Phu Quoc became a popular resort relatively recently. It attracts the tropical luxury of nature, a wonderful climate for recreation, which almost does not change throughout the year. Despite the developed infrastructure on the island, most of the territory is still occupied by the jungle, almost untouched by man. Among the sights of particular interest are the day market in Fukuoka and its equally attractive night version.
Exploring Fukuoka Markets
Not far from the island’s international airport is the small town of Duong Dong. Its name is ambiguous, but tourists and locals are well aware of which locality we are talking about. It is considered the center of the island. On its territory there are travel agencies, banks, restaurants with national and European cuisine, hotels and the famous market.
Trade is practically everywhere, small stores of souvenirs and basic necessities are concentrated in the areas around the beaches and around the hotels, but only at the market you can see all the rich assortment of fruits, seafood, clothing and items made in the national traditions.
The atmosphere of the marketplace is unique, full of discordant noise, mingling aromas and an abundance of goods, which creates a state of painful choice for the unprepared buyer, because he wants to buy everything at once.
There are rules on the market, too. There aren’t many of them, but a self-respecting buyer must:
- will first go through the rows and study the merchandise;
- gambling and persistent bargaining with demonstrative departure and return to the counter;
- does not allow the seller to impose a certain product, but carefully inspects it before purchase;
- remembers that the farther away from the entrance, the cheaper the similar product costs.
The market operates around the clock, but the daytime and nighttime have certain differences. If in the light of day they come for bargain shopping, then after sunset the benefits are added to the spice of the experience and a certain touch of romance.
Day market
Goods are arranged in a certain order, fish rows are not mixed with vegetable rows. Once you have walked once and understood the structure, it is easy to navigate and quickly reach your destination when you visit again. The typical features of Asian retail outlets are present, with bikes freely passing through the area, with live and already-cut poultry nearby. It is noisy and dusty around, but in the absence of large hypermarkets, it is at the market you can buy everything you need relatively inexpensively, and find unique products that will be great gifts for loved ones and colleagues.
Among the products:
- fish;
- seafood;
- meat;
- amphibians;
- vegetables, fruits, herbs;
- clothes, dishes, shoes, fabrics;
- jewelry and bijouterie.
The market works for local residents, so the focus is purely practical, without the exhibition design counters and special promotional moves. It’s simple and straightforward. Competently haggling and checking the price limits of the product, you can save almost half the amount.
Night Market
From 5 p.m., a very different trade begins, where the emphasis is on cooking. Now, if you buy an eel or squid, you can taste it without leaving the market. It is enough to find a mobile kitchen or go to a cafe and pay a nominal amount for the preparation of their product.
The shopping area is quite modest, it stretches for 300-400 meters along the coast in several rows. From the edge you can clearly see the piers and the process of unloading the evening catch. The Fukuoka Fish Market is famous for the freshest seafood that arrives on the shelves 1-1.5 hours after being caught.
With the sunset open restaurants and cafes. They are attractive with bright lights and delicious smells. The menu consists mainly of fish, seafood and vegetables. Communication with the staff is in English and Chinese. You can hear Russian speech and encounter signs that do not need translation.
On the menu:
- fish;
- shrimp;
- calamari;
- sea urchin caviar;
- scallops with onion sauce;
- fruit desserts;
- noodle soups and salads.
Most of the dishes are cooked on the grill. The average bill for two people is 300-400 thousand VND.
In addition to stationary cafes there are many mobile food outlets and trays, where you can eat kebabs, dried, dried and fried pieces of fish, chicken, meat. Experienced travelers advise to pay attention to the chopped ice cream, the basis of which is the fruit. It looks very impressive. It costs a little more than in the store, but it is much more impressive.
As a souvenir most often buy pearls. The factory is right on the island, the prices are lower than in other provinces of Vietnam. But no one is safe from counterfeiting or buying a low-quality product, except for experienced jewelers. Pearl strings can be bought for between 850-2200 thousand VND, rings for 70-80 thousand, pendants for 13-150 thousand.
Also in demand is mulberry wine and Vietnamese rum. Souvenirs, which are passed off as national creativity, most often come from Thailand or China, so that not many people want to spend money on them.
The night market looks very unusual. It’s interesting just to stroll down the aisles or watch the hustle and bustle from a restaurant table. In the absence of special entertainment, this is where most of the holidaymakers and locals flock in the evening.
Location of the night market on the map
Phu Quoc is considered the largest island in Vietnam, yet it is difficult to get lost there. You don’t even need to know the address to get to the night market by cab. The drivers know its location very well. However, such a trip will cost a lot of money. Prices are high, starting at 30 rubles per km. That’s why bikes are more popular. By the way, there is almost no public transport on the island, so it is useless to wait for a bus. In travel agencies you can get a map in advance, on it the night market in Fukuoka is marked as a significant object.
Reviews and impressions of the Fukuoka Night Market
Sharing their experiences about their trip to the island, most tourists agree that the market is worth a visit as one of the attractions.
Marina, 39 years old:
When my husband and I came on vacation, at first all the attention was on the beach and excursions. We visited the lighthouse and the temple at the fishing harbor, went to the Suoi Tran waterfall, then paid attention to the market. They told us about it on the first day, but it was enough of an experience. On the advice of our guide we went there early in the morning. We got a lot of impressions, bought fruit, walked through the fish aisles, feeling like in a museum. Some of the sea creatures could not even be identified.
The second time we went there was the day after sunset. A very unusual feeling, similar to a theatrical production. We sampled everything, sat in a cafe. Only coffee is very expensive, almost like a full dinner. We didn’t buy it, we ordered a fruit dessert. We enjoyed the evening, the night market is interesting and very unusual in its own way.
Alina, 23 years old:
In the evening, the whole company went to the Phu Quoc night market. They started a competition to see who could find the most unusual snack. What can I say, everyone won. I haven’t seen such a variety of seafood dishes anywhere else. We didn’t try frogs, because I’m morally allergic to them. But we counted 6 kinds of shrimps, we bought them all and asked to cook them in the cafe. The evening was a success.
