What to buy in Phu Quoc?
There are many unique specialties that attract tourists which you can buy as gifts for friends and family. Let's discover the specialties that are most loved and chosen below.
1. Phu Quoc fish sauce
Phu Quoc fish sauce has been highly appreciated for its delicious taste which is made from fresh fish caught by the local people's own hands (mainly anchovies), then fermented according to standards and traditional methods to create a very different taste. You can identify standard Phu Quoc fish sauce based on color and taste such as fish sauce has a dark color of cockroach wings, a very unique light aroma, a salty taste that combines a little sweetness and fat of anchovies.
The price of Phu Quoc fish sauce ranges from 140,000 VND - 160,000 VND / liter, 40 degrees of protein. You can buy fish sauce as a gift in big markets and supermarkets such as Duong Dong market, Phu Quoc Night market, Dinh Cau market... However, the best places to buy is at famous fish sauce manufacturers to ensure the best quality. Some brands for you to refer to:
- Thinh Phat fish sauce: Street 30, Quarter 1, Duong Dong town.
- Khai Hoan fish sauce: No.11 Hung Vuong Bridge, TT. Duong Dong.
- Phu Quoc Fish Sauce: Nguyen Van Cu, Quarter 4, Phu Quoc.
Phu Quoc fish sauce
2. Phu Quoc pepper
Pepper is also a gift that is popularly chosen as a gift for relatives and friends. There are 3 different pepper types: skull pepper, black pepper, and pink pepper, of which the most precious is pink pepper. The special round-grained pepper has a much stronger aroma and flavor than others grown elsewhere thanks to the special geographical location and climate here.
You can buy pure pepper that has been processed by people when visiting the pepper garden, or at the stalls selling at the markets and big supermarkets. The price of pepper sold in Phu Quoc currently ranges from 200,000 VND to 250,000 VND/kg.
Note: the pepper harvest season is from May to June, so to buy good pepper you can choose to go at this time.
Phu Quoc pepper
3. Phu Quoc fresh/dry seafood
Phu Quoc Island is surrounded by the sea, so it's no wonder that when you come here you will find many markets and supermarkets filled with fresh seafood and dried seafood that has been prepared. To buy seafood as a gift, you can refer to many kinds from cheap ones such as mackerel, squid, snail, ... to expensive and rare types such as crabs, abalone.
If you want to buy seafood, you should choose dried seafood because it is easier to store and transport than fresh. You can buy dried seafood in Ham Ninh fishing village especially dried squid, dried shrimp, the price here will be much cheaper than at the market and supermarkets in the center.
Phu Quoc fresh/dry seafood
4. Phu Quoc Sim wine
Another Phu Quoc specialty that many tourists choose to buy is Sim wine. This wine has a very characteristic sweet aroma, made from myrtle fruit - a famous fruit that grows in the mountains or along the rocky stream. Myrtle fruit, when cooked into wine, has a number of very special uses such as: stimulating digestion, supporting the treatment of some diseases of kidney stones, gallstones, bones, and joints, ...
There are 2 types of Sim wine are pink sim and small sim. Both use and taste are quite similar but the color is different. The price of Phu Quoc sim wine is about 240,000 VND/liter. You can buy this traditional sim wine at some addresses such as Apple orchard restaurant (Cua Lap Hamlet, Duong To commune) or Bay Gao sim wine shop in Duong Dong town.
Phu Quoc Sim wine
5. Phu Quoc Pearl
Phu Quoc Pearl is a meaningful souvenir for grandmothers, mothers, sisters, and lovers. However, it is a very valuable item, and quite expensive, you must choose carefully and ask someone knowledgeable for advice to avoid buying fake pearls.
Phu Quoc pearls have many types, the cheapest is ivory white, the higher is pink and the most expensive is black. Ivory white pearls prices range from 40-50 USD/piece, black pearls are around 1000 USD/piece. There are many places to cultivate pearls such as Ngoc Hien Pearl, Long Beach Pearl, Quoc An Pearl, ... You can choose to buy original pearls at these cultural facilities, the quality will be guaranteed and the price is also cheaper than in the pearl centers in the supermarket.
Phu Quoc Pearl
Top 7 Phu Quoc markets for shopping
1. Dinh Cau night market
- Opening Hours: Daily 17:00 – 24:00
- Location: Vo Thi Sau Street, Duong Dong, Phu Quoc island
Dinh Cau Market at Vo Thi Sau Street is one of the cleanest wet markets in Asia. It is the favorite spot of many tourists when the night falls. The market features 100 stalls displayed on both sides of aisles and 2 separated spaces. The beginning of the market is for food stalls and the end is for souvenirs.
Visting the market, you can easily find many kinds of seafood as well as souvenirs, handicrafts, cosmetics, jewelry, and especially Phu Quoc specialty such as fish sauce, pepper, dry seafood, and tomentose rose myrtle alcohol, etc. The market is not only for shopping, but many tourists come here for fun. After 17:00, the street will be pedestrian-only, so you can freely wander at the market, stop at any food stall, order food, beer, and enjoy the night here.
