Bad weather strands over 43,000 tourists on Phu Quoc Island

By Hoang Phong July 12, 2022 | 07:07 pm PT

Tourists wearing raincoats and umbrellas pose for a photo in Phu Quoc Island, July 2022. Photo courtesy of Phu Quoc Today Facebook page

Some 43,300 tourists including 2,154 foreigners are stuck on Phu Quoc Island in the southern Kien Giang Province since ferry services to the mainland are suspended due to rough seas.

Bui Quoc Thai, director of the Kien Giang Province Department of Tourism, said cable car services, scuba diving and swimming have been stopped.

Provincial authorities have called on travel agencies and hotels to assist their guests.

Phu Quoc, famous for its long sandy beaches and luxury resorts, has entered the peak summer travel season, but May-October is also the rainy season there.

Under the influence of an intertropical convergence zone and a low-pressure area, the country's southwestern coast has been hit by heavy rains, strong winds and rough seas since Sunday.

Phu Quoc received 1.4 million tourists in the first half of this year, or over 70 percent of its full-year target.