A standard round-trip Hon Thom cable car ticket in 2026 costs about 850,000 VND (roughly $33) for adults and 700,000 VND (about $27) for children 100-140 cm, and it already includes Aquatopia Water Park, Exotica Village and one drink coupon. The crossing from An Thoi port takes about 15 minutes each way, making Hon Thom the easiest island day trip in Phu Quoc to squeeze into half a day rather than a full one. Plan to arrive in the morning and head back to the mainland between 4 and 5 PM.
What and Where Is Hon Thom Island?
Hon Thom is the largest island in the An Thoi archipelago and sits in An Thoi Ward, at the southern tip of Phu Quoc. It is the island you can see on the horizon from Sunset Town, and it is the only one in the group with a cable car, a major water park and a paved arrival plaza. If you are staying in Duong Dong or Ong Lang, expect roughly a 30 km drive south - about 45 minutes by taxi or motorbike - to reach the cable car station at An Thoi port. From Sunset Town, you are essentially already there.
The island itself has two personalities. The developed southern side is Sun World Hon Thom, built around the cable car terminus, Aquatopia Water Park and Exotica Village. Beyond that sits a quieter coastline of beaches and a working fishing hamlet, which most day-trippers never reach because the water park eats their afternoon. That is worth knowing up front: Hon Thom is not a Robinson Crusoe island. It is a theme-park island with a cable car attached, and it is very good at being that.
The cable car ride takes around 15 minutes each way, which is the single biggest practical advantage of Hon Thom over every other island in the archipelago. Boat-based island hopping in Phu Quoc involves pier queues, weather calls and a full day commitment. Hon Thom involves a boarding gate, a 15-minute glide over open water, and the option to be back in your hotel before dinner. For families with young children or anyone on a short trip, that difference decides the itinerary.
Hon Thom Cable Car Tickets and Prices in 2026
There are effectively two ticket products. The standard ticket covers the round-trip cable car, Aquatopia Water Park, Exotica Village and one drink coupon. The combo ticket adds the Mango Restaurant lunch buffet on the island. Child pricing applies to children measuring 100-140 cm; children below that height are generally not ticketed, but confirm at the counter when you book.
| Ticket type | Adult | Child (100-140 cm) | What is included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard round-trip | ~850,000 VND (~$33) | ~700,000 VND (~$27) | Cable car round trip, Aquatopia Water Park, Exotica Village, 1 drink coupon |
| Combo with lunch buffet | 1,150,000 VND (~$45) | 900,000 VND (~$35) | Everything in the standard ticket plus the Mango Restaurant lunch buffet |
The buffet combo costs about 300,000 VND more per adult than the standard ticket. Whether that is worth it depends entirely on your eating plans. Food and drink on the island are priced for a captive audience, so if you intend to eat a proper sit-down lunch on Hon Thom rather than snack from a kiosk, the combo is usually the cheaper route and saves you queueing twice. If you would rather eat in Sunset Town on the way back - where there is far more choice - the standard ticket plus a light snack is the better value.
Tip: Buy tickets online before you go if you are visiting on a weekend, Vietnamese public holiday or during the December-February high season. The cable car runs on fixed operating windows, so a sold-out slot does not simply roll into the next departure - it can cost you half a day.
Cable Car Operating Hours and How to Structure Your Day
Hon Thom cable car operating hours listed for March 2026 are split into three windows: 9:30-11:30 AM, 1:30-2:00 PM, and 3:30-5:30 PM. Note the two gaps - the cable car does not run continuously through the middle of the day. Schedules rotate with the season and are adjusted for maintenance and weather, so always confirm the exact times for your travel date before you commit to a plan, especially if you have an evening flight out of Phu Quoc.
| Window (March 2026 listing) | Best used for |
|---|---|
| 9:30-11:30 AM | Outbound crossing; arrive early to claim loungers and hit Aquatopia before the heat peaks |
| 1:30-2:00 PM | Midday movement - useful if you crossed late or want to return for a Sunset Town afternoon |
| 3:30-5:30 PM | Main return window; the 4-5 PM departures are the busiest of the day |
A practical itinerary, and the one most visitors end up following: cross on the first window, spend the morning at Aquatopia Water Park while the water is cool and the queues are short, eat lunch on the island, then use the afternoon for Exotica Village, the beach or simply sitting still. Return to the mainland around 4-5 PM, which puts you back in Sunset Town in time for sunset and the evening show.
