Rach Vem (Rạch Vẹm) is a fishing village on Phu Quoc’s north coast, facing the open sea towards Cambodia. It has three things that bring visitors out here: a long, shallow beach of white sand that the tide uncovers and covers again; a cluster of seafood restaurants built on stilts over the bay, reached by wooden jetties or small boats; and, at its eastern end, Starfish Beach. Behind the waterfront it is still a working village of fishermen’s houses, nets drying in the sun and boats pulled up on the sand.
It is a long way from everywhere else on the island, the last stretch is on rough village roads, and most of the restaurants close in the late afternoon — so come for lunch, not dinner.
The beach
Rach Vem’s beach is a working, tidal beach rather than a resort one. At low tide the sea pulls back a long way over pale sand and seagrass and the fishing boats sit on the sand; at high tide it is shallow and calm in the dry season. The water by the village and the restaurants is not the place for a swim. For a swim, the clearer water is further east towards Starfish Beach, or on the west coast at Bai Dai.
The north coast is calmest and clearest in the dry season, roughly November to April; in the rainy months the sea can be churned up.
The dock to Thu Bao. Photo: Sara, via Google Maps
The stilt restaurants
The restaurants of Rach Vem are nhà bè: fish farms with a dining platform on top. You pick your fish, crab, squid or shellfish from the cages below and agree a price by weight. Ratings from Google Maps, October 2026:
- Nhà Trên Biển (Joy Adventures) — 4.7 from 583 reviews, open 8:00–18:30. Easy to find, with clear prices; also runs boats to Starfish Beach.
- Thu Bao — 4.5 from 282, open 8:00–17:00. At the end of a long wooden dock; known for its herring salad (gỏi cá trích).
- Nhà bè Xuân Thùy — 4.2 from 173. Along a 200-metre jetty, or by boat on the way back from Starfish Beach.
- Nhà bè Tình Yêu — 4.3 from 141. Out in the bay, with a free boat from the shore.
More on how to order, and other stilt restaurants around the island, in our floating restaurants guide.
Starfish Beach
The shallow, clear water at the eastern end of Rach Vem is where red cushion starfish gather on the sand. It is the reason most visitors come — and the subject of most of the complaints, mainly about boat prices and people lifting the starfish out of the water for photos. Read our Starfish Beach guide before you go: it explains how to get there on foot, what visitors paid for boats in 2026, and why you should never pick the starfish up.
The jetty at Nhà bè Xuân Thùy. Photo: Khôi Trần, via Google Maps
Boat trips and other things to do
- Fishing and snorkelling trips. Nhà Trên Biển runs a morning trip with traditional fishing, snorkelling and a beach barbecue, which several reviewers called the highlight of their holiday.
- Ngoc Hien Treasure — 4.9 from 113. A sea platform offshore where you can try “sea walking” with a helmet on the seabed, accompanied by divers, and open an oyster for a pearl. Usually sold as part of a north-island day tour.
- Bioluminescent plankton. On dark nights the water off Rach Vem is one of the places on the island where people have seen it glow; see bioluminescent plankton.
- The Ganh Dau trail is off the road in from Ganh Dau; see Ganh Dau trail.
Getting there
- By road: Rach Vem is about 23 km from Duong Dong — 50 to 60 minutes by car, because the last part is on narrow village roads. Grab cars rarely wait out here, so book a car for the round trip or ride your own motorbike. A couple who came from the Vinpearl Safari in April 2026 paid 600,000 dong for a car there and back, including two hours’ waiting.
- On a tour: most north-island day tours stop at Rach Vem for lunch and Starfish Beach.
- Boats: you will be offered a boat to Starfish Beach as soon as you arrive. Agree the full price, including the return trip and waiting time, before you get in.
Respect the village: ask before photographing people and their homes, and take your rubbish with you.
Compare Rach Vem with the island’s other fishing villages.
Ratings, review counts, opening hours, prices and visitor comments: Google Maps, 2026.
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