An Thoi and the south of the island

On the afternoon of 11 July 2026 a canoe carrying 32 Indian tourists, three crew and a guide capsized near Hon May Rut Ngoai on its way back to An Thoi; 15 people died and 21 were rescued, VnExpress reported. Several companies paused island canoe tours in the following days, VnEconomy reported, adding that of more than 100 passenger canoes on Phu Quoc only about 70 met the class for coastal and island waters.

On 14 July 2026 the special zone issued a directive, reported by Tuổi Trẻ: canoes must be registered and inspected and technically safe; must not carry more people or cargo than permitted; must carry life jackets and rescue equipment; must have crew with valid certificates; and must not leave port in bad weather or when conditions are unsafe.

The former prisoner-of-war camp, known locally as Cay Dua prison, is a special national relic site. The Department of Cultural Heritage page describes a camp of about 400 hectares with nearly 500 buildings in 12 zones, used for less than six years from June 1967. The provincial tourism portal has a visitor page for the site. Vietnam Airlines' undated travel guide gives opening hours of 07:30–11:00 and 13:30–17:00 with free entry; confirm on arrival, as we found no current official notice of hours.

The south is the place for island boats and the cable car, which also makes it the place to avoid on days of strong wind and high seas: if the marine forecast is poor, move the boat day rather than the rest of the trip. Large construction sites for APEC 2027 are under way in the south, including the convention centre on reclaimed land at Bai Dat Do and the ĐT975 road of nearly 18 km and 10 lanes, Tiền Phong reported in May 2026, so expect works traffic.

If you mainly want the national park, the north-west beaches or the theme parks, base yourself in the north; if you want offices, the public hospital and the airport close by, Duong Dong is more central.