All posts tagged: Vietnam

Weekend Unexplored: Phu Quoc Island (Vietnam) – Part II

Editor’s Revision on 7/9/2015:  Mercure Phu Quoc Resort Hotel is part of the Accor Hotels Group.  We made the correction to this post as we originally wrote “Novotel” instead of “Mercure” in our post. We spent our Saturday exploring Phu Quoc island by boat and enjoying the island view from the ocean.  We will now start exploring the unique offerings of the island on our trusty moped. On Sunday, we headed to Mercure Phu Quoc Resort Hotel’s breakfast buffet before exploring the other sites.  We were wowed by the selection and quality of food at the buffet.  There is an abundant of fresh fruits, local selections as well as continental breakfast.  The only drawback we saw were the pastries.  They just did not taste like they were freshly baked.  This is an ongoing observation for most of the hotels that I have been to in Vietnam. The best fish sauce in Vietnam comes from Phu Quoc Island so it was mandatory to tour the local fish sauce factory.  The distillery of Nuoc Mam Hung Thanh …

Weekend Unexplored: Phu Quoc Island (Vietnam) – Part I

Editor’s Revision on 7/9/2015:  Mercure Phu Quoc Resort Hotel is part of the Accor Hotels Group.  We made the correction to this post as we originally wrote “Novotel” instead of “Mercure” in our post. An island less traveled by foreign tourists… I have explored Vietnam since I was 18 years old.  I remembered the road trips my family took up and down Vietnam on perilous roads that still induced fear into me.  It is amazing how much Vietnam has changed in 14 years.  On my last trip to Ho Chi Minh City (“HCMC”), my best friend mentioned fresh sea urchins and the abundance of seafood on Phu Quoc Island that she tasted on her many trips there with her friends.  The island has relatively been untouched by foreign tourism and that is about to change with all the new resorts being built over the next few years.  Phu Quoc is one of the last sleepy fishing islands off the coast of Vietnam. It takes about an hour flight from HCMC.  It is the local weekend …