Should tourists pay to access beaches in Phu Quoc ?
Some visitors to Phu Quoc say their holiday came with an unexpected frustration: finding the beach meant passing through restaurants or hotels, with no clear public access.
« I went to Phu Quoc and searched everywhere but couldn’t find the beach, » reader nguyenducsonhp81 wrote. « Only after asking around did I learn that to reach the sea, you have to walk through restaurants and hotels first. I’ve never seen anything like that. »
The comment reflects a wider debate now unfolding online, sparked by controversy at Sao Beach, one of the island’s most famous beaches. A restaurant there recently began charging an entrance fee of VND60,000 (more than US$2) per person for visitors passing through its property to reach the sea, after previously allowing free access. The change drew mixed reactions from tourists and locals alike.
The restaurant said the fee was introduced to improve management, protect assets, and control visitor numbers. Some readers agreed, arguing that businesses investing heavily in beachfront facilities have the right to charge for access.
« People want convenience but don’t want to pay, » nguyenquantsnct wrote. « If you don’t want to spend the money, park farther away and walk. »
Others strongly disagreed, saying beaches are public assets and should not be effectively privatized.
« The beach belongs to everyone, » reader Anonymous V said. « You can’t block all public access and then charge people just to reach the sea. »
Several visitors said the problem goes beyond a single restaurant. According to readers, many of Phu Quoc’s most attractive beaches now have no clear public access routes. At Sao Beach alone, visitors currently have three main ways to reach the water, all involving private land. One route passes directly through a restaurant. Another requires parking near a forest edge and walking a long distance. A third route also goes through a restaurant and charges up to VND100,000.
Reader Long Hai said he had been stopped or questioned by security staff simply for trying to walk through to the beach.
« Even if you only want to swim and don’t use any services, you still have to pass through private businesses, » he said. « Most beautiful beaches here feel like they’ve been taken over, not kept as public spaces. »
Some readers compared Phu Quoc unfavorably with international destinations. Caoducqui said Sao Beach could rival White Beach in Boracay if it were better planned, but noted a key difference: « White Beach is clearly public. Sao feels leased out. »
Others pointed to examples in the U.S., where hotels may sit along the coast but public walkways and parking areas still guarantee beach access. Businesses earn money from services, not from blocking the shoreline, one reader argued.
Several commenters called on authorities to step in, suggesting the creation of clearly marked public access corridors to beaches and stricter boundaries between public land and private business property. Without that clarity, they warned, conflicts between tourists, residents, and businesses will continue.
By Huu Nghi – VnExpress.net – January 7, 2026