Phu Quoc Island Day 1

---

On November 4th we jumped on a plane and left HCMC bound for Phu Quoc Island. Intimidate after landing we were mobbed by taxi cab drivers and scooter rental guys. We had not reserved a hotel and had planed on wing it and checking different places out. The constant questioning from the airport cab drivers made our indecisiveness frustrating. All we wanted as a moment of peace so that we could could gather our thoughts and develop our attack plan.

After much discussion we decided to take a cab and head towards Tropicana Resort. Turns out Tropicana resort is closed for renovation. Things were not looking good. Taxi cab driver took us down the road a bit to another "resort" if you could call 10 bungalows a resort. Cuong and I checked the room at the Viet Thanh Resort. We thought it was a little dark but what the hell were on an adventure and the bungalow is only steps from the beach and cheap. Only $35 US. Kim came to look at and thought was ok but was not crazy about the bathroom. Truth be told the longer we were in the room the crappier it looked. At the moment how ever we were in love with the beach and dropped our packs off and headed right down. Immediately sat at a table at the beach bar and ordered drinks. After a beer and some food we were at total peace. We decided on walking down the beach and explore and stop for drinks at the beachfront bars and restaurants - Cuong and I jumped into the water for a swim to cool down in between our drinking and walking.

When we returned from our walk we laid out on the hammocks in-front of our bungalow and waited for the sunset. We were starting to get quite hungry from our long walk and decided to head back down to the beach to the beach bar on the Viet Thanh property. The beach had been lit up with lanterns along every bar front as we looked down the beach. We had dinner and watched the beautiful sunset. After dinner we returned to our hammocks where I fell asleep. Kim dragged me into the room. This is where the dream falls apart. The pillows and mosquito nets smelled horrible. Our linens were tolerable but Cuong opted to sleep covered in bug repellent because the netting smelled so bad it was giving him a headache.

If you are looking for a cheap place with good service but can do with it being rundown Viet Thanh resort is a good option. Another bright point is Tom the resident consierge/guide. Tom went to school in Sonoma CA, USA and his English is as American as apple pie.

---