VinPearl Safari Phú Quốc is wonderful! I wasn’t sure what the standards for a zoo would be like in Vietnam; I was concerned about dirty, small enclosures etc. and needn’t have been. VinPearl has two parks on the northeastern part of the island, this zoo and an amusement park, and you can buy either individual or combo tickets. I have no interest in amusement parks, so I didn’t buy the combo ticket; that said, the zoo takes up a full day so I recommend you buy individual tickets even if you plan on visiting both.

The tickets aren’t cheap; they’re the equivalent of $25- $35 depending on season. During big holidays and school vacation periods, the tickets are both more expensive AND they force you to buy a ticket with a meal coupon. In low season, you can buy a no-food ticket and the price is a bit lower.

As you can probably guess, the food here isn’t good; the required meal included:

• what my family used to call a ‘hockey puck’ of steak

• one of those terrible little hot dog sausages so popular in Vietnam

• a fried egg

• a small handful of french fries

• perhaps 2 slices each cucumber and tomato on the side

I much prefer to get the low season no-food ticket and just pay cash at a kiosk for a beer, ice cream, or ice coffee if I need a blood sugar boost. This is also my favorite option because it affords some quiet and privacy; the larger restaurants in the resort are clogged with families on group tours.

I keep calling it a zoo because safari is a bit of a misnomer.

The ‘safari’ is a 10 or 15 minute bus ride where you do get closer to the animals, assuming you can manage a view past many screeching children held up to the windows by their equally loud parents, who also jostle each other constantly rushing back and forth from one side of the bus to the other. The good news is you can go on the ride for free as many times as you want; I recommend sitting or standing on the left side of the bus for the best views.

If you prefer a serene experience, you won’t miss anything by skipping the safari ride. The same animals are displayed (at a distance, of course) in the zoo section.