How to Get from An Thoi to Cua Lap, Phu Quoc: Options, Time and Cost

An Thoi to Cua Lap: The Route at a Glance

An Thoi is the island's southernmost town — home to An Thoi pier, where the four-island snorkelling boats leave, and the base station of the Hon Thom cable car. Cua Lap is the quiet strip just south-east of Duong Dong town centre, where Tran Hung Dao street runs parallel to the coast and doubles as the airport side-road. There is essentially one sensible route between them: head north out of An Thoi on the main coast road, pass the turn-offs for Bai Khem and Bai Sao, ride the long Bai Truong beach strip, then follow signs toward the airport before the restaurants and cafes of Cua Lap appear on Tran Hung Dao.

The road is new, flat asphalt nearly the whole way, which is why the journey time stays short despite the distance. Your exact kilometre count will vary by a couple of kilometres depending on whether you start at An Thoi pier, An Thoi town or the cable car station, and whether your destination in Cua Lap is at its northern or southern end — but plan around 23 km and you will not be far wrong.

One practical note before choosing: "Cua Lap" covers a long stretch of road, and map pins drift. Pin the exact venue or guesthouse — for example Hiên Charcoal Kitchen at 185 Tran Hung Dao or Vuon Tao at No. 1 Tran Hung Dao — rather than the area name, or you can end up walking an extra kilometre in the heat.

Option 1: Motorbike Rental — the Cheapest Way North

Renting a scooter is how most travellers make this trip, and the numbers explain why. Semi-automatic and manual bikes in good condition rent for roughly 150,000-250,000 VND ($6-10) per day, often less on monthly deals. The 23 km ride burns about two litres of petrol, and at around 20,000-25,000 VND per litre your one-way fuel cost lands near 35,000-45,000 VND — less than the bus fare for two people. Expect the full ride to take 45-55 minutes without stops, longer once you pull over at a beach bar on Bai Truong.

The route itself is one of the more pleasant on the island: mostly flat, recently surfaced, with the sea on your left and hamlets, pepper farms and beach resorts on your right. Two sections deserve respect. The stretch just north of the Bai Sao turn-off has patches with weak street lighting, and near the airport the road widens and traffic speeds up — keep to 40-50 km/h and ride defensively. Fill the tank in An Thoi before leaving; stations and roadside fuel sellers thin out on the middle stretch.

Be honest about who this option is not for. If you have never ridden a scooter, Phu Quoc's sandy shoulders, free-roaming dogs and occasional drink-drivers are not the place to learn — travellers without a valid motorbike licence are also technically uninsured on Vietnamese roads. Families with small children and anyone carrying full luggage should skip the bike and take a car; the saving of a few dollars is not worth the risk.

Option 2: Taxi and Grab — Door to Door Without the Sweat

Phu Quoc has proper metered taxi companies — Mai Linh and Vinasun both operate island-wide — and the An Thoi to Cua Lap run is a straightforward metered job. Flag fall is typically 10,000-12,000 VND, then around 14,000-16,000 VND per kilometre, so a 23 km trip lands in the 400,000-550,000 VND ($16-22) range depending on traffic and your exact endpoints. The airport-area taxis queueing at the terminal also work fine for the short hop across to Cua Lap if you are coming the other way.

Grab works on Phu Quoc for both cars and bikes, and fares usually undercut the street taxis slightly: expect roughly 350,000-450,000 VND for a car and 150,000-220,000 VND for a bike on this route. The catch is coverage. Around An Thoi pier in the late afternoon, when hundreds of tour-goers are calling cars at once, drivers are scarce and wait times of 5-15 minutes are normal — walk five minutes inland toward An Thoi town and your pickup options multiply immediately. After midnight, surge pricing can add 20-50% to the fare, which matters if you are leaving a late bar.

Practical tips that save money and hassle: if you plan a same-day return, ask your driver or a taxi rank for a round-trip price — a agreed 800,000-1,000,000 VND return with waiting time is a normal outcome and cheaper than two one-ways. Keep small notes for the meter, and screenshot your destination's Vietnamese address (for example, 187 Tran Hung Dao for Anna's Nhà Cuốn) since drivers will know the street, not the English restaurant name.

