My Complete Sao Beach Phu Quoc Travel Guide + Map 2026

Sao Beach Phu Quoc is the beach on every list for the island, and the sand really is that white. What most guides leave out is that the good part of it is mostly reached through beach clubs that charge you to walk in, and that the free stretches either side of them are where the litter collects.

None of that makes it less worth a visit. It does change how I’d do it. I’d go early, on a weekday, in through one of the clubs at the southern end, and leave by early afternoon when the tour vans arrive. Done that way, Bai Sao is one of the best half-days on the island. Done at 2pm on a Saturday, it’s the beach people complain about online.

• Quick Answer: Sao Beach (Bãi Sao) is a 7km crescent of white sand on the southeast coast of Phu Quoc, about 25km and 30 to 40 minutes from Duong Dong and 25 minutes from the airport. The beach itself is public, but most people reach the clean central and southern stretches through beach clubs that charge 60,000 to 100,000 VND, redeemable against food and drinks, plus around 150,000 VND for a lounger with umbrella and towel.
• Getting there: south from Duong Dong on Nguyễn Văn Cừ, then a signed turn-off of about 2km. A Grab from Duong Dong is around 360,000 to 400,000 VND one way.
• Getting onto the beach:
  • X Club Saigon: 60,000 VND entry, redeemable, with clean toilets and showers.
  • Paradiso Restaurant: 100,000 VND entry, redeemable, open until 6pm.
  • Chez Dugong: loungers with umbrella, towel, showers and wifi for 150,000 VND, starfish nearby.
  • Free access points exist along the beach, with no facilities.
• What to know:
  • Litter is worst at the far ends and under the trees.
  • Fishing boats moor offshore along part of the beach.
  • Sao Beach Club & Restaurant is fine for a drink, less so for a meal.
  • The calmest, clearest water is usually from June to October, when the west coast is at its roughest.
  • Go before 9am or on a weekday, and if you want starfish, the southern end near Chez Dugong is the place.
• Staying nearby: there’s almost nowhere good on the sand. Sunset Town or Khem Beach, 20 minutes away, make a better base.

Is Sao Beach Phu Quoc Worth It?

Yes, for half a day, if you go early and go through the right gate.

The sand on Phu Quoc’s Sao Beach is the finest on the island, almost powdery, and the water in the middle of the bay is a pale clear blue that photos don’t exaggerate. It shelves gently, so it’s an easy swim for children. It’s also a beach with problems. Rubbish washes in and gathers at the far ends and under the trees where nobody clears it, a line of fishing boats moors offshore along part of the bay, and the central stretch is lined with beach clubs, restaurants, a Highlands Coffee and a big swing for photos. It isn’t the quiet, empty beach some photos suggest.

Compared with the rest of the island, I’d put it this way. Khem Beach, round the corner, has equally good sand but it’s mostly taken up by resorts. The west coast beaches near the hotels are easier to reach and nowhere near as pretty. Sao Beach is the best beach on Phu Quoc that anyone can walk onto, with the caveats above, which is why I think it’s worth the ride.

Where Is Sao Beach Phu Quoc, and How to Get There (Map)

Sao Beach Phu Quoc, or Bai Sao Beach as it’s signed locally, is on the southeast coast, in Bai Sao hamlet in An Thới, at the southern end of the island.

On booking sites and old maps the address still reads Sao Beach, Phu Quoc, Kien Giang, Vietnam, though since the 2025 merger it’s An Giang province, and Bai Sao Beach, Vietnam, is how a lot of map apps list it. It’s about 25km from Duong Dong, 30 to 40 minutes by bike or car, and around 25 minutes from the airport.

From Duong Dong, the road runs south on Nguyễn Văn Cừ, the main road down the middle of the island. About 14km past the big roundabout there’s a left turn at a small market, marked with a large 7UP sign and signs for Bãi Sao, and from there it’s about 2km to the beach. A Grab from Duong Dong costs around 360,000 to 400,000 VND each way, and less from the airport. On a scooter it’s an easy ride, the last stretch included.

For a map, these are the pins I’d drop, north to south along the beach, so the gates make sense when you arrive:

From Sunset Town and the Hon Thom cable car, Sao Beach is about 20 minutes, which makes the two easy to combine in one day.

Paying to Get Onto Sao Beach

This is the thing that surprises people. Bai Sao is a public beach and entry to the beach is free, but the best stretches sit in front of beach clubs and restaurants, and the easiest way in is through them.

At X Club Saigon the entry is 60,000 VND a person, which you can spend on food or drinks inside, and the toilets and showers are the cleanest on the beach.

At Paradiso it’s 100,000 VND, also redeemable, and it closes at 6pm. Loungers with an umbrella and a towel are around 150,000 VND a person at most of the clubs, and at Chez Dugong that includes showers, toilets and wifi that reaches the sand.

Some of the cheaper restaurants along the beach let you sit if you buy something, and there are free access points along the beach with nothing at all.

I use the clubs. Paying 60,000 VND for a clean toilet, a shower and a stretch of sand someone has raked that morning is worth it on a beach like this, and the fee comes back as a coconut and lunch anyway. At the southern end, Chez Dugong is where I’d spend the day. Further up, X Club is the one I’d use for a short visit.

