The An Thoi archipelago at the southern tip of Phu Quoc offers two day trips: a boat tour across three or four islands with snorkeling, or the Hon Thom cable car. A boat tour costs $18 to $45 per person in 2026, and an adult cable car ticket costs $33. The calm snorkeling months run from November to April.
I live in Vietnam and have run tours here since 2023, so I compared these prices across operator listings and read ticket details on the Sun World site. Boat prices move with the season, so treat them as ranges.
How to choose between the cable car and a boat tour
Take the boat tour if you want to swim and snorkel, and take the cable car if you want a view from above and a water park. The boat day lasts 6 to 8 hours and starts around 8:00 at An Thoi port. The cable car ride takes about 15 minutes each way, and the park at the top keeps most families busy until closing time.
How much a boat tour to the An Thoi islands costs in 2026
A boat tour to the An Thoi islands costs $18 to $45 per person in 2026, depending on the vessel and group size. A wooden boat for 30 to 50 people starts near $18, a group of 10 to 15 starts near $35, and a speedboat runs about $45. Boats usually leave at 8:00 to 8:30 and return between 15:00 and 16:00.
| Format | Price per person | Group size |
|---|---|---|
| Wooden boat | from $18 | 30 to 50 people |
| Small comfort group | from $35 | 10 to 15 people |
| Speedboat | about $45 | 16 to 20 seats |
The price normally includes a mask, snorkel, a seafood barbecue lunch and a hotel pickup. Tour descriptions list island entry as included, but confirm it in writing when you book. The usual stops are Mong Tay, nicknamed the Fingernail island, Gam Ghi, May Rut, a pair of outer and inner islets, and Dam Ngang. Every stop leaves time to swim and snorkel, and Hon Thom, the Pineapple island, is reached by cable car instead.
How much the Hon Thom cable car ticket costs and what it includes
An adult return ticket costs $33 (850,000 dong), a child between 1 and 1.4 meters tall pays $27, and children under 1 meter ride free. The cable car is 7,899.9 meters long and carries passengers from Anh Duong station in An Thoi to Hon Thom island in about 15 minutes. The line holds a Guinness World Record.
It opened in February 2018, Sun Group built it with Doppelmayr equipment, and 69 cabins that each carry 30 people climb as high as 174 meters above the sea. The ticket includes the Sun World Hon Thom park, the Aquatopia water park with more than 20 slides, Exotica Village and Bai Trao beach. A combo with a buffet lunch costs $44 for adults and $35 for children. A family of two adults and one child of 1.2 meters pays $93 for tickets, or $123 with the buffet combo. The station sits in the Sunset Town complex, so the ride pairs easily with an evening at Kiss Bridge. Opening hours are roughly 9:30 to 17:00, so check sunworld.vn on the day. Strong wind or fog can stop the line.
When to snorkel around Phu Quoc
The best snorkeling around Phu Quoc runs from November to April, when the sea is calm and underwater visibility is much better than in summer. From May to October rougher water and stronger currents make operators cancel departures more often. October still sits inside the rainy season, so aim for late October or November and watch the wind forecast.
For month-by-month rain and sea conditions, read the Phu Quoc weather guide . Beach picks live in the 3-day Phu Quoc beach plan .
How to book an island tour step by step
Booking takes four steps, and the most important one is choosing a day with a calm wind forecast. Operators sell seats through their sites, messengers and hotel desks, and speedboat seats go first. Hotels in Duong Dong often resell the same tours with a small markup, so ask them for the operator’s name and compare it with a direct quote.
- Pick a format: the big wooden boat is cheapest, the 16 to 20 seat speedboat is faster and quieter.
- Ask what is included: mask, snorkel, lunch, hotel pickup and insurance.
- Book a day with a spare day behind it, so a storm does not end your plan.
- Reach An Thoi port by 8:00 if the transfer is not included.
This is where trips usually wobble: English at the pier is hit and miss, speedboat seats sell out the day before, and one rough morning cancels everything with no plan B. You can book direct with an operator and handle all of it yourself. If you would rather skip the searching, I pick the boat and the day around your dates and pay the booking for you, so send me your trip dates on Telegram and I will tell you what fits.
How to get from Duong Dong to the An Thoi pier and the cable car
Duong Dong town center sits about 25 km from the cable car station, and the drive takes 30 to 40 minutes. A taxi or Grab costs $10 to $17 one way, a motorbike rents for $6 to $8 a day, and parking at the station is free. Boat tours include a hotel pickup, so you rarely need your own ride to the pier.
A bike will not take you to the islands, because the archipelago needs a boat. For the cable car a bike works well: leave by 9:00 to beat the queue at the ticket office.
Whether you can do the islands and the cable car in one day
You can, with a tight schedule: a boat in the morning, the cable car from An Thoi in the afternoon, and aggregators sell that pairing for roughly $70 to $83 per adult. The boat returns around 15:00 to 16:00 and the cable car closes near 17:00, so little time remains for the park. I would split them across two days.
If Phu Quoc is only one stop on your trip, ready-made Vietnam routes show how to fit the islands into a bigger plan. For an island-wide list of sights, see the best things to do in Phu Quoc .
Quick summary: what to choose
Choose the boat tour for snorkeling in the dry season from November to April, and choose the cable car for the view and the water park on any clear day. With only one free day, pick one of them; two separate days leave time for both.
| Factor | Boat tour | Hon Thom cable car |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $18 to $45 | $33 |
| Duration | 6 to 8 hours | about 15 minutes each way, plus the park |
| Start | An Thoi port, 8:00 to 8:30 | Anh Duong station, from 9:30 |
| Best season | November to April | any clear day |
| Included | mask, snorkel, lunch | park, water park, Exotica Village |
Booking the whole thing yourself is realistic: Grab, tickets at the counter and a boat at the pier. If you want to hand off the logistics and avoid losing a day to a closed port, tell me when you arrive and I will build the plan around it.
Frequently asked questions
What should I bring on a boat tour?
Mask and snorkel come with the tour, so pack sunscreen, a towel, dry clothes and some cash in dong for water and souvenirs.
Do I need a separate guide on the An Thoi islands?
Group tours come with the operator’s crew, so no separate guide is needed. I found no reliable price for a private guide, so ask the operator before you book.
Is a private speedboat worth it for a group?
A private boat for 4 to 10 people costs roughly $96 to $192 per trip, so a group of eight splits it into about $12 to $24 each. Lunch, snorkeling gear and a hotel pickup are usually not part of a private hire, so ask what the boat price covers before you compare it with a seat on a group tour.
What happens if the boat tour is cancelled because of weather?
Ask the operator at booking whether they move the departure to another day or refund you. In the rainy season, from May to October, this question matters, and a spare day in your schedule saves the plan.
