Phu Quoc, an island city off Kien Giang Province in southern Vietnam, is forecast to welcome nearly six million tourists this year, including 962,449 international travelers, rising 43 percent over the figure in 2019, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Kien Giang Department of Tourism.

The number of international tourist arrivals in Phu Quoc this year is expected to surge 73.4 percent over last year and surpass the full-year target by 44.4 percent.

In 2019, the island city served more than 671,000 foreign guests.

At present, more than 20 airlines operate air routes to Phu Quoc with over 150 flights per week.

Most recently, Scoot, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, has launched a direct air route to Phu Quoc, opening up opportunities to welcome more passengers from not only Singapore but also Malaysia, India and many other countries as Singapore is considered a global transit hub.

Lawrence Ho, Scoot’s regional sales manager responsible for the Vietnamese market, said the sale of tickets for flights from Singapore to Phu Quoc in the first half of December was positive with 60-70 percent of tickets sold.

Phu Quoc is a well-known destination. It is expected to welcome more tourists from Australia, Europe and the U.S., in addition to those from Singapore, Ho added.

Phu Quoc has been named among the 25 most inspiring travel destinations for 2025 by global travel magazine Travel+Leisure.

The magazine had earlier placed Phu Quoc second in the list of 25 best islands in the world in 2024, just behind the Maldives and surpassing Bali.

U.S. travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler also honored Phu Quoc as one of the best islands in the world this year.

The island city has deployed many policies to attract investment and develop tourism and social infrastructure to make it a worth-visiting, living and investing place in the region.

In the tourism sector alone, Phu Quoc boasts 274 investment projects with total registered capital of VND388.41 trillion (US$15.3 billion), making up 86 percent of the total projects in Kien Giang.

International travelers enjoy the Awaken Sea show in Phu Quoc City, Kien Giang Province. Photo: SG

The city has many entertainment and resort complexes and has hosted various international art shows.

It has paid more attention to developing social infrastructure, including the Dat Do public beach and Phu Quoc Sun Hospital.

Chairman of the administration in Phu Quoc City Tran Minh Khoa said tourists have come to Phu Quoc for short-term relaxation and entertainment.

The city looks to lure tourists back on a weekly basis and become a place of residence for foreign experts who are living and working in Vietnam’s neighboring countries, Khoa noted.

In 2011-23, Phu Quoc’s tourism development pace reached 38 percent per year, six times higher the country’s average.

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