Dated, sourced news from Phu Quoc island
News
Phu Quoc news, desk by desk
Six desks cover what changes for visitors to Phu Quoc. This page explains what each one follows, then lists every item we have published in date order, from November 2025 to October 2026.
The six desks
Flights and the airport
Routes opened by airlines, airport operation and works on terminal T2 and the second runway. Open the brief.
Ferries and sea transport
Crossings from Rach Gia and Ha Tien, suspensions for weather, the An Thoi port and boat safety. Open the brief.
Visas and entry rules
The 30-day island exemption, e-visas and the national waiver lists, with resolution numbers. Open the brief.
APEC preparations
Projects, budgets and completion dates for the 2027 Leaders' Week. Open the brief.
Openings and closures
Services and places that opened, closed, moved or changed operator. Open the brief.
Administration changes
The 2025 reorganisation that made Phu Quoc a special zone of An Giang. Open the brief.
Timeline of dated items
Dates are source publication dates. Where a source reported an event on a different day, the event date is given in the text.
| Source date | Item | Desk |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Nov 2025 | First commercial flight of the island-based airline, Hanoi to Phu Quoc, on 1 November with 220 passengers | Flights |
| 2 Jan 2026 | Airport operation passes from ACV to Sun Airport JSC on 1 January | Flights |
| 15 Jan 2026 | First international route announced: Phu Quoc to Taipei from 29 March | Flights |
| 17 Jan 2026 | Duong Dong night market to stop trading after 28 February | Openings |
| 21 Jan 2026 | 734 international flights land in the first 18 days of January | Flights |
| 27 Feb 2026 | Special zone launches a round-the-clock response team for tourists | Openings |
| 1 Apr 2026 | Special zone chairman: the night market will be relocated, not scrapped | Openings |
| 17 Jun 2026 | Daily Phu Quoc–Singapore flights announced from 25 July | Flights |
| 8 Jul 2026 | 5.7 million visitors in the first half of 2026 | APEC |
| 7 Aug 2026 | An Thoi port handed to a new operator | Ferries |
| 8 Aug 2026 | Light rail: test runs planned for June 2027, service from August 2027 | APEC |
| 10 Aug 2026 | Daily Phu Quoc–Bangkok flights begin on 8 August | Flights |
| 25 Aug 2026 | Boat routes to the islands halted by monsoon seas | Ferries |
| 15 Sep 2026 | Criminal case opened after the 11 July speedboat capsizing | Ferries |
| 21 Sep 2026 | Road and rail corridor works reported at around half complete | APEC |
| 27 Sep 2026 | Winter season opens with a direct flight from Krasnoyarsk | Flights |
| 30 Sep 2026 | 8.57 million visitors in nine months | APEC |
| 1 Oct 2026 | National APEC committee sets first activity for December 2026 | APEC |
| 4 Oct 2026 | Terminal T2 technical flight planned for 30 December 2026 | Flights |
| 6 Oct 2026 | 21 key APEC projects worth about VND 137 trillion | APEC |
| 8 Oct 2026 | Revised airport plan approved | Flights |
Sources: Voice of Vietnam — inaugural flight carries 220 passengers to Phu Quoc (updated 6 November 2025); Tuoi Tre News — operation of Phu Quoc International Airport handed over (2 January 2026); DTiNews / VOV — first international route, to Taipei, announced (15 January 2026); VnExpress — Duong Dong night market to stop after 28 February (17 January 2026); DTiNews — international flights to Phu Quoc in early January (21 January 2026); Tuoi Tre News — Phu Quoc launches a response team for tourists (27 February 2026); Tiền Phong — special zone chairman: the night market will not be scrapped (1 April 2026); VnExpress International — Phu Quoc–Singapore route to start on 25 July (17 June 2026); Viet Nam News — Phú Quốc strengthens global tourism appeal ahead of APEC 2027 (8 July 2026); Tuổi Trẻ — An Thoi port handed to a new operator (7 August 2026); Mekong ASEAN — Phu Quoc light rail timetable (8 August 2026); Viet Nam News, Brandinfo section — Phu Quoc–Bangkok route launched (10 August 2026); DTiNews — passenger boat routes to An Giang's islands halted by rough seas (25 August 2026); VnExpress International — criminal case after the July speedboat capsizing (15 September 2026); VnExpress International / VNA — light rail and airport works speed up (21 September 2026); VnExpress International — first direct flight from Russia this season (27 September 2026); VnExpress International — 8.57 million visitors in nine months (30 September 2026); Viet Nam News — Viet Nam steps up preparations for APEC Year 2027 (1 October 2026); VnExpress International / VNA — workers race to finish the new terminal (4 October 2026); Viet Nam News — Phú Quốc races to complete APEC 2027 projects (6 October 2026); Viet Nam News — airport and hotel capacity expands ahead of APEC 2027 (8 October 2026) · last checked .