Sao Beach Club & Restaurant, the bar right on the sand in the middle of the beach, is the name a lot of people search for. It’s a simple place with cold drinks, coconuts, juices and snacks, slightly above island prices, and the service is slow. For a drink with your feet in the sand it’s fine. For a proper meal I’d eat elsewhere on the beach.

The Litter, the Crowds and When to Go to Bai Sao

Timing decides most of it. Before 9am the beach is close to the postcard: the sand has been raked in front of the clubs, the water is flat and there are a handful of people. From late morning the tour groups arrive, and by early afternoon on a weekend the central stretch is crowded, the jet skis are going, and the music from the clubs runs together.

The litter on Sao Beach Phu Quoc is real, and it’s uneven. In front of the clubs, staff clear it every morning. At the far ends of the beach and under the trees, plastic washed in from the sea builds up, and that’s what most of the complaints are about. Staying in the central and southern stretches avoids most of it.

The season matters too. From roughly June to October, when the west coast gets the big waves and the sea lice, Bai Sao on the east side is sheltered, and the water is often at its clearest and calmest. From November to April the whole island is drier and busier, and Sao Beach is still lovely, just more crowded.

Starfish at Sao Beach

Sao means star, and the beach is named after starfish, though you won’t find them all along the sand.

At the southern end, near Chez Dugong, there are starfish in the shallows and an enclosure in the sea where children can see them up close, with staff making sure nobody keeps them out of the water. They’re fragile, and a starfish held in the air for a photo can die from it, so looking without lifting is the right way to see them.

Starfish Beach is a different place altogether. That’s Rạch Vẹm, on the north coast, where the shallow water has far more of them and where I’d go if starfish are the point of the day. It’s often confused with Sao Beach because of the name, and they’re at opposite ends of the island.

Eating and Drinking at Sao Beach

Most of the food on the beach is from the clubs and restaurants, priced a bit above the rest of the island.

• Chez Dugong, at the southern end, open 8am to 9pm, is where I’d eat. There’s a long menu, breakfast if you come early, a good pizza, draft beer and an inflatable water park offshore for children. It plays loud techno in the afternoon, which some people will love.
• Paradiso, further north, does fresh, simple Vietnamese food and grilled fish, and the 100,000 VND entry goes against the bill. It closes at 6pm.
• Havana, a small beach bar at the southern end from 11am to 7pm, makes the best cocktails on the beach, and it’s the one I’d stop at before leaving.

There’s a Highlands Coffee on the sand too, for an iced coffee in the shade. Drinks run a little above town prices, around 45,000 VND for a soda and 30,000 for a bottle of water.

Sao Beach Hotels, and Staying Nearby

There’s very little worth staying in on the sand itself. My Lan Hotel & Restaurant is right on the beach and the location is perfect, but the rooms are in poor condition, and I wouldn’t book it for more than a night in a pinch.

A lot of people searching for Sao Beach hotels land on Cay Sao Beach Resort, which isn’t at Sao Beach at all. It’s a small family-run resort on the east coast near Hàm Ninh, well north of Bai Sao, with stilt bungalows and a pool and no real swimming beach in front.

The better base is Sunset Town or Khem Beach, about 20 minutes from Sao Beach, where there are proper hotels and restaurants, and the cable car and the boats out of An Thới are close. The boutique hotels in Sunset Town are good value for a few nights.

Sao Beach on a Tour

Most organised tours of the south of the island stop at Sao Beach for an hour or two, usually around midday, alongside a pearl farm, a fish sauce factory and sometimes the cable car. That’s the busiest time on the beach, and it’s the main reason I’d go independently if possible.

If you’d rather not ride, a tour still gets you there, and this south tour with Sao Beach on GetYourGuide is one of the options, with the stops listed on the page.

Sao Beach Phu Quoc FAQ

Is there an entry fee for Sao Beach Phu Quoc? The beach is public and free, but most beach clubs charge 60,000 to 100,000 VND to enter through them, redeemable on food and drinks.

How far is Sao Beach Phu Quoc from Duong Dong? About 25km, 30 to 40 minutes by bike or car.

When is the best time to visit Sao Beach? Before 9am on a weekday. For the calmest water, June to October.

Is Sao Beach clean? In front of the beach clubs, mostly yes. At the far ends and under the trees, there’s washed-up litter.

Are there starfish at Sao Beach? A few, mainly at the southern end near Chez Dugong. Starfish Beach, Rạch Vẹm, in the north has many more.

Is Bai Sao Beach in Phu Quoc better than Khem Beach? The sand is similar. Khem is mostly taken up by resorts, while Sao Beach is the better one to visit as a day trip.

Can you swim at Sao Beach? Yes. The water is shallow and gentle, and good for children.

Combining Sao Beach With the Rest of the South

Sao Beach sits in the middle of the island’s south end, which makes it easy to build a day around. Morning on the beach, lunch at Chez Dugong, then 20 minutes to Sunset Town for the Hon Thom cable car in the afternoon, and the Vui-Fest night market and the fireworks to finish. That’s the day I’d plan for anyone with only one day in the south.

The one timing I’d hold on to is leaving Sao Beach by about one, which is when the tour vans start coming in the other way.

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