The advertised price of a Phu Quoc boat day covers more than most people expect and less than the ticket implies. Lunch, gear and the guide are almost always inside it. The car from your hotel is inside it only if your hotel is in the right part of the island, and the things people actually want to do at the stops — walking on the seabed, parasailing, a second round of drinks — are bought where they happen, in cash.
Here is the line between the two, drawn with what the operators publish.
You will need cash at the stops. The activities in the Ocean World coral park and on Hon May Rut are in nobody's ticket, and OnBird's fuel surcharge on private departures is paid to the guide in cash.
What is almost always included?
Five items recur across nearly every product.
- A meal: lunch on the day trips, dinner on the evening ones.
- Snorkelling gear: mask, snorkel and fins.
- A guide: English-speaking on John's Tours, OnBird, Les Rives and Layla; Vietnamese and English on RED RIVER TOURS.
- Drinking water: usually one bottle per guest.
- Transfer from the central zone.
Two more appear often but not universally. Life jackets are listed by John's Tours, RED RIVER TOURS, OnBird and Layla. Travel insurance is listed by RED RIVER TOURS and OnBird.
Where does the free pick-up zone end?
This is the single most common surprise on the bill, and every operator draws the boundary in the same place: Dương Đông and the central strip are free, everything further out is a surcharge. The amounts differ, and so does the unit.
| Operator | Free from | Surcharge |
|---|---|---|
| RED RIVER TOURS | Dương Đông town centre | 100,000 VND (about $4) per guest for Ong Lang, Cay Sao, Ham Ninh; 200,000 for Cua Can, Vung Bau; 400,000 for Bai Dai, Ganh Dau |
| OnBird | Dương Đông, Bai Truong, An Thoi | 250,000 VND (about $10) per group for Ong Lang; 300,000 Ham Ninh; 350,000 Cua Can; 450,000 Vung Bau, Vinpearl, Bai Dai; 500,000 Ganh Dau |
| Kimie's Tours | Dương Đông to An Thoi harbour | Surcharge for Ong Lang, Cua Can, Vung Bau and Bai Dai |
| Layla Mermaid Tours | Central and southern Phu Quoc | Other areas on request |
| Les Rives Phu Quoc | Hotels within 10 km of An Thoi harbour | — |
The unit matters here as much as the amount. OnBird charges per group, so 500,000 VND (about $19) from Ganh Dau is heavy for a couple and trivial for eight; RED RIVER TOURS charges per guest, so the same distance scales with the party.
Tax, fuel and holidays
Read these lines before comparing two prices. Les Rives states that government tax and service charge are already inside its 3,799,000 VND (about $146), while OnBird lists VAT outside the 1,380,000 VND (about $53) price.
OnBird also charges a fuel surcharge of 300,000 VND (about $12) per tour on private departures, paid in cash to the guide, and 100,000 VND (about $4) per person on Vietnamese public holidays and around the Lunar New Year. Les Rives prices a halal meal at 10 USD per person on request.
Children are their own line
Nobody uses the same rule. RED RIVER TOURS measures height: free under 1.0 m, 560,000 VND (about $22) from 1.0 to 1.4 m, adult rate above. John's Tours goes by age: adult rate from ten, 22 USD for 4 to 9, free under four.
OnBird charges children of 4 to 14 under 155 cm 75 per cent of the adult rate on the small-group trip and 80 per cent for 4 to 12 on the picnic day. On the family boat a child of 10 to 14 under 155 cm is 800,000 VND (about $31). Layla carries children under five free.
One constraint is not about money at all: the RED RIVER TOURS wooden boat states that child-sized snorkels are not carried, and John's Tours notes that fins do not come in children's sizes.
What do you buy at the stops?
The island stops sell their own activities, and none of them are in the ticket. Both RED RIVER TOURS itineraries call at the Ocean World coral park and list sea walking, scuba and parasailing there as at your own expense; sold as a product in its own right, the sea-walking package is 1,350,000 VND (about $52) for an adult ticket for 15 to 20 minutes on the bottom.
Les Rives states that fees for the games and activities on Hon May Rut are not covered. Layla lists coral-park sea walking and scuba as an extra cost arranged on request.
The other reliable extras are drinks ordered beyond what is served, gratuities — Kimie's and Les Rives both name them as not included — and, on the big-fishing trip, additional live bait at 25,000 VND (about $1) each beyond the ten squid per guest already in the price.
What happens if the weather turns?
The operators write their own terms and they differ. RED RIVER TOURS states that in unsafe conditions the sea-walking trip is cancelled and the money refunded. Les Rives states that a trip may be rescheduled or cancelled. John's Tours moves the private big-fishing trip to another day. Layla keeps the trip but moves the barbecue into a restaurant if rain is forecast, and states that the islands themselves can change.
Common questions
Do I need cash on the boat?
Plan for some. The fuel surcharge on OnBird's private departures is paid in cash to the guide, and the activities at Ocean World and on Hon May Rut are bought on the spot.
Is lunch really included?
Yes on the island days — RED RIVER TOURS, John's Tours, Les Rives, OnBird and Layla all list a meal. What is not included is extra drinks ordered at the table.
Which operator states the most inside the price?
On published lists, RED RIVER TOURS and OnBird go furthest: both name travel insurance, and RED RIVER TOURS adds tackle, bait, drone filming and a bottle of water per guest on the four-island canoe day at 800,000 VND (about $31).
Updated 4 September 2026. All prices, inclusions and timings are quoted from the operators' own published pages.
