Phu Quoc North: Kayaking Cua Can River & Starfish Beach

4.72

(317 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I remember is the way the morning air felt outside our hotel in Duong Dong — kind of sticky but gentle, with scooters zipping by and someone frying something sweet nearby. Our guide, Minh, showed up right on time (he had this easy smile), and we piled into the van with a couple from Hanoi who immediately offered us lychee candies. The drive north out of town was slow at first, but then you start seeing more green, less concrete. We stopped at this bee farm — honestly, I thought it’d be touristy but it wasn’t. The owner let us hold a frame thick with bees (I hesitated, Minh laughed), and then we tried honey that tasted almost floral, not like anything from home.

After that we got to the Cua Can River for kayaking. The kayaks were lined up under some palms, paint peeling a bit. Paddling was easier than I expected — water calm as glass except for the little wakes from tiny boats passing by. There were kids fishing off the banks and one old guy who waved at us with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Minh pointed out some birds I didn’t know; he tried to teach me their Vietnamese names but I forgot them five minutes later. It was quiet in a way cities never are — just water slapping against plastic and cicadas somewhere in the trees.

We passed through part of the forest (just glimpses really) before heading to Rach Vem village for Starfish Beach. If you book lunch it’s here — smelled like grilled fish everywhere, made me regret not adding it honestly. But even without lunch included, you can wander along the sand where these red starfish just sit in the shallows like they’re posing for photos. The water’s warm and clear enough to see your toes wiggle next to them. Some local kids kept daring each other to pick one up (I didn’t try). Ganh Dau Beach came after — there’s this spot where you can see Cambodia across the water if the haze isn’t too thick. Felt strange being that close to another country just across a blue strip.

If you want, they’ll drop you at Grand World on the way back (we skipped it). By late afternoon we were back in Duong Dong, sandy and still smelling faintly of honey. I keep thinking about that kayak ride — how simple it was, but how good it felt to drift there for a while.