Back in 2019, plans were announced for an exciting new Park Hyatt resort in Vietnam. While the property is (unsurprisingly) way behind schedule for the planned 2022 opening, it looks like this could finally be the year where it opens… maybe?
In this post:
Basics of the Park Hyatt Phu Quoc, Vietnam
The Park Hyatt Phu Quoc is expected to open in the third quarter of 2025. The hotel isn’t yet accepting reservations, so I wouldn’t necessarily count on that timeline sticking, though hopefully the resort does open before the end of the year. Up until recently, “coming soon” was the only timeline provided, so at least a specific quarter is a bit more specific, and suggests that progress is being made.
For those not familiar with Phu Quoc, it’s Vietnam’s largest island, and half of the island is in a national park and UNESCO site. The Park Hyatt Phu Quoc is expected to feature a total of 175 keys, including 110 rooms and 65 residences. This will be Park Hyatt’s first resort in Vietnam, and second property in the country, after the Park Hyatt Saigon.
Despite the imminent(ish) opening, exact details about the property remain limited. However, here’s how it was described, when the deal was first announced:
Park Hyatt Phu Quoc will offer guests an exclusive oasis, a sophisticated home-away-from-home with design inspired by traditional Vietnamese villages. Featuring exceptional, luxurious interiors with exquisite Vietnamese accents, all guestrooms, suites and villas will also offer stunning sea views.
Other resort facilities will include two dining outlets, a bar, a pool side barbecue, two swimming pools, a lakeside spa, a gym house with a lap pool, a Camp Hyatt kids’ village, more than 4,300 square feet (400 square meters) of event space and an organic farm.
Situated on the southwestern tip of Phu Quoc Island, the hotel and residences will be positioned to offer guests and residents mesmerizing sunset views. The development will stretch across 160 acres of land bordered by an expansive mile-long white sand beach on one side and lush undulating hills on the other. Park Hyatt Phu Quoc will be a 30-minute drive from Phu Quoc International Airport, with direct access via the main north-south highway, and 40 minutes from Duong Dong, the island’s main town.
Below are some renderings of the Park Hyatt Phu Quoc.
Is Phu Quoc, Vietnam, worth a visit?
While I’ve visited major cities in Vietnam several times before, I’ve never gone there for a beach vacation, so I’m intrigued by this property, especially given the value of World of Hyatt points, plus of World of Hyatt Globalist status.
Based on what I’ve heard, currently the top properties on the island are the JW Marriott Phu Quoc and Regent Phu Quoc. Many people have told me that the JW Marriott, in particular, is fantastic, much better than you’d expect based on the branding.
I’m curious, though, for those who have been to Phu Quoc, is it worth a trek from the United States? I’m sure it’s gorgeous and I’ll certainly take Vietnamese food over Caribbean food, but is it otherwise worth traveling that far out of the way?
It’s funny how my preferences in that regard have changed over the years. 15 years ago, I’d almost exclusively take beach vacations in Southeast Asia, given the generally higher standard of everything (service, hotels, etc.), plus the more reasonable prices.
However, as I’ve gotten older, my opinion has changed. For one, the jet lag becomes more challenging the older I get, and can take away from relaxation. Furthermore, flight award options just aren’t as exciting as they were over a decade ago. Like, easily being able to always snag Cathay Pacific first class awards was a great reason to vacation in Asia, as far as I’m concerned. 😉 But that’s no longer so easy.
Bottom line
A Park Hyatt property is expected to open in Phu Quoc, Vietnam, in the second half of 2025. This property has been under development for quite some time, and I’m looking forward to seeing it open, as it’ll likely be the nicest Park Hyatt resort in Southeast Asia.
What do you make of the planned Park Hyatt Phu Quoc?
I think a Park Hyatt is an odd choice for Phu Quoc. PQ is good for a family with kids on holiday. Set up shop at the Intercontinental for not many points, enjoy the pools and beach. Take a cab to Vinepearl Land amusement park and aquarium. It’s affordable fun in a unique location. It’s a place to be at the beach when another part of your vacation had you somewhere more urban.
I'd say it's worth a visit if you're already in the area. Stayed at the JW marriott for a few nights as part of a larger trip through that part of the world and would highly recommend. However, for that stage of the trip we wanted to just be at the resort/beach and it was perfect. If you're wanting to be able to explore and have off resort activities....maybe look elsewhere
The Park Hyatt Saigon is spectacular. We loved the front desk, you'd think these people had some kind of AI camera to know who everyone was all the time.
No free rooms, though. But you can use points, so that's nice.
Retreating to the cool, peaceful, dimly-lit lobby bar for a late-afternoon libation is truly a pleasure after a day in HCMC. A great hotel, for sure.
