The northern area of Phu Quoc, an island in southwestern Vietnam, is transforming from a daytime beach resort into a tourist destination where “the night is the main act.” In June 2026, the Vietnamese paper Dan Tri reported on a set of “nighttime attractions” rarely seen on other islands—AI robot guides, underwater dinners viewing sharks and rays, meals sharing a table with giraffes, and large-scale opera shows staged over the water at night. Conscious of the nightlife of Singapore and Dubai, this move means that people considering Vietnam for a honeymoon or family trip from Japan now have one more factor to weigh in choosing a destination.
An island where AI robots guide you and you dine with giraffes
The center of the source report is the distinctive experiences gathering in northern Phu Quoc. First drawing attention is the humanoid robot “Dyno” that appeared at Vinpearl Safari Phu Quoc. Conversing in Vietnamese and English and explaining the animals living in the park, this robot was developed by the Vietnamese company VinDynamics (under the Vin Group), and at the time of reporting it was positioned as a June–July trial operation. Having an AI guide stand in a wildlife sanctuary is said to be a first in Vietnam.
The dining experiences are distinctive too. VinWonders has the Deep Sea Restaurant, said to be “Vietnam’s first underwater restaurant,” where you dine while gazing at a tank in which sharks, rays, and countless fish swim, and on the safari side there’s the Giraffe Restaurant where giraffes stretch their necks right up to your table. The original article introduces the giraffes as “over 5 m,” but it’s wise to take this as an expression that includes staging. Come night, gondolas float on a Venice-style canal at Grand World, and opera resounds from a water stage—bundling such experiences onto a single island is the core of this news.
How a beach island turned into an “integrated resort”
Phu Quoc was originally a simple island, famous as a producer of fish sauce (nuoc mam) and known for white sandy beaches and snorkeling. Over the past decade or so, theme parks, cable cars, night markets, and luxury resorts have been developed one after another, reorganizing it into one of the country’s leading integrated resorts. Behind this lie large-scale development by specific companies and the expansion of international and domestic flights. This latest “set of nighttime experiences” is an extension of that.
Why the night, and why now? With just beaches and nature, a stay tends to wrap up in one or two nights, and spend per customer is hard to grow. If, on top of daytime activities, you can offer “a show you can only see here” and “a dinner you can only eat here” at night, you can lift both the length of stay and on-island spending. The trend of Phu Quoc coming to rank high in Asian island rankingsthe background of Phu Quoc surpassing Bali to be named Asia’s No. 2 islandas touched on there, and this nighttime shift suggests an aim to push that reputation even higher.
Confirmed facts, and points to view cautiously
While flashy headlines line up, the figures and staging are things to coolly separate out. Here’s an organization of points that could be corroborated by official information and multiple reports, and points where assertions should be avoided.
| Item | Confirmation status |
|---|---|
| AI robot “Dyno” | Made by VinDynamics. Multiple outlets report it’s in field trials at Vinpearl Safari |
| Underwater restaurant (dining while viewing sharks and rays) | VinWonders officially describes it as “Vietnam’s first underwater restaurant” |
| A meal at the same table as giraffes | There’s a dedicated combo ticket. Confirmable on the official reservation page |
| Large nighttime show (Once Show) | VinWonders officially describes it as an investment on the order of about US$12 million |
| Giraffes “over 5 m tall” | An expression that includes staging. Assertion avoided |
| A giant violin-shaped boat opera | The Venice-canal gondola water show could be confirmed, but assertion about the shape is withheld |
Since the official notation for the amount was “nearly $12 million,” here we note only “on the order of about US$12 million” and avoid a yen conversion because rate fluctuations are large. The basic rule that the more a figure conveys luxury, the more it needs corroboration in primary sources, holds in travel articles too.
The local and tourist reception
Looking at reactions on social media and travel platforms, the evaluation splits by the genre of experience.
- There are voices surprised at the AI guide’s conversational accuracy, and reports also note that “many visitors were impressed by the sight of it thinking, processing natural language, and answering.”
