Phu Quốc

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Phu Quốc
The port in the main town of Dương Đông
The port in the main town of Dương Đông
Waters Gulf of Thailand
Geographical location 10 ° 16 ′  N , 104 ° 0 ′  E Coordinates: 10 ° 16 ′  N , 104 ° 0 ′  E
Phu Quốc (Vietnam)
Phu Quốc
length 48 km
width 28 km
surface 568 km²
Highest elevation Mont Chúa
603  m
Residents 70,000
123 inhabitants / km²
main place Dương Đông

Phú Quốc [ fǔ kúək ] is the largest island in Vietnam and is located in the Gulf of Thailand (Gulf of Siam). Phú Quốc has an area of ​​568 km² and about 70,000 inhabitants. The main town on the island is Dương Đông on the west coast . Compared to other Vietnamese islands, Phú Quốc has a very good infrastructure, because in addition to the Phú Quốc International Airport there are several ports, some paved roads, but also unpaved wide dust slopes, banks, a hospital, a post and police station and a small one worth seeing Market.

administration

Together with some minor islands and the Thổ Chu archipelago , Phú Quốc forms the district of the same name in the province of Kiên Giang .

geography

The island is about 40 km off the southwest coast of Vietnam, is 48 km long and between 3 and 28 km wide. Closer, however, is the Cambodian mainland with the Cardamom Mountains ( Chuor Phnom Krâvanh ), only 12 km away . With this it forms a common ecoregion . The Cambodian island of Kaôh Sès is also adjacent at a distance of 4 km. The highest peaks covered with rainforest in the north and east of the island reach heights of up to 600 meters (Mont Chúa 603 meters).

history

Just like the Côn Đảo archipelago , Phú Quốc (historical Khmer name: Koh Trol (កោះត្រល់ Kaoh Tral )) has a painful past as an island prison camp . The French built a prison complex in the south of the island, which was later taken over by the Americans and the South Vietnamese government supported by them. It is called "Coconut Tree Prison". Today the facility is a museum. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, the island hit the headlines of the world again. The Khmer Rouge (Khmer rouge) under the leadership of Pol Pot claimed the island as their original national territory and carried out numerous attacks against the Vietnamese population on the island. Not least these border violations led to the Vietnamese-Cambodian war at the end of 1978, which led to the conquest of Cambodia by the Vietnamese and the end of the murderous rule of the Khmer Rouge.

Cities

On Phu Quốc there are only a few larger settlements like

Wildlife

The Phu Quoc Ridgeback , native to Phú Quốc, is Vietnam's hunting dog. The peculiarity of this breed is the fur on the back, which forms the shape of a ridge ; that is, the hair grows in the opposite direction to the normal hair growth direction.

Attractions

  • Large parts of the island, especially the mountainous and forested north, have been declared a national park since 2001. You can drive through this almost untouched wilderness on the existing roads and dust tracks and enjoy the lush and quiet primeval forests.
  • A few kilometers south of Dương Đông there are two springs ( Suoi Da Ban and Suối Tranh ), these with their clear water whirlpools and pools invite you to swim , but also to picnic. However, they are poorly connected to the infrastructure. Sometimes these excursion destinations, which are popular with locals, have almost dried up (like in May 2010).
  • In the Coconut Tree Prison, one of the largest prisons during the Vietnam War, scenes from prison life during the Vietnam War were recreated with figures.
  • The Vinpearl Land, a huge amusement park, attracts visitors with rides, a water park and a shopping street. Tickets can be purchased for the amusement park or in combination with the Vinpearl safari park.
  • Factories of the famous Nuoc Mam fish sauce offer guided tours, during which interested visitors can learn about the production process of the fish sauce.
  • Phu Quoc is also known for its pepper. The plantation owners are happy to guide visitors through the plantation and offer fresh pepper for testing.
  • Since 2018 connection with the island of Hòn Thơm by the longest cable car in the world ( cable car Hòn Thơm ).

economy

Pepper growing on Phu Quoc

In addition to the traditionally existing agriculture and fishing industry, tourism is playing an increasingly important role. The tourism infrastructure is being expanded significantly, particularly on the west side of the island.

traffic

  • By Air: There are daily national flights from Hanoi, Saigon, Can Tho and Rạch Giá. The flight time Saigon - Phu Quoc-International is about one hour. There are international direct flights from Thailand (Bangkok), South Korea (Seoul) and China (Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming)
  • By boat: speedboats run daily between Rạch Giá , Ha Tien and An Thới. The crossing takes about one and a half to two and a half hours.
  • By cable car: The longest cable car in the world has been running between the holiday island of Hòn Thơm and Phú Quốc since February 4, 2018. With its length of 7,899.9 meters, the 3S Hòn Th aktuellenm built by Doppelmayr exceeds the current record of the 3S-Bahn Fansipan Legend, also built in Vietnam, by almost one and a half kilometers.

Picture gallery

Web links

Commons : Phú Quốc  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikivoyage: Phu Quoc  - travel guide

Individual evidence

  1. Ramesh Boonratana, Philip Rundel, Eric Wikramanayake: Southeastern Asia: Southern Cambodia stretching into Thailand and Vietnam , flora and fauna in the WWF eco-zone. Retrieved September 16, 2013
  2. Eve: Phu Quoc sights - there is something to discover on the island. In: everonTravel - travel blog. Retrieved January 11, 2018 (German).
  3. Eve: Phu Quoc arrival - how to get to the island. In: everonTravel - travel blog. Retrieved January 11, 2018 .