We were sadly treated to a bunch of Americans clearly on credit card points (it's amazing what buying toilet paper at Costco can get you, isn't it) who were pretty annoying in the common areas.
That was no fault of the PH, though. It is a lovely property and I think we ran into some bad luck with that.
To be fair, your statement is a bit of an exaggeration. To earn enough points to travel to Asia and stay at the Park Hyatt requires an extensive amount of points, even with sign-up bonuses. People can be obnoxious, whether they are American or non-American. I've also been around extremely wealthy people who act like idiots.
As others mentioned, the Regent Phu Quoc is fantastic and maybe you can do a combo review once the PH opens! If you do visit Vietnam, Starlux will start flying their A350 to SGN on 1/15. Gives you an opportunity to try and review their F class!
The island as a whole is still transitioning - only a few years ago it was pretty much covered in tropical forests and had no electricity. Speaking to one of my drivers while staying there in February, two big conglomerates have bought big parts of the north and south of the island respectively from the government and are speedily developing. A lot of that development was aimed at Russians and Chinese who have yet to...
The island as a whole is still transitioning - only a few years ago it was pretty much covered in tropical forests and had no electricity. Speaking to one of my drivers while staying there in February, two big conglomerates have bought big parts of the north and south of the island respectively from the government and are speedily developing. A lot of that development was aimed at Russians and Chinese who have yet to return since Covid and as a result there are vast developments across the island that sit abandoned and unfinished. Where they have developed tourist attractions such as in the south, it feels more like Vegas than Vietnam - trying to create replicas of the Colosseum as one example. What’s very disappointing in that in all these development you see very little Vietnamese character in style and architecture! Big shame. The locals are happy because they now get year round electricity and jobs in the tourism industry due to all the resorts.
Now talking about resorts - with many of them being fairly new, you can have a great time if you just want to chill and relax at the resort. The standards are high, the food great and service is generally very good. As a destination, I’m not sure it’s worth trekking around the globe for just Phu Quoc. As part of a wider Vietnamese itinerary, it makes sense, as there are frequent flights and easy to get to from Vietnam’s main cities.
Combine it with a few days in HoiAn, easily reachable from Danang. HoiAn is usually described as the most beautiful town in Vietnam.
Hoi An is an utter tourist trap. If you don’t wake up before dawn, you’d might as well not even bother.
I have been there and it is wonderful! There are many smaller resorts as well but you will need to rent a scooter if you really want to see the island. The cable car to smaller island is EPIC.
That cable car ride was absolutely TERRIFYING. I had to pop a few xanaxes to survive. And what was on the island was absolutely NOT worth the ride.
The Amanoi is one of the best properties I've ever visited, anywhere. I would say that alone is worth a visit if one if looking for a beach vacation in Vietnam. That said, there is (and will always be) the issue of keeping the beach itself clean, since it's so close to a working fishing harbor, and it's WINDY, which is actually helpful with the heat.
I'm in Phu Quoc now and stayed a week at the Regent before renting an Airbnb in Sunset Town. The Regent, like the Park Hyatt, is on the West side of the island and probably 3 or 4 miles north of where they are building it. FWIW, the Regent is really nice as was its beach when I was there. No trash at all. I'd bet that currents at different parts of the year could...
I'm in Phu Quoc now and stayed a week at the Regent before renting an Airbnb in Sunset Town. The Regent, like the Park Hyatt, is on the West side of the island and probably 3 or 4 miles north of where they are building it. FWIW, the Regent is really nice as was its beach when I was there. No trash at all. I'd bet that currents at different parts of the year could effect beach quality quite a bit. The beaches (bai sao and bai kem) on the Eastern side of the island just north of the JW are good now as well.
I think Phu Quoc is worth including as part of a larger trip. You could combine it with stops at the Park Hyatts in Jakarta (fantastic) and Kuala Lumpur. As a bonus, Vietnam's strategy for tourism development on the island could merit a post. I've never seen anything like it.
All the large resorts are outside the main Phu Quoc town area, so you're basically on the resort or taking a taxi to get into town.
When I went I stayed at the L'Azure resort in town, which was walkable to markets and small authentic restaurants. I found the island to be gorgeous, great beaches, friendly people and food. It felt like a less crazy and touristy Phuket.
I travelled in June 2022, easy nonstop...
All the large resorts are outside the main Phu Quoc town area, so you're basically on the resort or taking a taxi to get into town.
When I went I stayed at the L'Azure resort in town, which was walkable to markets and small authentic restaurants. I found the island to be gorgeous, great beaches, friendly people and food. It felt like a less crazy and touristy Phuket.
I travelled in June 2022, easy nonstop flights from Hanoi, and then to Saigon. If you're in Vietnam it's easy enough to get there.
