I dedicated another day in Phu Quoc to another place on the island that gives Europe vibes. But this one literally screams Venice!! haha It is Grand World Phu Quoc. So, I rented a motorbike in Duong Dong and headed to Grand World Phu Quoc, a place that resembles Venice as there are even Gondola boats and drivers dressed as they do in Italy. Seems like Phu Quoc is some sort of “European buildings corner”, but I think this might be very interesting to Asian tourists honestly. On my way to Grand World, I stopped at Santorini Corner (see what I’m saying) but the place seemed to be abandoned. It was definitely closed and I could see a bit of the building that looked not taken care of. So, sadly, I moved on.
I stopped on the way somewhere to have some food because at Grand World things are pricier and most parts of the restaurants at Grand World were closed, not sure if it was because I visited during the Vietnamese New Year holiday, and during these days things don’t work normally.
Once at Grand World Phu Quoc, I parked my motorbike for free in a parking lot for this area (I was surprised it was free). There were not a lot of people but I was there during lunchtime and it could be a reason why. There are many things to see around. I started with the Vietnamese Pavillion. There is a spot where you will find Vietnamese traditional architecture with several buildings and areas dedicated to a specific Vietnamese art. There was a place exhibiting clothes, music, food, and other arts. I stopped to listen to the “mini-concert” where people would play a typical instrument for 10 minutes or so. Nice! Then there was this change of the guard’s ceremony that I also made sure to witness. There is one King figure and his guards that walk all around the square in a parade that is supposed to show us how it worked in ancient times. Just outside the “Vietnamese Pavillion” is a very nice building made completely out of bamboo! Architecturally beautiful to see! And a nice garden just beside it with many statues and flowers is also a pleasant spot to walk around, with these human figures as cascades.
For last, I left the Venice part. The houses are definitely European looking, the boats, the Gondola drivers, everything here screams Europe. Even though it is weird to know you can see such a place in Vietnam, it is still beautiful to walk around the colorful houses and see the boats around the man-made water canal. I didn’t go for a boat ride, and I don’t remember how much it cost. To walk around the area is free.
Not very far from Grand World Phu Quoc is another European-looking place called VinWonders Phu Quoc and here you will see a bit of France, most precisely, Disneyland. Yes, there is this massive Disneyland castle in Vietnam and it is here. With an entrance ticket of about 1 million Dong, I definitely skipped it (around 40€).
But the castle looks pretty awesome!! ha, but too pricey. There are a bunch of things inside VinWonders but I’m really not sure what, maybe something like an amusement park. I know there is some sort of spectacle at night, just like at GrandWorld. I didn’t stay to watch it because it is a night show, but I think there is something going on where people dress in Venesian clothes and probably dance. Can’t confirm as I didn’t see it happening. There is also a Safari not that far away, you can search for VinPearl Safari.
As I still had a lot of time, I headed to a beach called Cua Can Beach which was on the way back from Grand World Phu Quoc to Duong Dong. The beach itself is not amazing but there were a lot of docked boats around the place that gave it some charm. No one was lying on the sand or whatsoever and I barely saw people at this beach. I sat there for a while to enjoy the quietness of the surroundings. After that, I went back to town to enjoy the night market in Duong Dong which is the only market I saw around.
Duong Dong night market looks pretty much like the night markets in Thailand, very lively, crowded, and with many tourists. Besides food, there are also souvenirs and pearls, lots of pearls. Phu Quoc sounds like a good place to buy pearls and so I did. They can be very expensive but I found a pretty good deal outside the proper shops. What also seems to be a very typical thing from Phu Quoc is the set of peanuts with so many flavors that I lost count. They are definitely worth a try and I liked them so much that ended up buying two jars of peanuts. Even though I spent 10 days on the island, I think I still left almost half of the island unseen. I could have rushed and seen more things per day, but I think overall I visited the most interesting parts and attractions of the island. You can read the previous posts with all the info about places I explored.
Is Phu Quoc Island worth a visit? Yes. If you are coming to Asia to enjoy a short beach holiday, NO. Better see other countries’s islands first like Thailand, Indonesia, or the Philippines. But once again, it really depends on what each one is looking for on their holiday. Phu Quoc is definitely a quiet destination.
Link nội dung: https://truyenhay.edu.vn/phu-quoc-grand-world-a61779.html