Ha Tien (Hà Tiên) is the small town on the mainland coast opposite Phu Quoc, right next to the Cambodian border. It was developed about 300 years ago by Mac Cuu, a Chinese émigré, and his family, and it still has the feel of an old frontier town: limestone hills full of caves and shrines, a lagoon, a busy market and the family tombs of the Mac. Since July 2025 the town centre and its sights have formed Ha Tien ward of the enlarged An Giang province, with the ferry pier in neighbouring To Chau ward.
For most Phu Quoc visitors, Ha Tien is either a stop on the way in or out — by ferry from the mainland or overland from Cambodia — or a change of scene for a night. You cannot do it as a day trip on the Phu Quoc visa exemption alone, because that exemption does not cover the mainland (see below).
Before you go: the visa rule
The 30-day Phu Quoc visa exemption covers the island only. Ha Tien is on the mainland, so to visit it you need a Vietnam visa or e-visa, or a national visa exemption — not just the Phu Quoc entry stamp. Hotels in Ha Tien have to register your passport and visa with the police, so you would be turned away without one. Our visa guide explains the rules in full.
If you are coming the other way, from Cambodia, the Ha Tien international border gate is on Vietnam’s list of gates that accept e-visas, and the Phu Quoc exemption does not apply to you either.
Getting there from Phu Quoc
All boats run between Bai Vong port on Phu Quoc’s east coast and the pier in Ha Tien:
- Fast boats (Superdong, Phu Quoc Express): about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, several sailings a day in each direction. Superdong listed four each way in October 2026.
- Car ferries (Thanh Thoi): about 2½ to 3 hours, useful if you are taking a car or motorbike.
Times change with the season and the weather; see ferries to and from Phu Quoc for operators and booking.
What to see
Thach Dong. Photo: Thanh anh, via Google Maps
- Thach Dong (Thạch Động), about 4–5 km from the centre towards the border: a standalone limestone hill with caves and a small pagoda inside, linked to the folk tale of Thach Sanh, who rescued a princess from a giant bird. It is a national scenic relic. The climb is short but steep and uneven, and one visitor in January 2026 found the caves unlit. Near the entrance, a memorial stele records the killing of 130 people there by Khmer Rouge forces on 14 March 1978.
- Mui Nai (Mũi Nai), 5–6 km west of the centre: the town’s beach, a small, calm bay with white sand facing south-west, good for the sunset. In season it is busy with jet skis, parasailing and banana boats, food stalls and cafés, and a mountain slide of about 1.2 km runs down from Ta Pang hill. Visitors disagree on whether there is an entry fee; expect at most a small one.
- The Mac Cuu tombs (Lăng Mạc Cửu) on Binh San hill, about 1.5 km from the centre: the temple and tombs of the Mac family, spread out under the trees — a quiet, shady place that reviewers rate highly (4.7 on Google Maps).
- Phu Dung Pagoda (Chùa Phù Dung), at the foot of Binh San hill, dates from the 18th century and is tied to a love story of the Mac era; much of what you see today has been rebuilt. It gets busy at weekends.
- Da Dung mountain (Núi Đá Dựng), near the border: a loop walk of about 90 minutes round a limestone hill with more than ten caves and views over the rice fields to Cambodia. A visitor in May 2026 paid a 20,000 dong entrance fee and warned it is hot, tiring work; bring a torch for the caves.
- Dong Ho lagoon (Đông Hồ), the wide lagoon in the middle of town, once one of the “ten views of Ha Tien” celebrated by the Mac rulers; cafés along it are a pleasant place for the evening.
The Mac Cuu temple. Photo: frank Rudd, via Google Maps
Food and markets
- Ha Tien market, by the water in the centre, sells seafood, fruit and dried fish to take home; the fish market next to it starts early and is not for the squeamish. Reviewers recommend the snail dishes at the food stalls.
- The night market in the new town area has hundreds of stalls of clothes, souvenirs and food, busiest from about 18:00.
- Seafood is cheap: VnExpress found crab for a little over 100,000 dong a kilo at the morning market in 2024, with stalls that cook it on the spot.
In May 2026 the provincial tourism department named Ha Tien as one of the places where visitors were still being bothered by touts and unposted prices, and ordered inspections. Agree prices before you order or get in a vehicle.
Crossing into Cambodia
Through tickets from Phu Quoc to Kep, Kampot and Phnom Penh, and the flights, are covered in Phu Quoc to Cambodia.
The Xa Xia – Prek Chak border gate is about 7–8 km from the centre of Ha Tien, and is open roughly 7:00 to 18:00; arrive by mid-afternoon. On the Cambodian side, Kep is about 20–25 km away and Kampot about 35–45 km, roughly an hour by car or tuk-tuk; buses from Ha Tien to Kampot take about two hours.
- Cambodian visa: travellers report that a visa on arrival is issued at Prek Chak for about US$30, in cash. Cambodia’s e-visa is officially valid at a short list of land crossings that did not include Prek Chak when we checked; confirm on Cambodia’s official e-visa site before you rely on it.
- Coming back into Vietnam here, you need an e-visa or visa that allows entry at the Ha Tien gate. The Phu Quoc exemption cannot be used, even if you are heading straight to the ferry.
For other trips off the island, see Nam Du, Tho Chu and Con Dao.
Ratings and visitor comments: Google Maps, 2017–2026. Distances, ferry times and border details: see sources and travellers’ reports (2026); check before you travel.
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