Blackouts during Phu Quoc peak tourism season cause outrage

Since the evening of Nov. 29 Vietnam's largest island has been without power after the 110 kV Ha Tien – Phu Quoc submarine cable was damaged when a contractor building a coastal road unknowingly drove piles into it.

Tens of thousands of households and tourism facilities have been affected.

Some areas had endured 30–40 hours without electricity and water supply and many had to halt business operations. The power utility has now implemented rolling blackouts in order not to overload the temporary system.

Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang, manager of Leaf Hotel, said the two days of outages had "tortured" both tourists and staff.

Leaf Hotel Staff on Phu Quoc Island buys fuel to run the hotel's power generator. Photo by Thuy Trang

A generator had to run constantly, and employees took turns buying fuel.

The generator ran loudly for 10 hours a day and hotel staff occasionally had to shut it off to avoid disturbing the guests.

"Fuel for the generator costs VND4 million (US$152) a day, and operating expenses have tripled or quadrupled from normal levels," Trang said.

The irregular power supply meant water supply was disrupted and staff had to run cables to nearby households with wells to draw water and maintain a minimum supply for guests.

Though power was restored late on Nov. 30, Trang said both hotel managers and staff remained "on edge" because the rolling-blackout schedule was still spontaneous.

Thach Nhu, a local resident, said her family’s daily routine had been stood on its head as they had to travel dozens of kilometers to relatives’ homes to bathe using water from wells.

At night they slept on mats in the front of their house to stay cool, she said.

"Adults can manage, but the kids keep crying. None of us can sleep."

Electricity supply was restored late on Nov. 30, but only for about an hour.

Nhu immediately charged all devices, did laundry and pumped water for storage.

"The whole neighborhood made use of every minute, afraid the power would go out again," she said.

The power failed just as they feared, and was only restored at dawn before going again at midday.

Le Thi Hai Chau, former general secretary of the Phu Quoc Tourism Investment and Development Association, said tourism businesses were hit hard.

Besides the cost of fuel, their greatest concern was the negative impact the episode might leave on visitors.

It is the peak tourism season on the island, which has received the highest number of foreign visitors since 2021.

Many hotels have occupancy rates of 85–100% through February 2026.

Phu Quoc residents buy generators to cope with the power cut. Photo by Duong Dong

The 220 kV Kien Binh – Phu Quoc line also supplies power but is not connected with the undersea cable in a loop system.

Technical constraints required load shedding and rolling blackouts, affecting around 30,000 customers.

On Dec. 1 the Southern Power Corporation said it would need at least one month to repair the submarine cable if there is favorable weather.

In the meantime authorities are mobilizing from across An Giang Province 12 generators with a combined capacity of 2.3 MW.

As of now most households on the island have power, though rotating outages remain necessary due to insufficient supply.

Meanwhile, 525 dedicated transformers serving businesses still do not have full power.

Authorities are mobilizing generators on Phu Quoc Island to provide electricity to residents, businesses, and tourists. Photo by Duong Dong

The 110 kV Ha Tien – Phu Quoc cable has a safety corridor that is clearly defined in the design documents and where all digging, pile driving, anchoring, and other construction activities are prohibited.

The contractor is likely to be slapped with administrative penalties, compensation demands or even criminal liability if the damage is found to be serious.

The provincial government has instructed relevant agencies to quickly verify the situation and determine organizational and individual responsibility.