Paddling on Phu Quoc happens on the opposite side of the island from the boats. The speedboats work the southern archipelago out of An Thoi; the kayaks work the north-west coast, and the basket boats work a river in the north. Both are afternoon activities, both cost a fraction of a boat day, and both put you close enough to the shore to see what a fast hull passes at thirty knots.
Paddling is an afternoon. OnBird's kayaking runs six hours from midday into the evening, and the basket boat on the Cua Can river is sold as a 45- or 80-minute ticket: neither competes with a morning island trip.
Where does the paddling start?
Two places.
- The north-west coast — Casuarina Beach and Half-Moon Bay — is where the sea kayaking runs; guests are collected from their hotels and driven across.
- The Cua Can river in the north is where the basket boats work, through mangrove channels rather than open water.
Neither is on the island-hopping side, which is the practical point: a paddling afternoon does not compete with a boat day for the same hours, and the two fit into the same week without overlapping.
Group sea kayaking on the north-west coast
OnBird's group sea kayaking is 950,000 VND (about $37) per person for six hours, running from the afternoon into the evening. Hotel pick-up is by sixteen-seater car; the kayak, mineral water, an English-speaking guide and a beach dinner are in the price, and the route ends at Casuarina Beach, which the operator describes as empty of people.
The timing is the selling point. Six hours from mid-afternoon means you paddle as the light drops and eat on the sand afterwards, which is a different day from a 08:00 departure to the islands.
The private sunset version
The private north-west sunset trip is 4,500,000 VND (about $173) for two guests, 6,000,000 for three and 7,000,000 for four. Transfer is by seven-seater car, and the price adds a coconut at Casuarina Beach and a seafood dinner on the beach to the same six-hour frame. Four guests pay 7,000,000 VND (about $269) privately against 3,800,000 VND (about $146) in the group — the premium buys the table, not the route.
Basket boats on the Cua Can river
The thuyen thung, the round bamboo basket boat, is a Vietnamese fishing craft and on Phu Quoc it has become a river outing. Eco Tour Thai Duong sells it at 200,000 VND (about $8) for the basic 45-minute package and 300,000 VND (about $12) for the 80-minute one on the Cua Can river in the north.
What happens on it is not a boat trip in the usual sense: paddling through mangroves, the rowers' account of the national hero Nguyen Trung Truc, a demonstration of casting a fishing net, the spinning trick that basket boats are known for, races, singing on the river and souvenirs folded from coconut leaves. The operator describes it as suitable for visitors of all ages and runs it in Vietnamese — the rowers are local, and no English-speaking guide is stated.
Where does SUP appear?
Stand-up paddleboards turn up on Phu Quoc as an element of a boat day rather than as a product of their own. The RED RIVER TOURS four-island canoe trip at 800,000 VND (about $31) an adult lists free drone filming and photographs taken on a SUP board among the things included in the price. If a board under your feet is the point of the day, that is where it currently sits on the island's price lists.
What do you see from a kayak?
| Trip | Where | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basket boat, basic package | Cua Can river, north | 200,000 VND (about $8) | 45 min |
| Basket boat, explorer package | Cua Can river, north | 300,000 VND (about $12) | 80 min |
| Group sea kayaking | Casuarina Beach, Half-Moon Bay | 950,000 VND (about $37) per person | 6 h, afternoon to evening |
| Private sunset kayaking | North-west coast, Half-Moon Beach | 4,500,000–7,000,000 VND (about $269) per group | 6 h, afternoon to evening |
The north-west coast is the quiet side: mangrove edges, beaches without road access and a bay that closes in a half circle. A kayak holds position where a speedboat cannot, and the six-hour format is built around stopping rather than covering distance.
When should you go?
The dry season, November to April, with the peak from December to February. That is the general rule for the whole north of the island: Flipper Diving Club, for example, states that its northern departures are not available from 10 May to 20 October, which is precisely the rainy half of the year.
Common questions
Do you need experience?
Neither operator asks for any. OnBird lists a guide and the kayak in the price; the basket boat is described as suitable for all ages and is rowed by local boatmen.
What language is the guiding in?
OnBird states English on both kayaking trips and supplies an English-speaking guide. The basket boat operator runs in Vietnamese.
Is food included?
On the kayaking trips, yes: a beach dinner on the group departure, and a seafood dinner plus a coconut on the private one. The basket boat is sold as a 45- or 80-minute ticket without a meal.
Updated 4 September 2026. All prices, inclusions and timings are quoted from the operators' own published pages.
