Phu Quoc International Airport (PQC/VVPQ) is the primary holiday island in Vietnam attracting tourists from mainly Europe, Asia and former CIS countries. The new airport opened in December 2012 and is able to handle all aircraft sizes (except A380s).

The year-round traffic mainly consists of Vietnamese domestic traffic, dominated by Vietnam Airlines’ A321s, as well as Vietjet A321s. But also limited operations of Bamboo Airways, Viettravel or VASCO can be seen. Second pillar is Korean holiday traffic operating with Korean Air, Jinair, Jeju, … and by the above mentioned Vietnamese airlines – but a significant part of this is operating during nighttime. Then some of the Asian Low Coster carriers are also there, such as Air Asia, HK Express, Starlux or Scoot amongst others.

During the winter months, most interesting traffic for sure is incoming charter traffic from Kasachstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia (later mostly during nighttime). Some of this traffic is not listed in the schedules, but can be seen several hours before on Flightradar: SCAT / Sunday Airlines, Air Astana and Air Samerkand are currently the biggest operators, beside LOT and World2Fly with Charters from Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Expect some heavy delays with this traffic, which can be to your (dis-)advantage.

Written by Stephan Weidenhiller Last Update: Februar 2025

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
10/28	3.000 m (9.843 ft) .- Asphalt
Terminal	One Terminal – Western Part Domestic, Eastern Part International
Spotting Information
Ladder	No needed at all marked spots
Car/Public Transport	There is a frequent public bus service running, but no experience of the actual usage. The use of “Grab” (SE-Asian Uber) is highly recommended, as price is set, destination defined and no discussions about where to go, some “short cuts” or the best bar in town. Only from spot #2 there were some challenges to get a Grab Car – details at the description of this spot.
Drinks/Food	No problems at spot #1 and #3. For spot #2 you need to bring everything.
Hotels	There are no dedicated airport hotels with runway or apron view, but only 10mins away there are plenty of options in all price and comfort categories.
Season	Year-round with high season during winter (Christmas and lunar new year). Temperatures and humidity are all year quite high. During summer months until November there is rainy season – more humidity and rainy days have to be expected.
Security	Not experienced any contact with local security at any point. But all spots are not directly at the airport perimeter.
Runway Usage
06/24	This is depending on the wind, but during the stay it could be observed that it takes quite a while until changes to the runway direction are performed after wind situation has changed. Opposite traffic was never observed.

	Spot #1 – Madame Keo Beach Bar – RWY 10 Approach
WHERE	This spot is a beach bar located directly on the beach. Arriving aircraft are about 1.000 metres before touchdown of RWY 10. It can be easily reached by Taxi/Grab and also transport from there is not a problem.
WHAT	Final approach on RWY10. Departures from 28 are quite high to photograph from the bar, but maybe going further down the beach to the south might be an option. Reading registartions is no problem at all.
TIME	Literally from sunrise to sunset.
MISC.	On the positive side is, that due to the fact that the aircraft is still over water when you take the photo, there is no issue with heat haze. The bar offers drinking and snack options. You can relax in the comfortable seats next to the beach, which also offer shade. Complimentary WiFi is available for radar tracking of incoming aircraft.
FOCAL LENGTH	180-350mm A330 = 200mm, B737-800 = 282mm

PQC-Spot1

PQC-Spot1

PQC-Spot1

	Spot #2 – Field – RWY28 Approach
WHERE	This spot is located 5 mins walking from the main street linking the island’s south with the north. From the main road walk till the end of the road and then continue along the airport fence to the east. After a couple of meters a field opens with only a few bushes. Walk as much back to the end of the field to optimise your angle. It was not an issue to get there by Taxi/Grab but going back to the hotel was a bit challenging. Grab drivers think due to the proximity to the terminal, you are a foreign tourist in the airport and accept your booking, but expect you in the terminal area. Check if the driver understands where you are and otherwise cancel the booking and launch a new ride request.
WHAT	Final approach RWY 28. The angle at this position is not perfect but due to the vegetation and power lines a better angle could not be found in the vicinity.
TIME	Literally from sunrise to sunset.
MISC.	As there are also some bushes and other plants in this field, as well as ants and other insects, good shoes and maybe long trousers are advised. On the main street there is a big multi storey building which says restaurant/ café on its roof, but it turned out to be an (abonded) construction site. If once finished this could be a good option.
FOCAL LENGTH	70-150mm, E195-E2= 132mm, A321 = 105mm

PQC-Spot2

PQC-Spot2

	Spot #3 – Terminal Building (Domestic Concourse) – Apron
WHERE	After security there are possibilities to take photos of aircraft at the stands and taxing-by. Unfortunately the windows are quite dirty from both sides. It is a challenge to find a properly cleaned window. A rubber lens shade helps to prevent reflections. At the western end of the concourse near Gate 2 it proved to be the best position in the domestic concourse of the terminal.
WHAT	Apron & taxiway. Distance to the runway is too far and heat haze prevents any photos.
TIME	Literally from sunrise to sunset.
MISC.	The WiFi of some food outlets is open, especially the one of Starbucks proved to be stable. Please be aware that boarding for all flights starts very soon and therefore also gate closure is earlier than Europeans might expect.
FOCAL LENGTH	100-200mm, A321= 175mm

PQC-Spot3

PQC-Spot3