Option 3: Private Car and Local Bus — Groups, Budgets and Late Flights

For families and groups of three to five, a pre-booked private car with driver hits the sweet spot: around 500,000-700,000 VND ($20-28) per vehicle one-way, which splits to roughly $5-7 per person with the space of a taxi and none of the waiting. Hotels and guesthouses in An Thoi can arrange one, as can local rental and concierge businesses — useful if you want the driver to wait while you check in, or to combine the trip with a stop at Sao Beach or the fish-sauce houses along the way. This is genuinely the right choice if you have surfboards, children, or an airport departure the same evening.

The bus is the wildcard. Public buses run the main Duong Dong-An Thoi corridor, and Cua Lap sits directly on that route, so you can flag one down along Tran Hung Dao. Fares are roughly 30,000-50,000 VND ($1.20-2), payable to the conductor, and the full journey takes 60-75 minutes with stops. The honest caveats: departures are infrequent — think roughly hourly rather than every 10 minutes — service tapers off in the early evening, luggage space is minimal, and timetables shift seasonally, so confirm the current schedule with your hotel before counting on it. The bus is a poor fit for anyone arriving on a late flight, travelling with big bags, or trying to make a dinner reservation on time.

Worth knowing if your route connects through the airport: Cua Lap is under 10 minutes by car from the terminal, and shared airport shuttles serving Duong Dong hotels pass along this stretch. If you are finishing an An Thoi island day and flying out that night, the bus-plus-shuttle combination is possible, but a pre-booked car removes every connection risk.

Where to Eat and Drink When You Reach Cua Lap

Most people making this trip are not going to Cua Lap for the scenery — they are going for the food. Tran Hung Dao has quietly become one of the island's best eating streets, with a mix of local kitchens and expat-run bars that stay open later than most of Duong Dong. Prices follow the island's general pattern: street-food orders usually come in well under 30,000 VND, noodle bowls run 30,000-50,000 VND, and seafood portions stretch from about 100,000 to 500,000 VND depending on the catch of the day.

A few minutes further north on the same street, Benz's Eatery (a cafe with seafood and vegetarian-friendly plates) and Cyan Bar & Sunset Dining round out the choices. If you want the full local experience, continue into Duong Dong to the residents' night market at 30 Tran Hung Dao Street, where seafood plates start from about 30,000 VND. And if you are planning a separate food day trip, the guidebook consensus points to Ham Ninh fishing village on the east coast for the freshest seafood on the island, with the Phu Quoc Night Market in Duong Dong as the most popular evening option.

Timing the Trip: Island Tours, Sunsets and Evening Traffic

The classic reason to travel this route is a same-day move: you finish a southern island-hopping tour from An Thoi pier — most boats return between 4:00 and 5:00 PM — and then transfer north to Cua Lap for the night. That timing works beautifully with the eating street's hours. Hiên Charcoal Kitchen serves until 10:00 PM, Bittersweet &Co opens at 6:00 PM, Hoppy Daze runs from 3:00 PM to 3:00 AM, and Pakka Indian at Salinda Resort takes dinner reservations until 10:00 PM. Leave the pier by 5:00 PM and you are at a table in Cua Lap before 6:00.

Two timing warnings. First, the road through Duong Dong toward the night market jams badly between roughly 4:30 and 6:30 PM; if your Cua Lap destination is at the northern end of the strip, budget an extra 10-15 minutes or route in from the airport side. Second, the sun drops into the sea around 6:00 PM year-round here — riding the coast road straight into a west-facing sunset is glorious but genuinely blinding for ten minutes. Pull over and enjoy it rather than squinting through it; after dark, the unlit middle stretch is the one section where you should slow down.

If you are going the other direction for a morning tour or the Hon Thom cable car, leave Cua Lap by 7:00-7:30 AM for an 8:00-8:30 AM boat departure — the road is empty, the ride takes closer to 40 minutes, and you will beat the tour-bus queue at the pier. Cable car tickets at the An Thoi base station run roughly 350,000-500,000 VND round trip, and first cabins go up mid-morning.

Which Option Suits You — and Which Doesn't

If you can only remember one rule, make it this: bikes for the journey, cars for the luggage, buses for daylight, and taxis only when the app fails. And whatever you choose, pin the exact restaurant or guesthouse on Tran Hung Dao before you set off — the street is long enough that "somewhere in Cua Lap" is not a destination.