In the vibrant atmosphere of the year-end travel season, often considered the peak for international visitors, Phu Quoc continues to shine as a “bright star” on Viet Nam's tourism map. According to statistics from the online travel platform Agoda, based on data from September-November for Christmas and New Year stays from global travelers, the demand to visit the Pearl Island has grown by up to 47%. This impressive figure has helped Phu Quoc rise to the number 1 position, surpassing Da Nang (42%) and Nha Trang at number 3.
The reason Phu Quoc has achieved this success is thanks to the island's brand recognition witnessing strong dissemination on the world tourism map. The launch of an airline named after the island - Sun PhuQuoc Airways has helped “take off” the name Phu Quoc to become more familiar to all tourists.
Sun PhuQuoc Airways with the mission to connect the Jade Island with the world.
Not only that, continuously for the last 3 months of the year, Phu Quoc has been continuously honored by prestigious tourism awards. Leading world travel magazine - Condé Nast Traveler, within the framework of the Reader’s Choice Awards 2026, chose Phu Quoc as the most beautiful island in Asia and top 3 in the world. Especially, Phu Quoc also surprisingly ranked 4th in the top 10 trending destinations in the world for 2026 by the world's leading online travel platform Expedia. Travel news site Travel Off Path also called Phu Quoc the “Hawaii of Southeast Asia” while Business Traveller magazine also named Phu Quoc among the 10 must-visit destinations of 2026.
The attractiveness of Phu Quoc, firstly, must certainly mention the beauty of pristine nature with beaches likened to a tropical paradise such as Kem Beach, Sao Beach. Especially, the weather in Phu Quoc at the end of the year is ideally beautiful, when the sun is gentle like honey pouring and the temperature never exceeds 30 degrees Celsius, with little rain and extremely pleasant air.
Kem Beach - Phu Quoc beach paradise ranked among the top 50 most beautiful beaches on the planet (Photo: Fabl Belek).
Not only that, Phu Quoc also boasts world-class entertainment and resort services that tourists can find anywhere in the world. The world's longest 3-wire cable car line to Hon Thom Island is continuously praised by international media such as CNN and Lonely Planet as a "must-try" when visiting Phu Quoc. Or the Kiss Bridge is considered an architectural marvel with two bridge arms that do not touch each other, and every 1/1 tourists can witness the sunset precisely between the two 30cm-apart bridge arms. Phu Quoc is also the only island in the world to have fireworks 365 days a year, with thousands of fireworks launched every evening at Sunset Town.
Nightly fireworks at Sunset Town – the symbol of the island of 365 days of fireworks.
In the future, with preferential visa policies – visa exemption for all international visitors to Phu Quoc, along with projects being constructed at "lightning speed" to serve APEC 2027, it is expected that Phu Quoc's "hotness" will grow even stronger in the coming years.
These changes have quickly reflected in the numbers. In the first 11 months of this year, Phu Quoc special administrative region welcomed nearly 7.6 million visitors, a 35% increase compared to the same period and exceeding the annual target by nearly 5%. Specifically for international visitors, in November, Phu Quoc welcomed over 242,000 arrivals, a 3-fold increase compared to the same period in 2024. Accumulated over 11 months, nearly 1.59 million international visitors have come to the special administrative region, an 1.8-fold increase compared to the same period last year and reaching 135% of the annual plan. Many hotels have been fully booked early, especially the trend of foreign guests renting for long-term stays of 15-30 days to fully enjoy their winter vacation is becoming popular.
"Every destination has competitive advantages or unique characteristics. But for Phu Quoc, I believe the future potential is truly immense," commented Mr. Nicky Kwok - Business Development Director for Southeast Asia at Trip.com .
From its unique natural beauty, international-class entertainment and resort ecosystem, to preferential visa policies and new infrastructure rapidly developing to serve APEC 2027, all are combining to create unprecedented appeal for the Pearl Island. In the context of Vietnam's tourism facing fierce regional competition, Phu Quoc becoming the most searched destination by international visitors at the end of the year is not just a temporary achievement, but a sign that this island is entering a new growth cycle – sustainable, strong, and worthy of its position as the "new tourism icon of Asia".
