How to Get from An Thoi to Grand World, Phu Quoc: Options, Times and Costs

How Far Is Grand World From An Thoi, and How Long Does It Take?

An Thoi is Phu Quoc's southernmost town, a working fishing port and the gateway to Sao Beach, the Hon Thom cable car and the southern archipelago boat trips. Grand World, by contrast, is the so-called sleepless city on Bai Dai in Ganh Dau commune at the island's far north, right next to VinWonders and the Vinpearl resort strip. They anchor opposite corners of an island that is only about 50 km long, which is why this crossing is one of the longest day trips you can make here.

The standard route runs north on the coastal DT47 road (Tran Hung Dao street) along Long Beach through Duong Dong town, roughly 25 km, then continues north on DT45 past the Vinpearl area to Bai Dai, another 20-25 km depending on where in An Thoi you start. Total distance lands between 40 and 47 km. An inland shortcut through Cua Duong can shave 5-10 minutes, but the coastal route is better surfaced, easier to navigate and gives you sea views for most of the first hour.

Here is how the four realistic options stack up:

Fuel stations sit in An Thoi, along Long Beach, in Duong Dong and near Bai Dai, so you are never more than 20 minutes from a top-up on any route. Fill the tank in An Thoi before you leave and you can comfortably cover the whole round trip on one tank.

Option 1: Taxi or Grab - Door to Door in Just Over an Hour

Metered taxis from Mai Linh (green) and Vinasun (white) are plentiful in An Thoi and charge a flag fall of roughly 12,000-15,000 VND, then around 14,000-15,000 VND per kilometre. Over 45 km that works out to about 600,000-800,000 VND (US$24-32) one way to Grand World. There are no flat rates for this route as there are from the airport, so ask the driver to use the meter.

Grab works across most of Phu Quoc and usually prices 10-15% below a metered cab, so expect roughly 500,000-700,000 VND for an An Thoi to Grand World car ride with the fare locked in before you set off. Coverage is strong in An Thoi and Duong Dong but noticeably thinner around Bai Dai and Ganh Dau, especially after 9 PM. If you plan to stay late, either pre-book your return through the app earlier in the evening or take your driver's phone number and arrange a pickup time directly.

Less suited to: solo travellers on a tight budget (two one-way cabs can cost more than a full day of scooter rental plus fuel and dinner), and groups of five or more who would need to split into two cars and double the fare.

Option 2: Rent a Motorbike - The Most Flexible Way North

A scooter is how most long-stay travellers make this trip. Rentals on Phu Quoc cost from about 120,000-200,000 VND (US$5-8) per day for a semi-automatic or manual bike, and 150,000-250,000 VND for an automatic scooter, usually with a passport deposit or a refundable cash deposit of 2-5 million VND. Local rental shops such as Sabrina Rental will deliver to your hotel in An Thoi, check the bike with you and suggest the best route north. Fuel for the full 90 km round trip is only 2-3 litres, roughly 50,000-60,000 VND.

Ride time is 75-90 minutes each way. Leave An Thoi around 3:00-3:30 PM, take the Long Beach coastal road with an optional coffee stop in Duong Dong, and you will roll into Grand World right as the night market wakes up. The final stretch on DT45 is well paved and clearly signed for Grand World and VinWonders.

Legally, you should hold a Vietnamese licence or an International Driving Permit with an A category. Police checkpoints do operate on the island, fines for riding without a valid licence can reach 1,000,000-2,000,000 VND, and your rental insurance may be void in an accident. Helmets are compulsory for rider and passenger alike.

Less suited to: families with small children, first-time riders (the Long Beach road is busy and sandy patches catch out beginners), and anyone planning to drink at Grand World's bars - 45 km back south after drinks is a hard no. If dinner involves cocktails, take a car.