Dinh Cau night market
2. Bach Dang night market
- Opening hours: Daily 16:00 - 23:00
- Location: Intersection of Bach Dang Street and 30/4 Street, Duong Dong Town, Phu Quoc
Located in a convenient place, Bach Dang night market also known as Phu Quoc night market is one of the region’s best places for fun, dining, and night shopping. The market is quite spacious with many stalls on the two sides. The beginning of the market has over 50 fresh seafood stalls offering peerless goodness, accompanied by Pearl Island’s special dishes and products such as grilled sticky rice, silk candy, black pepper, fish sauce, ... At the end of the market, tourists can find a vast array of souvenirs and accessories.
Besides shopping, tourists come to the market for fun as there are tourists from many different countries coming here. You can easily make new friends from other countries in the world. The market is not too noisy or complicated, so it is easy to get to know each other.
Bach Dang night market
3. Duong Dong market
- Opening Hours: Daily 07:00 – 18:00
- Location: Tran Phu Street, Duong Dong, Phu Quoc Island
Situated on Duong Dong Riverbank, right in the center of the town, is Duong Dong Market, the largest seafood market in Phu Quoc. The market has indoor and outdoor areas. The inner space is for souvenirs, clothes, and dried seafood, while the outer space sells fresh seafood as well as other quality specialties of Phu Quoc.
Unlike many other local markets in Phu Quoc, Duong Dong market opens the whole day and becomes crowded in the early morning and in the afternoon. You are advised to visit the market in the early morning (6:00 - 9:00) or 15:00 - 17:00 to get the freshest products and have the most types of items to choose from. If you crave dried items like fish or squid, you should visit the market at noon.
4. Ham Ninh market
- Opening hours: 24 hours every day
- Location: TL47, Rach Ham, Phu Quoc
Located close to Ham Ninh ancient fishing village is Ham Ninh market which is small but sells diverse kinds of goods, from seafood and specialty products to daily life items.
The most famous products of the market are sentinel crab and saurel. They are caught by the local fishermen and sold right after that, so the seafood is fresh and has a cheap price. Sentinel crabs in Ham Ninh are small, but their meat is often firmer and sweeter than usual. A tip for choosing the sentinel crabs is to choose the medium-sized ones, with one kilo consisting of 6 - 7 items.
Besides shopping at Ham Ninh Market, tourists can admire corals under the transparent water, catch pearls, and sea cucumbers or fishnets. Others love to be immersed in the simple and pristine life in the village.
Ham Ninh market
5. Ganh Dau market
- Opening hours: Daily 6:30 - 21:30
- Location: Suoi Cai Village, Ganh Dau Commune, Phu Quoc
Ganh Dau Market is on3 of the furthest market from the center of Duong Dong Town. The market is not very large, also not as busy as other markets, but it creates a friendly environment for visitors to visit when traveling to Ganh Dau beach. Many tourists choose Ganh Dau market to buy fresh, delicious, nutritious, and cheap products for processing.
In the market, the stalls in Ganh Dau Market sit close to each other without being carefully planned. The price is affordable; the sellers are friendly. You are free to choose goods until feeling satisfied without being ripped off. If you plan to have a BBQ party, you should definitely come to this market to buy seafood here.
Ganh Dau Market
6. An Thoi market
- Opening hours: Daily 7:00 - 17:30
- Location: Nguyen Van Cu Street, Quarter 1, Phu Quoc
An Thoi Market is a familiar market for many tourists to Phu Quoc. This market is the largest seafood one in Southern Phu Quoc. It has characteristics of a typical country market, simple and rustic space. Trading activities here still remain intact, there is no drag and pull in the market.
Visiting the market, you can buy fresh seafood and dried seafood at a reasonable price. Wandering around this market, you are free to choose the products until you feel happy with them.
An Thoi market
7. Cau Sau market
- Opening hours: Daily 24 hours
- Location: Nguyen Van Cu Street, An Thoi, Phu Quoc
Cau Sau market is the less known market than other ones in Phu Quoc. It is located on Van Cu Street, about 3 km from An Thoi center. The market sells mainly fresh and dried seafood at a cheap price. The fresh and dried seafood are sold along the roadside, therefore, you can easily buy them from the local sellers. Many tourists are surprised by the cheap price of the products here.
Cau Sau Market
Tips when shopping in Phu Quoc
To complete a shopping trip in Phu Quoc, don't forget to pocket these tips below:
- Most of the shops say challenging prices, especially in local markets. So don't be afraid to bargain for the best price.
- When you intend to buy specialities as gifts such as Phu Quoc fish sauce, fresh or dried seafood, you must ask the owner to pack and wrap it carefully, to avoid the case that it will be broken when transported on the plane, or some fresh items will not be allowed on board.
- When shopping in markets, always be careful with personal belongings carefully, to avoid losing or pickpockets.
With the above article, you must have answered the question of what gifts to buy in Phu Quoc, and where to buy them, right? Hope this post will help you get more useful information for yourself. If you are preparing to visit pearl island, don't forget to see more Phu Quoc travel experiences from A-Z here to plan the perfect sightseeing and fun schedule.
