Bãi Sao and Bãi Khem: the white sand in the south
Bãi Sao (Star Beach) on the southeast coast. Photo: Trantuonglam / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
If you have seen a photograph of Phu Quoc with impossibly white sand and pale turquoise water, it was almost certainly taken in the south of the island — most likely at Bãi Sao or Bãi Khem. Both are on the opposite coast from Bãi Trường, and both are worth the drive.
Bãi Sao (Star Beach)
A curved bay on the southeast coast, sheltered and shallow, with sand fine enough to squeak. It is the more famous of the two and, in high season, the busier. The bay faces east, so the water is usually at its clearest and calmest in the morning — go early if you want the postcard version without the crowd.
Bãi Khem (Kem Beach)
Further round toward the southern tip, Bãi Khem is the tidier, more manicured option — much of it sits in front of resort development, and the palm-lined edge is what makes the aerial shots work. The water is just as clear.
Making a day of it
Both beaches sit near the southern end of the island, close to An Thới and Sunset Town. That makes an easy loop: beach in the morning while the light and the water are at their best, lunch in An Thới, then the cable car or the Sunset Town waterfront in the late afternoon, and sunset before driving back north.
Practical notes
- Go early. By late morning in dry season the tour buses have arrived.
- Most beach clubs let you use loungers if you order food or drinks.
- Bring reef-safe sunscreen — the water is shallow and clear, and it stays that way partly because people look after it.
- The sand is genuinely fine and genuinely hot by midday. Sandals help.
