Sao Beach — Attraction in Phú Quốc

The changing rooms are not clean. They charge a fee to use the water to clean yourself after going to the beach. After using the changing room to put on my bathing suit, I decided not to even go in the water because I couldn’t dread to change back into my regular clothes cause that would mean I would have to step foot back in those rooms. I also did not want to use the water to clean myself off after seeing it because I don’t know how sanitary the water is so I decided to be safe and not dirty myself to use the room and water.

There are restaurants that you can order food from and have a table so you’ll have chairs, a covered seating area, and a place to hold your stuff while you enjoy the beach. The food was not bad, and it was just enough to have something to snack on but was pricey. There are vendors on bikes that go up and down the shore selling pastries, fruits, ice cream, etc but be careful because there are a lot of stray dogs roaming so be cautious of your food and belongings.

The beach itself is fine which is the reason why I rate this place 3 stars. If it was solely on the changing rooms, I would have given this place a 1 star. Luckily, the water was clear when I went, and the first few yards of the shore are shallow enough for young kids to play so I can see why it is popular for families to come here. There were some garbage where the land meets the sand, but on other people’s reviews, I saw lots of debris and is very concerning. Hopefully those who run this area and people who come enjoy the beach can do better at housekeeping because all that trash should not be where the ocean is. Very bad pollution and harmful to the animals.

Overall, do not have high hopes for the amenities at this beach. If you come just to enjoy the water and waves, you’ll be content. If you’re expecting more than that,...

The beach is as I remember it 20 years ago but only now there's people. The colour of the water will depend largely on the colour of the sky. If you have an overcast day or very hazy sky, it won't look as turquoise as if the sky was a deep blue.

The plastic rubbish can be removed easily as can be seen in certain sections of the beach but for some reason they are left there instead in a lot of the area. This is because the government doesn't seem to want to take central responsibility for the area. Instead, what I'm seeing is whoever owns/operates the area of the beach, it's left up to them to maintain that area. So the result is some areas are pristine and others are left with piles of rubbish, depending on the operator's perception of what's acceptable. Entering the area you'll come to an intersection with massive signs, the one on the left leads to Paradiso who operates a restaurant (good food at about $130k-$250k per dish) and rents out sun lounges ($100k each). You don't have to use any of their services if you move away from the area once you're down at the sand. This is the exact same situation on Khem beach just to the south, only Khem Beach is dominated by bigger investors and they clean the beaches more but rubbish still floats and can be seen in some areas on that beach. Khem Beach however has a nice area for parking and also massive building that caters for day visitors to the beach with beautiful modern lockers...

The beach itself is adorable and beautiful. The sand is pure white and soft as flour. The water is paradise-like turquoise and crystal clear. The water is also extremely shallow and safe for kids. The shoreline is lush and green with palmtrees and other vegetation.

There are some activities to do on the beach like renting jet-ski, parachute and banana boat. The beach is not that long and there are a couple of resorts and hotels on the beach. There is only a limited selection of restaurants, and prices are quite high. Most of the restaurants close early, like 7-8 pm or when the last guest leaves. Cheapest restaurant we found is located to the right of My Lan Resort, a small restaurant with plastic chairs and tables. There are no convenience stores nearby, and the beach is completely dead after sunset.

Sadly, a lot of idiots visiting the beach likes to throw trash, cans plastic bags or whatever they like around on the beach, even though there's trashbins along the beach. Mostly Chinese and Vietnamese people seems not to care about the environment. Makes me sick.

The beach is still a must visit while on Phu Quoc. If you're staying on one of the hotels on the beach, expect a big crowd of people, around 90% Chinese tourists, to visit the beach on daily tours from around 10 am to...