Visitor numbers in 2026
Two official counts frame the year. In the first half of 2026 Phu Quoc received more than 5.7 million visitors, 30.2% more than in the same period of 2025; international arrivals passed 1.3 million, up 50.3%. Tourism revenue in that half was reported at over VND 31.5 trillion, more than 80% of An Giang's total.
By the end of September the figure had reached 8.57 million visitors, 30% up on a year earlier, of whom 1.92 million were international, up 60%. The third quarter alone brought 2.7 million. The provincial tourism department supplied the figures. Sources differ on the full-year target: the July report gives more than 9 million visitors with at least 2 million international, the September report 8.5 million with 2 million international.
Sources: Viet Nam News — Phú Quốc strengthens global tourism appeal ahead of APEC 2027 (8 July 2026); VnExpress International — 8.57 million visitors in nine months (30 September 2026) · last checked .
How a brief is built
Each brief collects the items on one subject. An item has a headline, a first paragraph that opens with the source date in bold, and a source line underneath with the date we last checked it. Items are grouped by theme rather than strictly by date, so that a reader can see a story from its start, for example the night market from its lease ending to the chairman's statement in April.
At the end of each brief a short section says what the items mean for someone travelling soon, and another lists what we could not confirm. These open questions are as much a part of the news as the facts: a terminal opening date that depends on a technical flight, or a holiday schedule that is still a proposal, should be read that way.
Open questions across the desks
- Leaders' Week dates. The sources we read on 25 October 2026 confirm that Phu Quoc will host the APEC Economic Leaders' Week in 2027 but give no dates.
- Tet 2027 holiday. Two options were proposed in September 2026; the Prime Minister decides.
- Ferry timetables. Operators' own websites did not show current Phu Quoc timetables when we checked; booking-site times are listed only as a guide.
- Night market. A new site for the Duong Dong night market had not been named in the reports we found.
- Island visa exemption after 2025. We found no notice changing the 30-day exemption after the island became a special zone, but no notice confirming the wording either.
Common questions
Questions readers ask
How often are the briefs updated?
When a source publishes something that changes a brief. Each item keeps its own source date, and the page shows when it was last reviewed.
Why are some items unconfirmed?
Because the source we found was a proposal, a developer's timetable or a booking site. We say so rather than present it as settled.
Can I suggest a story?
Yes. Send the details through the contact page or to info@phuquocmedia.com, with a link to the source if you have one.
Related
Read next
News · Flights and the airport
Flights and the airport
New air routes, the change of airport operator and the terminal T2 timetable.
News · Ferries and sea transport
Ferries and sea transport
Mainland crossings, monsoon suspensions, the An Thoi port contract and the July 2026 capsizing.
News · Visas and entry rules
Visas and entry rules
The island exemption, the e-visa and the national waiver lists, with their legal texts and dates.
News · APEC preparations
APEC preparations
The 21 APEC projects: airport, conference centre, road, rail, water and power, with dates.
News · Openings and closures
Openings and closures
The night market, new operators at the airport and port, the response team for tourists, and what opens next.
News · Administration changes
Administration changes
The 2025 decisions that made Phu Quoc a special zone of An Giang, and who runs it now.
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Send the editors a correction or a tip
Say which story you mean, what you found and when. A link to an official notice or a photo of a ticket or sign helps us check it.