Rach Vem Beach

Rach Vem Beach (Bai Rach Vem) is an exciting beach located along the northern coast of Phu Quoc and it is part of Ganh Dau commune.  The beach consists of white sand overlooking turquoise water however this is not your typical beach as it is a part “working” tidal beach where fishermen and their families reside and part ‘made-for-tourism” beach where you will find plenty of seafood restaurants, some of which are literally floating on the ocean.

ABOUT Rach Vem Beach

Discover Rach Vem Beach on Phu Quoc Island, a shallow low tide beach located in the northern part of the island

Located along Gành Dầu regions northern coast lies Rạch Vẹm — a picturesque village made famous by its relatively new ecotourism attraction: the Rach Vem Floating Village & Seafood Restaurants (Làng Chài Rạch Vẹm). The numerous floating seafood restaurants found just offshore are actually built on top of wooden stilts over the low tidal area of the Gulf of Thailand.

White sand beach

Rach Vem is blessed with a soft white sand coastline, a rare commodity in Vietnam.

Rach Vem Village

Culture finds a home in this idyllic coastal village where the sand is white as the clouds, starfish roam free, and where numerous seafood restaurants try to maintain their balance on wooden stilts out at sea.

Rach Vem is one of Phu Quoc’s natural wonders — a place where culture, nature, and ecotourism come together.

There are two “Rach Vem Villages”, one which is a residential community and the other which is part of a growing ecotourism product and called Làng chài Rạch Vẹm.

Rach Vem Village, the authentic hamlet,  is a small fishing village (800 meters wide and 4 km long) and this is the place to experience traditional village life as not much has changed in the past 10 years.  There are about 160 household with approximately 1,000 people living here.

The original Rach Vem Village is only 800 meters wide and 4 km long and located between the “Nhum” and “Coc” canals.  You can expect to see very simple houses built on stilts, chickens and ducks being farmed, and stray dogs and cats running around.  The inhabitants of Rach Vem Village do not speak English but are very friendly and helpful.  The life here use to be simple until the island began its resort destination transformation.  The future of these inhabitants, most of whom are of Khmer descent, is unknown as Rach Vem will complete its ecotourism transformation by 2030 and this village will no longer exist.

Getting There

Rach Vem is accessible by traveling down a relatively wide red dirt side road.  The village is located between the “Nhum” and “Coc” canals and faces the sea where Cambodia can be seen in the distance.  You can expect to see very basic houses built on stilts, chickens and ducks being farmed, stray dogs and cats running around, and children following you around.  The locals do not speak English but are very friendly and helpful.  The life here is simple and there is a certain charm that exists in the village..

What to see

Khmer life: Farms – Khmer Homes

You can see how local Khmer communities live on the island. All the residents at Rach Vem Village are quite friendly and are more than willing to talk with you or pose for pictures.

Note: When talking to the locals, please do not mention about the Cambodia-Vietnam war or about Pol Pot’s regime as this is a sensitive issue up here.

What To Do

• Fishing: Besides taking pictures you can also ask a local fisherman to take you out fishing for a small fee.
• Làng Biển Sea Village: Just off Rach Vem beach there is a floating water sport center that has jet skis, boat, water jet packs, and even a on-water playground all of which you can use for a fee:

Where To Eat & Drink

• Local eateries: You can purchase snacks and local dishes off the main road leading into Rach Vem Village:
• Offshore restaurant:

Floating Restaurants

Walk along a wooden bridge or have a small boat pick you up and take you to one of many seafood restaurants found just a few meters from the beach.  Have dinner here and witness a beautiful sunset.

There is an offshore seafood restaurant located right above the sea.  The restaurant’s small canoe taxi’s people to and from the restaurant from Rach Vem Beach.

Floating restaurants began appearing off the coast of Rach Vem in the summer of 2016 and quickly became a star attraction.  Some of these restaurants are accessible by walking along a wooden bridge from shore while others require boat transport.  They all serve the same style of seafood more or less however the prices vary depending on the amenities.  Most of these floating restaurants also have fish farms attached to their huts where customers can pick the type of seafood they want to eat.

In The Spotlight: Starfish Beach

Along the north east corner of Rach Vem there is this magical place where hundreds of red starfish can be seen in shallow crystal clear water.  We tried to keep this place a secret for those of you on our facebook page (click here), but the secret is out… say hello to Starfish Beach

See more articles about discovering Phu Quoc:

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions About Phu Quoc

Is Your Phu Quoc Hotel or Resort Really Eco Friendly Or Just Greenwashing?

Plan Your Trip To Phu Quoc