Phu Quoc

Long Beach, the An Thoi boats and the Ganh Dau loop

Three days on Phu Quoc cover the west coast, the southern islands and the quieter north. Slow down on day one: swim at Long Beach in the morning, retreat from the midday sun, then walk north into Duong Dong at dusk to watch fishing boats unload in the river harbour before dinner at the night market.

Day two belongs to the south. Leave early for An Thoi and join a boat trip around the An Thoi islands, where two or three snorkel stops over coral and a seafood lunch on board fill most of the day. If you are back by mid-afternoon, ride the Sun World cable car, which swings about 8 km over the sea and the fishing fleet to Hon Thom. On the way back north, stop at Sao Beach for a late swim on the island's finest sand.

On day three, look at what the island makes and what it endured. Tour a fish sauce factory in Duong Dong, with its rows of huge wooden barrels, then a pepper farm inland. In the afternoon visit the Coconut Tree Prison near An Thoi, where captured Viet Cong were held during the war; the reconstructions are grim but worth seeing.

Save the fourth day for a scooter. Ride the quiet north-west roads to Ganh Dau, where painted fishing boats crowd the bay in the afternoon, look out over the Cua Can river mouth, and finish with the sunset at Ong Lang.

Goi ca trich, bun ken and Ham Ninh crab

Fish sauce is Phu Quoc's pride. The island's nuoc mam is made from anchovies fermented with salt in wooden vats for many months, and the best is clear, amber and surprisingly gentle. Buy it at a factory, but check your airline's rules first, since many ban it from the cabin and some from the hold.

The signature dish is goi ca trich: raw herring cured in lime, mixed with coconut, onion and herbs, then rolled at the table in rice paper with lettuce and dipped in a peanut and fish sauce mixture. For breakfast look for bun ken, rice noodles in a broth of fish and coconut milk, sold at small stalls in Duong Dong and hard to find anywhere else in Vietnam.

On the east coast, the stilt-house fishing village of Ham Ninh lands blue swimmer crabs, steamed and eaten at restaurants on the pier with salt, pepper and lime. That pepper is local too; the island's farms grow it inland, and a bag of black peppercorns makes a light souvenir.

Evening eating centres on the Duong Dong night market, where you choose seafood from ice beds and tanks and have it grilled. Agree the price by weight before they cook. Finish with a glass of ruou sim, the sweet purple wine made from wild rose myrtle berries that grow on the island's hills.

Dry gulf winters and the August downpours

The best time to visit Phu Quoc is the dry season, December to March, when skies are clear and the west-coast sea is flat. Temperatures barely change through the year, with highs of 30C to 33C and lows of 23C to 26C, so rainfall, which peaks around 490mm in August, is what you plan around.

The dry season runs from December to March. December averages about 60mm of rain, and January and February under 30mm each; skies are clear, the west-coast sea is flat and the sunsets are reliable. This is also when the island is fullest, with Tet, European winter visitors and Asian holidaymakers all arriving together. March stays dry at around 60mm, and April, the hottest month at 33C, is still workable at about 150mm.

From May the south-west monsoon sets in. Rain jumps to around 280mm in May and climbs through the summer to a peak of about 490mm in August and 475mm in September, falling in heavy bursts with little steady drizzle. The west coast takes the swell, so Long Beach and Ong Lang can be rough and boat trips from An Thoi are often cancelled. The east coast is sheltered then, and Sao Beach usually stays calm.

October eases to about 350mm and November to about 165mm, a shoulder month with falling prices and rising sunshine. Rainy-season rates are much lower, which suits visitors who mostly want a pool and good food.