There is never enough ocean time for me and I was very excited about the visit at the Starfish Beach. I was done at the Pepper Farm and Rach Vem was next. At around noon hour, my driver took me to the Rach Vem Fishing Village for the boat ride. I learned that the fishermen were gathering for their noontime meditation before riding out to the sea. This is their daily practice to pray for safety.

The Rach Vem Fishing Village

I was slightly disappointed that the visit to the fishing village did not come with the opportunity to see how the fishermen caught fish. I was hoping for a fishermen’s boat tour, to observe how they did their proper work.

Instead, I found myself in the midst of rows and rows of marine fish culture facilities.

As I waited for the fishermen to finish their meditation, I walked around the fishing village a little. It was quite a scene at the fishing ponds. They were fish that I knew, as in the common kind of high-end fish that we would have for a typical Hong Kong seafood meal. Except that the fish there at Rach Vem were a whole lot bigger – fish of that size would go for astronomical prices in a Hong Kong seafood market, if they are even available at all.

Otherwise, I’d say that the fishing village was photogenic. From the shore, rows and rows of narrow wooden footbridge extends out to the open sea. The fishmen’s abodes are built upon the still-shallow waters, but where it was deep enough to designate pools for fish culture. The humble lives of the fishermen are apparent, but perhaps the fact that they run the sea routes shuttling tourists to the Starfish Beach indicates their business acumen. There is no question that the tourist economy is on everybody’s mind in Phu Quoc.

One tip for foreign tourists is that they should consider the local options when they plan for the Starfish Beach. Inquire at your hotel for local tours. I saw some really swanky yachts docking at the starfish beach, and I figured that the transportation options are either very expensive (yachts) or very cheap (local fish boats) and they are far and few in between. The boat ride took just about 15 minutes, so there was no need to hire a luxurious yacht to take you there.

As its name suggests, the Starfish Beach is full of picture-perfect, giddy-looking starfish. Somehow, they hover at the shallow waters of the beach and you can freely touch them and feel them.

The Starfish Beach

Having visited three beach locations by now, I would say each beach presents some unique qualities and the vibes are different at every one of them in Phu Quoc. The Khem Beach was a proper, standard beach, where a lot of people swam, with good facilities for one to stay there a whole day sipping your margaritas at the beachside bar.

At the Fingernail Island during the island hopping tour, the facilities are also there, and you can swim at the rather small beach and enjoy the softest white sand.

At the Starfish Beach, the vibe is “out of this world.” Surely, there are also shaded beach chairs there and vendors provide cold drinks (alcoholic or not). But the scenery there is so pristine that you feel like you have risen up a level in heavens.

The sky was in a light aquamarine blue, in an endless, cloudless stretch of crystalline expanse. There was copious sunshine, but it felt gentle like the morning rays. Its waters was so calm that you’d think you are at a large outdoor swimming pool. The water did not appear to be the same as the emerald waters of the islets in the southern coast. It was very clear, and looked a few shades lighter. The waves washed over me in small, light strokes against my back. I floated on my back for a very long time.

As to the star of the show, the starfish, it was the first time that I had a close encounter with this creature. I was quite surprised that every one of them that I touched had a very hard “shell.” I could not figure out if they were living or dead starfish? But I was sure that some of them moved while I was there.

In terms of touristy setup, there was a photogenic swing there, and I have to say it was well done. Be sure that you will have to wait for a long time because men and women love that spot. Many of them take both photos and videos there.

I passed by the starfish beach to go further out, to a section of the beach that does not have starfish but much more secluded with almost no one there. I swam there freely until a group of local folks gathered around the rocky area to have a family picnic. They were simply too loud.

When I was dropped off from the fishing boat, there was no explicit instructions on what time I was supposed to leave. By the time I felt like I had enough of the beach, the boat operator has left with the last tourists that they took.

I simply went around showing my bracelet to everybody and someone took me, just me, back to the Rach Vem fishing village. I was very thankful for that special arrangement.

What a wonderful day at the beach. I hired a driver for a full day to take me there. It cost 1,300,000₫.