Eating in Dương Đông: the night market and Dinh Cậu
The entrance to the Dinh Cậu night market in Dương Đông. Photo: trungydang / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Dương Đông is the main town on Phu Quoc, on the west coast north of Bãi Trường. In the daytime it is an ordinary working town. After dark, the night market beside Dinh Cậu turns into the island's busiest place to eat.
How the market works
Stalls line both sides of a pedestrian street, most of them displaying the evening's catch on ice out front — prawns, squid, scallops, grouper, and the flower crab the island is known for. You choose what you want, agree the price and the cooking method, and it comes back grilled or steamed. Prices are usually by weight, so confirm before they cook.
Dinh Cậu
At the mouth of the Dương Đông river, a small shrine sits on a rock outcrop reached by a short flight of steps. Fishing families have long come here before heading out. It takes ten minutes to visit, the view back over the harbour is good, and it is right beside the market — so it is the natural thing to do before dinner.
Things to take home
Three island products are worth buying properly rather than at the airport:
- Nước mắm Phú Quốc — Phu Quoc fish sauce holds an EU protected designation of origin. It is fermented in wooden vats from local anchovies, and the good stuff is graded by protein content. Several producers in Dương Đông run visits.
- Tiêu Phú Quốc — Phu Quoc pepper, sold as black, red and white peppercorns from the pepper gardens inland.
- Rượu sim — a sweet wine made from the rose myrtle berry that grows wild on the island.
Practical notes
- Go hungry and go early-ish; it gets crowded from about 7pm.
- Agree prices before anything is cooked, and check whether the price is per kilo or per piece.
- Carry cash. Not every stall takes cards.
- If you are carrying fish sauce home, it has to go in checked baggage, well sealed.
