Phu Quoc is a relatively undeveloped tropical island 45 kilometres off the coast of Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand. We were both ready for some beach and surf and as an added bonus Phu Quoc was reputed to have some great scuba diving.

The island is a short, pleasant flight (by propeller plane!) from Ho Chi Minh City. The transfer to our beach shack was over unsealed roads as we discovered what "undeveloped" really meant. We stayed at a place called Thang Loi which was outside the main town and consisted of 15 secluded beach huts right next to the sea. The clientele ranged from middle-aged German couples to young Australian backpackers, although everyone seemed to get along. The huts were rustic, but perfectly fitted this unspoilt paradise.

We were here for 6 days and planned to do little other than sunbathe and scuba dive during the day and relax in the resort's lovely bar/restaurant area during the evening. There was no electricity supply to the resort, other than in the evenings when a generator was switched on between the hours of 6pm and 11pm. The weather was hot and sunny every day, perfect for sitting on the secluded beach where we could sit all day and see no more than a dozen people pass by.

Gemma had learnt to dive in Goa and here on the island she would make her first dives as a qualified scuba diver. Visibility was poor on all four dives, which was put down to a bad season. This was very disappointing for us as we'd read (and expected) great things from diving around Phu Quoc. There are no large animals in the sea around Phu Quoc, but we were prepared for this, what was difficult to accept was the 5 metre visibility, strong underwater currents and rough seas. On the second of the dive trips, 5 of the 8 divers were seasick as was one of the crew members! Overall we couldn't recommend diving in Vietnam and Gemma was considering giving it up completely unless we had a good dive at some point.

The diving aside, we so enjoyed our time taking it easy in Phu Quoc, it really is a tropical paradise which has seen little development outside of the main town.