What it is

Cap Treo Hon Thom is a 7,899-meter cable car connecting the southern tip of Phu Quoc island to Hon Thom (Pineapple Island), making it the longest non-stop three-rope cable car in the world when it opened in February 2018. Built by Sun Group at a cost of roughly 1 trillion VND, it crosses open sea at heights up to 174 meters, with the ride taking about 15 minutes each way. The system uses Doppelmayr cabins — the same Austrian engineering behind Alpine ski lifts — each holding up to 30 passengers.

Before the cable car existed, Hon Thom was reachable only by speedboat from An Thoi port, a choppy 20-minute ride that kept most visitors away. Now it's one of the most-visited attractions in southern Vietnam (베트남 / 越南 / ベトナム).

Why travelers go

Three reasons, in order of how often I hear them:

  1. The ride itself. Fifteen minutes suspended above turquoise water, fishing boats below, the An Thoi archipelago spreading out on both sides. On clear days you can count a dozen islands.

  2. Hon Thom beach. The island has a long crescent of white sand with calm, shallow water — noticeably cleaner than the main Phu Quoc (푸꾸옥 / 富国岛 / フーコック) beaches during peak season.

  3. Sun World Hon Thom Nature Park. A waterpark, aquatopia zone, and various rides sit at the base station on Hon Thom. Families with kids can burn an entire day here.

It's not a wilderness experience — this is a developed attraction with gift shops and food courts. But the engineering is impressive, the views are real, and the beach delivers.

Best time to visit

Phu Quoc's dry season runs November through March. That's also peak tourist season, so expect queues of 20-40 minutes for the cable car on weekends and holidays (especially Tet and Christmas week).

The sweet spot: weekday mornings in November or early December. Skies are clear, humidity is lower, and you might walk straight onto a cabin.

Avoid June through September if you get seasick easily — the cable car operates in moderate wind, but the sway is more noticeable during monsoon gusts. Operations pause entirely when winds exceed 60 km/h, which happens a few times each rainy season.

How to get there

The cable car station is at An Thoi, the southern tip of Phu Quoc, about 25 km from Duong Dong town center.

  • By motorbike: 40-50 minutes from Duong Dong via DT46 south. Parking at the station is free.
  • By taxi/Grab: Around 200,000-280,000 VND one way from central Phu Quoc. Grab availability is decent but not guaranteed for the return trip — ask your driver to wait or pre-book.
  • By shuttle bus: Sun World runs free shuttle buses from a few pickup points during peak season. Check their app or ask your hotel.

Getting to Phu Quoc itself: direct flights from Saigon (1 hour), Hanoi (2 hours), or Da Nang. Alternatively, ferries run from Ha Tien and Rach Gia on the mainland.

A breathtaking aerial view of Phu Quoc Island with boats, coastline, and cable car over blue water.

Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels

What to do

The cable car ride

Board at the An Thoi station (ground floor is ticketing, upper floors have a small exhibition on the cable car's construction). Try to grab a cabin with fewer people — the attendants will fill them up during busy periods, but off-peak you might get a semi-private ride.

Hon Thom beach

Turn left after exiting the island station. The main beach is about 300 meters of soft sand with free sunbeds (first-come, first-served). Water is swimmable year-round, though jellyfish occasionally appear in April-May.

Sun World attractions

The waterpark includes a wave pool, lazy river, and several slides. The aquatopia zone has an interactive water play area for younger kids. These are included in the combo ticket.

Snorkeling

Small boats at the Hon Thom pier offer 30-minute snorkeling trips to nearby reefs for 150,000-200,000 VND per person. Coral quality is middling — don't expect Raja Ampat — but you'll see clownfish and parrotfish.

Where to eat

On Hon Thom island, your options are the Sun World food court (Vietnamese and Western, 80,000-150,000 VND per dish) and a few beachside stalls selling grilled squid, coconuts, and "hu tieu" soup. Nothing remarkable, but adequate.

Better strategy: eat before or after at An Thoi town. Quan Oc Ba Huong near the fishing port does excellent grilled scallops with peanut oil and spring onion (35,000 VND each). The "banh canh (반깐 / 粗米粉汤 / バインカイン)" cua (crab noodle soup) stalls along the port road are solid — look for the one with the most motorbikes parked outside.

Back in Duong Dong, the night market has dozens of seafood spots. Prices are tourist-marked but the variety is good.

Where to stay

Most visitors do Hon Thom as a day trip from their Phu Quoc hotel. A few options by budget:

  • Budget (400,000-800,000 VND/night): Guesthouses along Duong Dong's Tran Hung Dao street. Basic but walkable to the night market.
  • Mid-range (1,200,000-2,500,000 VND): Ong Lang beach area, 15 minutes north of Duong Dong. Quieter, better sand. Try Chez Carole or Peppercorn Beach Resort.
  • High-end (4,000,000+ VND): The south of the island near the cable car has Sun Group's Premier Village and JW Marriott. Convenient if Hon Thom is your main goal.

There's no overnight accommodation on Hon Thom island itself for independent travelers — the last cable car down is at 17:30 (check current schedule as it shifts seasonally).

Beautiful scenic view of islands at Phu Quoc, Vietnam with boats under a clear blue sky.

Photo by Thomas Hoang on Pexels

Practical tips

  • Tickets (2024 pricing): Adult cable car round-trip is 350,000 VND. Combo ticket including waterpark is 500,000 VND. Children under 1m ride free. Buy online via the Sun World app to skip the ticket queue.
  • Bring: Sunscreen, swimwear, a dry bag for your phone. Lockers are available at the waterpark (20,000 VND).
  • Skip: The overpriced souvenir shops at both stations.
  • Time needed: 3-5 hours for cable car plus beach. Full day if you're doing the waterpark with kids.
  • Cameras: The cabin windows are tinted. For better photos, position yourself near the door panels which have clearer glass.

Common mistakes

  1. Going on a weekend or holiday without pre-booking. Queue times can hit 60+ minutes during Tet (뗏 (베트남 설날) / 越南春节 / テト (ベトナム旧正月)). Book the time slot online.
  2. Arriving after 14:00. You'll feel rushed — the last return cable car doesn't wait.
  3. Not bringing cash. Some food stalls on Hon Thom don't take cards. Bring at least 300,000 VND in small bills.
  4. Expecting a remote island paradise. This is a theme park with a beach attached. Adjust expectations and you'll enjoy it more.
  5. Forgetting the return trip logistics. If you took a Grab to the station, finding one for the return can be difficult after 16:00. Arrange transport in advance.

Final note

Hon Thom cable car is a well-executed piece of tourism infrastructure — not a hidden gem, not an authentic fishing village experience. It's a 15-minute ride with genuinely good views, a clean beach at the end, and enough activities to fill a half-day. Worth doing once, especially if you're already spending time in Phu Quoc and the weather cooperates.

— FIN —

Last updated · May 29, 2026 · independently researched, never sponsored.