I always think that the ocean bears enormous powers of healing.

I would be coming to the Khem Beach many times during this trip.

In my first evening in Phu Quoc, I took a walk and arrived at Khem Beach a little before dusk hour. The plan was to enjoy the sea breezes and then have dinner at a very local restaurant at the very far end of the beach.

As I said in a previous entry, Khem Beach is the key feature in the Khem Beach Resort area. It appears to be a resort that caters exclusively to foreign tourists. One can expect top of the line offers in all respects.  I passed by a stretch of hotel and restaurant establishments on my way to Khem Beach. The scenery soon opened up to the welcoming sound of the waves and the views of a lush patch of palm trees. There were enough palm trees there to call it a woods.

I had the impression that, during the prime hours of the day, one would have to pay to sit at the beach chairs beneath the copious shades of the palm trees. That area should belong to the JW Marriot.

A Rather Difficult First Walk at the Beach

As I walked toward the restaurant, my steps syncopated in the soft sand that caved in beneath the weight of my body. I would take off my shoes if not for the trouble to untie the runners and then having to carry them. Initially, it appeared to me that this beach was very clean. The water was relatively calm at that hour of the day. The gentle waves looked pristine to me. Afar, I observed the glimmers of dusk colors at the sky, which slowly morphed into palettes of warm organge first and then impending hues of mauve. Khem Beach is on the southeastern coast of Phu Quoc, and I would not see a sunset there.

The walk was interesting. Maybe it was due to hunger, or the fatigue of the day from the rather long walks back and forth the Coconut Tree Prison, I found it increasingly difficult to walk through the beach before arriving at the local seafood restaurant. My feet seemed to be sinking deeper into the sand as I lifted them through each repetitive motion. I did wonder if I should just head back and find a restaurant that was sure to cost much more for the same food. There were a lot of higher-end restaurants along the way.

I was at a point where it was perhaps more of a trouble to head back than to grind ahead, when I encountered a real challenge: there was a section that was somewhat submerged in the sea water. In fact, this section of the beach began to present itself as rather unkempt as well. I started seeing quite a bit of trash on the way. I figured that the cleanliness of the beach was a deliberate result of workmen’s cleaning, hired by the higher-end hospitality businesses.

Long story short, I made it to the local restaurant finally, after a bit of frustration. And it did come with the typical annoyances of dining in very local places in Vietnam. There were flies here and there, and the hygiene conditions in the surrounding area were not ideal. But at the table, the experience was good.

Seafood Done the Vietnamese Way

This was the meal I had and it cost 400,000 ₫. It is considered pricy because the general living standard of Phu Quoc is quite low. To make a comparison, the local pork chop rice that I had earlier costed 40,000 ₫. But of course, this is a proper restaurant serving seafood, and you can’t miss the seafood in Phu Quoc.

From what I remember, this is the first time that I have seafood the Vietnamese way. I ordered clams and a grilled fish dish. The morning glory is a favorite wok fried veggies dish, so I had that too.

In this meal, the soul is the Vietnamese sauces that are served along with the dish, as well as those that are freely available to diners at the table. There were quite a few pieces of steamed clams, so I dipped them amply in the sauces and it was heavenly.

The grilled fish was very “fishy” in taste but I don’t have a problem with that. Together these two dishes were plenty of food for one person. I was very stuffed.

Day 1 in Phu Quoc ended well. In my mind I had this image of submerging in the waves at Khem Beach. I would certainly be back for a proper dip.