Dated travel updates for Phu Quoc
Update · 1 July 2025
Phu Quoc is now a special zone of An Giang
Since 1 July 2025 Phu Quoc has been a special zone (dac khu) of An Giang province, after Kien Giang was merged into An Giang. The island, its airport and its ports are where they always were; the names on addresses, maps and some forms have changed.
- date the change took effect
- 1 Jul 2025
- commune-level units in the new An Giang
- 102
- special zones: Phu Quoc, Tho Chau, Kien Hai
- 3
The change at a glance
Sources: SGGP — An Giang forms three special zones; SGGP — Phu Quoc officially becomes a special zone · checked .
What the two resolutions did
Resolution 202/2025/QH15, passed by the National Assembly on 12 June 2025, merged the whole of Kien Giang and An Giang into a single province named An Giang, with a natural area of 9,888.91 km² and a population of 4,952,238. The new provincial apparatus started work on 1 July 2025. Reports on the merger plan placed the provincial administrative centre in Rach Gia, the former capital of Kien Giang, even though the merged province carries An Giang's name.
Resolution 1654/NQ-UBTVQH15 of 16 June 2025 then rearranged the communes of the new province. Phu Quoc city ceased to exist. Its two wards, Duong Dong and An Thoi, and its six communes, Duong To, Ham Ninh, Cua Duong, Bai Thom, Ganh Dau and Cua Can, together became the Phu Quoc special zone. After the reorganisation An Giang has 102 commune-level units: 85 communes, 14 wards and three special zones.
Under the 2025 Law on Organisation of Local Government (Law 72/2025/QH15), a special zone is an administrative unit on an island. It sits at the same level as a commune or ward and has its own People's Council and People's Committee. The district level no longer exists anywhere in Vietnam, so there is no layer between the special zone and the province.
Sources: Thu Vien Phap Luat — Resolution 202/2025/QH15; Government policy portal — full text of Resolution 1654/NQ-UBTVQH15; Thu Vien Phap Luat — Law 72/2025/QH15 on local government; VietNamNet — why the merged province is seated in Kien Giang · checked .
Tho Chau and Kien Hai are separate special zones
Two other island areas became special zones on the same day. Tho Chau, the small archipelago far to the south-west that used to be a commune of Phu Quoc city, is now the Tho Chau special zone. Kien Hai, the former island district with its centre on Hon Tre, is the Kien Hai special zone.
A July 2025 report in Nguoi Lao Dong gave Tho Chau an area of 13.98 km² and 1,896 residents, 101 km from Phu Quoc, with one boat a week from Phu Quoc, on Saturdays, at that time. The same report gave Kien Hai 27.85 km² spread over 23 islands, about 28 km from Rach Gia. Boat schedules to these islands were not re-checked for this page.
For visitors this matters in two ways. Tho Chau is no longer part of Phu Quoc, so a document, permit or tour description that places it under Phu Quoc is out of date. And the Nam Du and Hon Son islands, which many people visit by boat from Rach Gia, belong to Kien Hai, a different special zone with its own local government; a July 2026 instruction from An Giang's Department of Tourism addressed businesses in Phu Quoc, Nam Du and Hon Son (Kien Hai) separately.
Sources: Nguoi Lao Dong (Tuoi Tre) — the three special zones of An Giang; Tuoi Tre — canoe operators prepare (15 Jul 2026) · checked .
Area and population: sources differ
Figures for the special zone are not consistent, and we do not pick one. SGGP in July 2025, citing Resolution 1654/NQ-UBTVQH15, gave the special zone "more than 589 km²". The An Giang provincial portal's draft organisation plan, reviewed in December 2025, gives 575.29 km² and 157,629 residents. A provincial submission to the Ministry of Home Affairs, reported by Bao An Giang in July 2026, uses 575.29 km² and a "population scale" of 219,540 to argue that Phu Quoc meets the standard for a special-class special zone. That classification was a proposal when it was reported; we have not seen a decision.
The same draft plan divides the zone into seven sub-areas named after the former wards and communes (Duong Dong, An Thoi, Bai Thom, Cua Can, Cua Duong, Duong To, Ham Ninh), with 51 residential areas. It was a draft when reported, so local office names may still change.
Sources: SGGP — Phu Quoc officially becomes a special zone; An Giang provincial portal — special zone organisation plan; Bao An Giang — special-class classification proposal · checked .
What it changes for a visitor
Addresses and bookings
Hotels, transport companies and booking sites have not all updated their addresses. When our research notes read the Thanh Thoi ferry company's site in September 2026, it still gave its Bai Vong terminal as "Ham Ninh, Huyen Phu Quoc, Tinh Kien Giang", and it did so again on 12 October 2026. A booking that says "Phu Quoc City, Kien Giang" points to the same place as one that says "Phu Quoc special zone, An Giang". Newer addresses usually keep the old ward or commune name as an area name, such as Duong Dong, An Thoi or Cua Can, which is also what taxi drivers use.
Forms and documents
Resolution 190/2025/QH15 provides that papers issued before the rearrangement remain valid until they expire, and that people cannot be required to replace them only because a place name changed. The airport and seaport are still the entry points named in the 2023 e-visa resolution, which lists Phu Quoc International Airport and Duong Dong port under the old provincial name. We have not seen any instruction asking travellers to change form entries because of the merger.
Maps, signs and local offices
Older maps and road signs may still show Phu Quoc city and Kien Giang. The special zone's web portal moved to phuquoc.angiang.gov.vn, replacing the former Kien Giang address, and provincial bodies, including An Giang's Department of Tourism, now cover the island.
Sources: Thanh Thoi ferry — timetable and fares; VOV2 — documents stay valid after the rearrangement; Thu Vien Phap Luat — Resolution 127/NQ-CP (e-visa); Phu Quoc special zone portal · checked .
When this page will not help
This page covers what the change means for a trip. It is not a guide to land, property, business registration or residence procedures, where the merger has deeper effects and the rules are still being written; for those, ask a lawyer or the relevant office. If you need the exact new form of a street address for a parcel or an official letter, ask the hotel or the person you are writing to, because residential-area names in the zone were still in draft when last reported.
What to check before you go
- Check that your hotel's address and its map pin agree; ignore whether it says Kien Giang or An Giang.
- On an e-visa form, choose Phu Quoc International Airport or Duong Dong port as the entry point if you arrive there, whatever province name the list shows.
- If your plan includes Nam Du, Hon Son or Tho Chau, treat them as separate special zones and check their boats separately from Phu Quoc's.
- For local notices such as closures or weather warnings, look for the special zone's name in the notice, not the old city name.
- Keep a note of the former ward or commune name of where you are staying; it is still the name most people use.
Common questions
Questions readers send
Is Phu Quoc still part of Kien Giang province?
No. Kien Giang was merged into An Giang on 1 July 2025, and Phu Quoc became a special zone of An Giang on the same day. Many signs, websites and bookings still use the old name, and they refer to the same island.
Do I need to change my visa or booking because of the merger?
We have not seen any instruction asking travellers to do so. Documents issued before the rearrangement stay valid until they expire, and the airport and port have kept their names.
Are Tho Chau and the Nam Du islands part of Phu Quoc?
No. Tho Chau is its own special zone, and Nam Du and Hon Son belong to the Kien Hai special zone. Check transport to them separately.
Is Rach Gia still where the ferries to Phu Quoc leave from?
Yes. Rach Gia is now a ward of An Giang and, according to reports on the merger plan, the province's administrative centre. Fast boats and the car ferry still run from Rach Gia and Ha Tien to Bai Vong on Phu Quoc.
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