Option 3: Private Car With Driver - Best for Families and Full-Day Itineraries

A private car transfer costs about 800,000-1,100,000 VND (US$32-45) one way for a 4-7 seater with driver. The smarter spend for most families is a day hire of 8-10 hours at roughly 1,200,000-1,600,000 VND: your driver chains together VinWonders or Vinpearl Safari in the afternoon, a pepper farm or the Rach Vem floating fish restaurants on the way, and drops you at Grand World for the evening market before the run back south. Child seats are available on request from reputable operators, and Sabrina Rental can arrange vetted English-speaking drivers with pickup from any An Thoi hotel.

Less suited to: solo backpackers watching every dollar, and couples doing a simple there-and-back with no stops - two Grab rides will often come out cheaper than a dedicated driver for the same simple journey.

Option 4: Public Bus and VinBus - The Budget Route (Daytime Only)

There is no direct bus from An Thoi to Grand World, but the island's local bus network makes a two-leg trip possible for about 250,000-300,000 VND total. Leg one: the An Thoi to Duong Dong local bus costs around 35,000-50,000 VND and takes roughly 50 minutes, departing roughly every 30-40 minutes during the day. Leg two: a Grab or taxi from central Duong Dong north to Grand World covers the remaining 20-25 km for about 200,000-300,000 VND. With waiting time, plan on 2-2.5 hours door to door.

VinBus operates a free shuttle network looping the Vinpearl resorts, VinWonders, Vinpearl Safari and Grand World, but it is reserved for guests of Vinpearl properties. If you are staying in An Thoi it does not help you directly - you would still need to reach the Duong Dong area first.

Less suited to: travellers carrying beach gear or strollers, anyone on a schedule, and evening trips - daytime service winds down in the early evening, so this is a lunchtime option rather than a night-market option.

When Should You Leave An Thoi to Catch Grand World at Its Best?

Grand World genuinely wakes up at 2:00 PM, when the night market in the Indochine Quarter opens its shutters, and it does not close until 6:00 AM. Sunset on Phu Quoc falls between roughly 5:50 and 6:30 PM year-round, and dusk is when the quarter looks its best - the Venetian canal and the show fountains light up just as the sky goes orange, and the gondolas are still running.

The sweet spot is to leave An Thoi between 3:30 and 4:00 PM by car or taxi, or 3:00 PM on a scooter. That puts you at the gate around 5:00 PM for golden-hour photos, a gondola ride at dusk, dinner from 6:30 PM, and the market and evening shows afterwards. If you are riding back south, leave by 9:00-9:30 PM: the middle stretch of the island between Bai Dai and An Thoi has long unlit sections, and night riding there is the single most common way visitors come unstuck. In a car or taxi there is no such pressure - the market runs all night, and some visitors simply stay until the early hours.

Where to Eat at Grand World Once You Arrive

The good news after the 45 km journey: you will not go hungry. The heart of the food scene is the Grand World Night Market in the Indochine Quarter (Grand World, Bai Dai Beach, Ganh Dau Commune, Phu Quoc City, Kien Giang Province), open from 2:00 PM to 6:00 AM with 120-134 stalls selling snacks, seafood skewers and bún quậy. Street-food dishes across the quarter generally run 30,000-80,000 VND, so a full market crawl for two can cost less than 300,000 VND.

If you have never tried bún quậy, Shanghai Town is the place to learn what the fuss is about. It is a Southern Vietnamese interactive noodle dish - you are handed a pot of bubbling broth, rice noodles, fresh herbs and fish paste, and you quậy (stir and cook) the pieces yourself right at the table. The two dedicated spots in the quarter, Bún quậy Kiến Xây (TH01-15, from 3:15 PM) and Bún quậy Phú Quốc Pikachu (SA-07-51, from 3:00 PM), sit a few minutes apart, so you can pick whichever queue is shorter.

Budget roughly as follows: a night-market dinner of street food 30,000-80,000 VND per dish; a sit-down seafood dinner for two at Vua Hai San or Phú Quý 400,000-700,000 VND; and a proper restobar evening at EM Restobar 200,000-800,000 VND per person depending on drinks.