Budget at least half a day for Hon Thom. A rushed visit - cross, take photos, cross back - technically fits into two hours, but you would be paying a full adult ticket of about 850,000 VND and skipping the water park that makes up most of the ticket's value. Conversely, do not over-plan. Trying to combine Hon Thom with a morning snorkeling tour and an evening in Duong Dong is how people end up spending their holiday in a vehicle.
What's Included: Aquatopia Water Park, Exotica Village and the Beaches
Aquatopia Water Park is the reason most families make the crossing. It has 20+ slides, a wave pool, a lazy river and dedicated kids' zones, all included in the standard ticket price. The slide lineup ranges from gentle raft rides suitable for younger children to steep drop slides for teenagers, and the lazy river is the standard place to recover between them. Bring proper swimwear - this is a water park, not a beach, and you will be in and out of the water all morning.
Exotica Village covers the non-water side of the complex, with themed architecture, photo spots and shaded walkways between the cable car station and the park entrances. Your ticket also includes one drink coupon, which is a small thing but a welcome one given on-island prices.
Beyond the developed zone, Hon Thom has real beaches and a fishing hamlet on its quieter coastline. These are worth an hour if you have the time and want a break from slides, but they are not the reason to buy the ticket and they are not a substitute for a dedicated beach day on Sao Beach or Ong Lang. If your priority is snorkeling over coral, read the next section before you book - Hon Thom is not that trip.
What to pack for Hon Thom:
- Swimwear worn under your clothes, plus a spare set (you will get wet on the slides)
- Reef-safe sunscreen - the sun on the exposed cable car and in the water park is relentless
- A dry bag or waterproof phone pouch for the crossing
- Cash in VND for lockers, extra drinks and snacks beyond your included coupon
- A light cover-up for the return crossing, which can be breezy late in the afternoon
Who Hon Thom Suits - and Who Should Skip It
Hon Thom is one of the few Phu Quoc attractions that delivers exactly what it advertises: a scenic cable car, a genuinely large water park and a well-organised half day. It is a strong fit for some travellers and a poor fit for others, and being honest about that saves you a wasted 850,000 VND.
A great fit if you are...
- Travelling with children who will spend three hours in a wave pool without complaint
- After a half-day trip rather than a full-day boat tour
- Keen on the cable car views - the crossing is the best-known scenic ride in Phu Quoc
- Staying in or near Sunset Town, which puts you minutes from the An Thoi station
- On a short trip and want one big, low-risk, weather-proof activity
Less suited to...
- Serious snorkelers and divers - Hon Thom's draw is slides and views, not reefs
- Travellers seeking empty, undeveloped island beaches
- Anyone who dislikes crowds at water parks, particularly in high season and on Vietnamese holidays
- Budget-focused backpackers who just want a beach - the same money buys several days of local food and a motorbike
- Very young children and non-swimmers, who are limited to the kids' zones and shallow areas
- Anyone with limited mobility or a fear of heights - the cable car is the only practical route in for most visitors
Hon Thom vs Buom Island: Untangling the Island-Hopping Names
This is the most common source of confusion in south Phu Quoc, and it is worth five minutes of your planning time. Hon Thom is the cable car island described above. Buom Island (also written as Hon Buom) is a separate, much smaller island that appears as a snorkeling stop on the classic Phu Quoc island-hopping circuit, usually alongside Gam Ghi and May Rut islands.
Buom is consistently described by tour operators as a coral-reef snorkeling site with marine life, and one guide notes soft corals in purple and gold. It is used as a snorkeling and swimming stop, and because it is exposed, tours sometimes swap it out for Xuong Island depending on weather and sea conditions. To complicate matters further, some itineraries list a stop as "Hon Thom Island or Buom Island", which suggests operators use the two names loosely or substitute one for the other on the same route. If a specific snorkeling stop matters to you, ask the operator to name the island before you pay.
| Option | Typical price | What you actually get |
|---|---|---|
| Hon Thom cable car ticket | ~850,000 VND (~$33) adult | Cable car round trip, Aquatopia Water Park, Exotica Village, 1 drink coupon |
| 3-island hopping tour (Buom, Gam Ghi, May Rut) | ~$25.49 per person on one guide page | Boat-based snorkeling at 2-3 stops, plus beach time and typically lunch |
| Speedboat island-hopping day tour (Buom, Gam Ghi, May Rut) | ~$68 per person on one tour page | Faster crossings, more snorkeling time, smaller group |
Most Phu Quoc island-hopping tours cover 3 to 4 islands and combine snorkeling with lunch and beach time, so the two experiences are complements rather than competitors. If your priority is mostly snorkeling over coral, Buom Island is a worthwhile stop and the boat tours are the right product. If your priority is a scenic cable car, a wave pool and a guaranteed half-day out with no weather risk, Hon Thom is the right product. Doing both across two separate days is entirely reasonable, and it is what a lot of one-week visitors end up doing.