The JW is fantastic. The beaches are great and they have awesome elite recognition. I stayed there a few years ago as a platinum and used Suite Night Upgrades for a 3 night stay and had an amazing suite that was huge. Great property!
The Regent Phu Quoc was phenomenal when it opened (and in most ways still is). However, they've raised prices significantly on their better rooms, and created a fake lowest-tier room for award bookings that "upgrades" to basically the same room. It's still the best newer large resort in SE Asia, but it's no longer the absolutely ridiculous value that it was even a year ago. Will be nice for them to have some competition from the new Park Hyatt.
I stayed at JW Marriott before it was JW and it was fantastic, like everyone else is saying. However, previous posters are correct. There isn't all that much to do in Phu Quoc. While the beaches are beautiful around the resorts, if you venture out more like I did, they were filthy and disgusting (the contrast was stark). The most interesting thing on the island is the prison, so that's all you need to know,...
I stayed at JW Marriott before it was JW and it was fantastic, like everyone else is saying. However, previous posters are correct. There isn't all that much to do in Phu Quoc. While the beaches are beautiful around the resorts, if you venture out more like I did, they were filthy and disgusting (the contrast was stark). The most interesting thing on the island is the prison, so that's all you need to know, haha. I would make it a part of a larger itinerary but I definitely would not visit just Phu Quoc itself.
Phu Quoc is definitely worth a visit if you are in Vietnam. But no way would I travel all the way from the US just to visit the island. The JW is amazing and unique although service was unpolished. The rest of the island is just OK. Compared to some Thai islands, it's a dump.
The only hotel worth traveling to Vietnam for is Amanoi—it’s sublime and with every penny. Phu Quoc is more of an “additional” place to go if you’re in Vietnam.
The Intercontinental Sun Peninsula near DaNang is worth staying at. It’s stunning—inside and out. (Bill Bensley designed, same as the JW on Phu Quoc.)
As beautiful as it is, I'm not sure I'd travel to Vietnam for the sole purpose of visiting the Intercon Da Nang. (That said, I've never gone to a country "for" a hotel...but this is that kind of platform).
Not worth it. Captive resort if you care. Amanoi might be worth it. JW is one of a kind, but you can experience the whole resort without staying (grab a coffee by the beach)
I stayed at Salinda Resort on Phu Quoc in February 2020. It was great. And a fraction of the cost of the other resorts. No need to pay US style prices in Vietnam.
As far as whether Phu Quoc is worth it, I enjoyed my time. The beaches were beautiful. It was my first stop in Vietnam as part of a larger trip, and I enjoyed it, mainly because i stayed there for a...
I stayed at Salinda Resort on Phu Quoc in February 2020. It was great. And a fraction of the cost of the other resorts. No need to pay US style prices in Vietnam.
As far as whether Phu Quoc is worth it, I enjoyed my time. The beaches were beautiful. It was my first stop in Vietnam as part of a larger trip, and I enjoyed it, mainly because i stayed there for a few days to get over jetlag. That's how I'd recommend it. I wouldnt fly all the from the States just for Phu Quoc, but it would be part of a larger trip.
Also, while the beaches on Phu Quoc are nice, I preferred the whole beach/ history/ town experience near Hoi An much more. There is a Four Seasons resort right on the beach in Hoi An, though I prefer staying in the town where there are a lot of nice hotels and biking out or cabbing out to the beach for the day. Much better food than at the resorts in Phu Quoc, and a better...
Also, while the beaches on Phu Quoc are nice, I preferred the whole beach/ history/ town experience near Hoi An much more. There is a Four Seasons resort right on the beach in Hoi An, though I prefer staying in the town where there are a lot of nice hotels and biking out or cabbing out to the beach for the day. Much better food than at the resorts in Phu Quoc, and a better overall cutural experience. Also, Phu Quoc, while in Vietnam, really isnt close to anything. So journey times can be long to get to/ from there.
There's this HIDEOUS development on the south part of the island. It's called SunWorld. It has a huge cable car that leaves from this artificial community at the south that takes you to an island with an amusement park. Steer clear of it. It's truly awful.
As I and others have stated, the beaches at the resorts are mostly nice and a nice place to hang out to recover from jetlag after a long trip, but the focus of your trip to Vietnam should be elsewhere, not here. I loved the Salinda Resort and would consider it as well.
Is Phu Quoc, Vietnam, worth a visit?
No. As a Vietnamese, the food there is subpar compared to other regions in Vietnam. Outside of hotels, there are not many things or places to do or visit. Only consider it if you spend more than 70-80% of your time in the beach resort.
If you’re looking to splurge on a resort/beach vacation in Vietnam, you must consider Amanoi. I was there in September and it was blissful.