Kien Giang (VNA) - ܫPhu Quoc island city in the southern province of Kien Giang on November 20, 2021 welcomed the first international tourist group to Vietnam after nearly two years of the country’s “freezing status” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is no surprise that the pearl island of Phu Quoc was chosen as one of the first destinations to reopen their doors to international visitors in an effort to recover the national tourism industry. Phu Quoc has been evaluated as the most attractive island in Vietnam and been an extremely prominent name on the international tourist map in recent years. Located in the Gulf of Thailand, Phu Quoc is known as the pearl island on the southwest coast of Vietnam. It is a sunny paradise with green tropical trees. If you love a deserted sea and want to immerse yourself in clear water and untouched nature, Phu Quoc is a great choice. With a 150km-long coastline, Phu Quoc has many beautiful beaches from the north to the south. They are ideal beaches for swimming, yachting, fishing, squid fishing, scuba diving to see coral, and water sports. Along with rich marine and island resources, Phu Quoc also has a diverse forest ecosystem, mainly in Phu Quoc National Park, which has a total area of over 31,422 hectares. The marine ecosystem of Phu Quoc is also very diverse with coral reefs of different shapes and sizes. It has nearly 100 species of hard corals, nearly 20 species of soft corals and 62 species of seaweed. In addition, tourists can also relax and experience the Phu Quoc United Center complex, which includes five-star rooms and villas, the sports – entertainment – playground at Vinpearl Golf, VinWonders theme park, Vinpearl Safari semi-wildlife care and conservation park, Corona Casino and “the city that never sleeps” Grand World Phu Quoc in close proximity. Visitors can visit many historical sites such as Dinh Cau shrine, Phu Quoc prison, the base of Hero Nguyen Trung Truc, and Truc Lam Ho Quoc Zen Monastery.

On this island, there are also some famous trade villages such as Ham Ninh fishing village, fish sauce making village, dog breeding, pearl farming, myrtle wine making, and pepper farming.

💞 Coming to Phu Quoc island, visitors can not only go swimming and diving to admire the splendid coral reefs, join unique sports and entertainment activities, but also taste delicious local seafood specialties. To fully experience the taste of Phu Quoc, there are three seafood dishes that visitors definitely cannot miss: flower crab of Ham Ninh Village, Sardinella salad, and echinus.

Phu Quoc is expected to welcome from 3,000 to 5,000 international tourists per month via charter flights between November 20, 2021 and March 20, 2022. The People’s Committee of Kien Giang province on October 21, 2021 issued a pilot plan to welcome international tourists using "vaccine passports" to Phu Quoc island beginning November 20. The second phase, from March 20, 2022 to June 20, 2022, will involve evaluation of the first phase and a scale of 5,000 to 10,000 guests per month if all requirements are met. Under the plan, visitors from countries with high safety in COVID-19 prevention and control in regions such as Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Australia will need to book package tours of travel agencies if they want to go to Phu Quoc. To enter the country, visitors must meet certain requirements, including a certificate of full vaccination against COVID-19 recognised by relevant authorities in Vietnam, or a proof of COVID-19 recovery, along with an English certificate of negative COVID-19 test results via RT-PCR method within 72 hours before departure. Children under 18 years old with a valid negative COVID-19 test result are allowed to travel to Phu Quoc with fully vaccinated parents or guardians. Before reopening to international tourists, Kien Giang on November 1, 2021 began to welcome domestic holidaymakers on a trial basis at tourist destinations, including Phu Quoc city./.