Practical Tips: Best Time, Weather and Where to Stay
Sun World Hon Thom is best visited in the morning. The heat peaks early afternoon, the queues at Aquatopia build through the day, and the first cable car window (9:30-11:30 AM in the March 2026 listing) puts you on the island before either problem develops. If you can only go in the afternoon, aim for the 1:30-2:00 PM crossing and accept that you will get the busy returns.
Season matters too. Phu Quoc's dry season runs roughly November to April, when cable car operations are at their most reliable and sea conditions are calmest. During the May-October southwest monsoon, the crossing can be choppier, boat-based island tours are more likely to be cancelled or rerouted, and operators adjust schedules more frequently. That is another point in Hon Thom's favour in low season: it runs in weather that grounds the snorkeling boats.
On accommodation, staying in Sunset Town is the single best decision you can make for this specific trip. You are minutes from the An Thoi cable car station, you get the sunset and the evening show without a 45-minute drive back to Duong Dong, and you can book a return crossing on the last window without worrying about how you will get home. If you are staying in the north of the island, plan the day around a single south-island loop rather than driving down twice.
Sanity check: Total realistic spend for one adult is about 850,000 VND (roughly $33) for the ticket, or 1,150,000 VND (~$45) with the buffet, plus transport to An Thoi port. Add a budget for lockers, extra drinks and photos, and a family of four can easily land between $95 and $150 for the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Hon Thom cable car ticket in 2026?
The round-trip adult ticket is about 850,000 VND (roughly $33), and children measuring 100-140 cm pay about 700,000 VND (~$27). The combo with the Mango Restaurant lunch buffet costs 1,150,000 VND for adults and 900,000 VND for children. The standard ticket already includes Aquatopia Water Park, Exotica Village and one drink coupon.
How long does the Hon Thom cable car take?
The crossing between An Thoi port and Hon Thom takes around 15 minutes each way. That makes it one of the quickest island transfers in Phu Quoc and the main reason Hon Thom works as a half-day trip rather than a full-day commitment. Add 20-30 minutes at each end for boarding, security and walking to the park entrances.
What are the Hon Thom cable car operating hours?
The schedule listed for March 2026 runs in three windows: 9:30-11:30 AM, 1:30-2:00 PM and 3:30-5:30 PM. There are gaps between them, so the cable car does not run continuously all day. Always confirm the times for your specific travel date, as schedules change seasonally and for maintenance.
How much time do you need on Hon Thom Island?
Plan at least half a day. A comfortable pattern is to cross on the morning window, spend the morning at Aquatopia Water Park, have lunch on the island and return to the mainland between 4 and 5 PM. A rushed two-hour visit is possible but wastes most of the value of an 850,000 VND ticket.
Is Hon Thom the same as Buom Island?
No. Hon Thom is the largest island in the An Thoi archipelago and is home to the cable car, Aquatopia Water Park and Exotica Village. Buom Island is a small snorkeling stop on boat-based island-hopping tours, usually paired with Gam Ghi and May Rut. Some itineraries confusingly list a stop as "Hon Thom Island or Buom Island", so ask your operator to confirm.
Does the Hon Thom ticket include Aquatopia Water Park?
Yes. The standard round-trip ticket covers the cable car, Aquatopia Water Park, Exotica Village and one drink coupon. Aquatopia has 20+ slides, a wave pool, a lazy river and kids' zones. Extra food, drinks beyond your coupon, lockers and photos cost additional.
What is the best time of day to visit Hon Thom?
Morning. The 9:30-11:30 AM cable car window gets you onto the island before the heat peaks and before the Aquatopia queues build. Finish with the 4-5 PM return crossing and you are back in Sunset Town in time for sunset and the evening show, without a long drive north.
Can you visit Hon Thom without the cable car?
Almost everyone arrives by cable car, and for most visitors it is the only practical route. Boat and speedboat transfers exist in the An Thoi area, but they are typically sold as part of island-hopping tours covering several islands rather than as a simple Hon Thom shuttle. If you specifically want to arrive by sea, ask a local operator what is running on your dates.
Planning a south Phu Quoc day around Hon Thom? Sabrina Rental can help with motorbike or car rental to reach An Thoi port, room bookings in Sunset Town, and honest local advice on cable car timing, island-hopping tours and which snorkeling stops are actually worth your day.
Ask Sabrina About Hon Thom