- The underwater restaurant and dining with giraffes are highly photogenic, and Dan Tri reports that “huge numbers of selfies are posted every day.” They’re experiences with high satisfaction among families.
- On the other hand, some travelers point to costs, noting that touring through the large nighttime shows and attractions piles up admission, combo tickets, and transfers. For those who came expecting a simple beach, it can also come across as “overbuilt.”
In short, the reality is that appreciation for “one-of-a-kind experiences” coexists with bewilderment at “fees and artificial construction.” Satisfaction changes greatly depending on which you weight more.
What kind of island is it, and how can Japanese travelers use it?
For travelers from Japan, the first thing to grasp is access. As of 2026, there are no direct flights from Japan to Phu Quoc, so you transfer to a domestic flight in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi. Japan to Vietnam is about 5–6 hours, and from there to the island is about 1–2 hours. Since a connection is assumed, an itinerary combining it with city sightseeing on the Vietnamese mainland is realistic. As of May 2026, over 60 flights a week fly Ho Chi Minh City–Phu Quoc, so worries about flight frequency are small.
On that basis, this nighttime shift suits some travel purposes and not others. For a family trip, the AI robot, giraffes, underwater restaurant, and nighttime shows catch children’s interest well, with the advantage of touring experiences of different characters all in one place. For a honeymoon, a distribution that savors nighttime staging like the canal gondolas and water opera for just one evening while spending the rest relaxing at a beach resort would suit better than lively attractions. Since Phu Quoc requires a car for getting around the island, if a show is your aim, taking accommodation toward the northern area makes moving easier. Note that this same island is also becoming a stage for international conferences, and readingthe move of Phu Quoc heading toward an international-conference city as an APEC venuetogether makes it quicker to understand.
Will theme-park-style tourism spread across Vietnam?
The moves in northern Phu Quoc also mirror the direction of Vietnamese tourism as a whole. It’s the idea of not relying on nature or history alone, but making “the length of stay itself the product” with large shows, theme parks, and the night economy. Similar cable-car and theme-park-style development is advancing near Da Nang and Hanoi too, and Phu Quoc has become something close to a showcase for it.
This model has both strengths and weaknesses. While it’s less affected by weather and makes it easier to raise spend per customer, there’s also a concern that it tends to look similar in any location, thinning the character unique to that place. In Phu Quoc’s case, how to reconcile the glamour of the theme parks with indigenous culture likePhu Quoc’s fish-sauce-making tradition,with some long-established makers in their sixth generation, looks set to be the dividing line for whether it keeps being chosen over the long term.
Practical notes for planning your experiences
Here’s a rough summary of the key points when working northern Phu Quoc’s nighttime experiences into your itinerary. Since fees and operations change, we recommend checking the latest with each official source before booking.
| Item | Guide |
|---|---|
| Area | Vinpearl Safari, VinWonders, and Grand World are concentrated in the north (around Ganh Dau) |
| Access from Japan | No direct flights. About 1–2 hours by domestic flight via Ho Chi Minh City / Hanoi |
| Getting around the island | The north is compact, but travel between facilities is by car. Transfers and taxi arrangements are a premise |
| AI guide “Dyno” | Trial operation. Confirm availability and time slots before your visit |
| Underwater restaurant / dining with giraffes | There are dedicated combo tickets. For popular slots, advance booking is reassuring |
| Large nighttime show | Many are included in admission. Check the official latest schedule for start times |
Summary
Northern Phu Quoc is trying to broaden its role from an island of white sandy beaches to an “island that never sleeps.” Experiences like AI robot guides, dining underwater or with giraffes, and nighttime water opera are certainly novel and photo-worthy. That said, it’s wise not to swallow flashy figures and staging expressions whole, and to select them—for a family trip, the richness of experiences; for a honeymoon, the balance of quiet and lively. That there are no direct flights also makes this island easy to combine with mainland Vietnamese cities. The next time you consider a trip to Vietnam, it’s worth adding the option of “Phu Quoc at night,” not just “the daytime beach,” to one evening of your itinerary.
Sources:Dan Tri, “A set of distinctive experiences drawing tourists to northern Phu Quoc”
