Southeast Squared: Fun in the Sun

Last week, I took the whole week off of work to celebrate my birthday and the arrival of my friend J from DC. We spent a couple of days in Ho Chi Minh City and then headed further south to Phu Quoc, an island off the coast of Vietnam. Flying into the small airport, we already knew we were in love. The views were gorgeous. The island housed a prison during the Vietnam/American War and after the fall of Saigon, southern sympathizers were sent to the prison by the Vietnamese communists. Today, the island has a large military presence in the north, in part because of a dispute with Cambodia over ownership of the island.

Our stay in Phu Quoc was pretty short, 2 full days, but provided the perfect amount of sun and fun. The first day we took in the sights, played in the ocean, and layed out on the beach. Our hotel, as with most hotels on the island, had beachside service. After several pina coladas, we enjoyed lunch by the beach before heading to the hotel spa for much needed massages. We capped off the fabulous day with a seafood dinner. It was a perfect first day.

Our second day, we got up early for breakfast and then headed out to rent motorbikes for the day. After renting our bikes, stopping for petrol, and mapping out our route, we headed for a tour of the southern part of the island. The roads went from pavement to gravel to dirt and eventually to sand, sometimes proving treacherous for us. We visited Can Dao beach where we had the most fantastic seafood lunch sitting directly on the beach. After motorbiking around for most of the day, we returned the bikes, headed to the pool, and continued our pina colada tradition from the first day. We wrapped up the day with aloe wraps for our toasty bits.

I'm already thinking about when I can get back down to Phu Quoc for a more extended visit. I hope you enjoy some of the pictures below from the trip.