# Phu Quoc Prison (Coconut Tree Prison) > Phu Quoc Prison, known as the Coconut Tree Prison (Nhà tù Phú Quốc), is a former prison in the south of the island, now a special national monument and open-air museum with barracks behind barbed wire, watchtowers, an exhibition hall and a memorial. Entry is free. It's open daily with a lunch break, roughly 7:30–11:30 and 13:30–17:00. Allow 1–1.5 hours; it's 35–40 minutes from Duong Dong. Web page: https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phu-quoc/phu-quoc-prison - City: [Phu Quoc](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phu-quoc), Vietnam - YesGo score: 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h - With kids: Better without small kids - Entry: Free for all visitors - Hours: Daily 7:30–11:30 and 13:30–17:00, closed at lunchtime - Address: 350 Nguyễn Văn Cừ, An Thoi — on road ĐT46 heading south - Guide: Optional, around 100,000–200,000 VND per group; signs at every section - Parking: In front of the gate; scooters around 5,000 VND - Dress: Modest — this is a memorial site - Children: Graphic, lifelike exhibits — not suitable for young children - Coordinates: 10.04379, 104.01879 - Facts checked: 08.11.2026 ## Key facts - **Free** — entry for every visitor, no tickets (source: Jungle Boss Tours, MIA.vn and Vietnam Airlines guides; Sun Paradise Land) - **2014** — the site was listed as a special national monument (Decision No. 2408/QĐ-TTg) (source: Tuổi Trẻ — monument profile; Jungle Boss Tours guide) - **2 sessions** — a day: roughly 7:30–11:30 in the morning and 13:30–17:00 in the afternoon (source: Jungle Boss Tours guide; Vinpearl (MIA.vn says from 8:00)) - **1–1.5 hours** — covers the exhibition hall, the barracks area and the memorial (source: Jungle Boss Tours and MIA.vn guides) - **350** — Nguyễn Văn Cừ — the street number on road ĐT46 in An Thoi (source: Tuổi Trẻ; MIA.vn and Vietnam Airlines guides) - **≈ 26 km** — by road from Dinh Cau Shrine in Duong Dong (source: OpenStreetMap; OSRM route) - **≈ 3.6 km** — to Kiss Bridge in Sunset Town — about 10 minutes by car (source: OpenStreetMap; OSRM route) - **Signs** — explain every section, so a guide isn't essential (source: MIA.vn guide) ## Opening hours and entrance fee **Entry is free** for everyone — every guide we checked agrees. The museum has no official website, so hours come from travel guides: daily, including weekends and holidays, **roughly 7:30–11:30 and 13:30–17:00**. Some give an 8:00 start, others 7:30, but all agree it **closes over lunch**. The site occasionally shuts for maintenance, so if you're making a special trip, check with your hotel. The only costs are an optional guide (around 100,000–200,000 VND per group, unofficial) and scooter parking at the gate. Bring cash in dong. > **Graphic exhibits — not for young children** This is a memorial site. Lifelike, full-size figures and reconstructions of prison conditions make for a heavy visit. It's not suitable for young children, and it's worth preparing teenagers beforehand. Dress modestly, keep your voice down, don't touch the figures or exhibits, and don't pose for photos at the memorial. ## What is the Coconut Tree Prison? **The Coconut Tree Prison** (Nhà lao Cây Dừa) is the name commonly used for the former Phu Quoc Prison in An Thoi, in the south of the island. Today it's a **special national monument** — a status granted in 2014 — and an open-air museum. Vietnamese visitors come here as a place of remembrance; for foreign travellers it's a very different side of an island otherwise known for beaches and resorts. The museum is laid out as a route: an exhibition hall with photographs and documents, then the grounds with barracks behind rows of barbed wire and watchtowers, sections with reconstructions, and finally a memorial. Signs explain each section, and guides are available at the entrance. ## What to see - **The exhibition hall** by the entrance — photographs, documents and objects; the best place to start. - **The barracks area** — numbered corrugated-metal barracks behind rows of barbed wire. - **Watchtowers and fences**, kept or rebuilt to the original layout. - **Reconstruction sections** with full-size figures — the most difficult part of the visit. - **The memorial**, with an altar, a wall of names and an eternal flame — a place for quiet. ## How to get to Phu Quoc Prison 1. **From Dinh Cau Shrine and the night market in Duong Dong** it's about 26 km south by road — 35–40 minutes by Grab or taxi. Search for "Nhà tù Phú Quốc" or "Phu Quoc Prison"; Grab shows the fare upfront. 2. **From Phu Quoc International Airport (PQC)** it's about 20 minutes by taxi (unofficial). 3. **By scooter**, follow road ĐT46 (Nguyễn Văn Cừ street) south towards An Thoi; the entrance is on the road, with parking in front of the gate. 4. Start in the exhibition hall, then follow the signs through the grounds to the memorial. 5. From here it's 3.6 km to [Sunset Town and Kiss Bridge](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phu-quoc/phu-quoc-sunset-town), about 10 minutes by car, or head on to [Sao Beach](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phu-quoc/sao-beach). ## How long do you need, and when should you go? **1–1.5 hours** is enough; around two with a guide. Go **between 8:00 and 9:30** or **after 14:00**, when it's cooler — the grounds have very little shade. Don't plan to arrive between 11:30 and 13:30, when it's closed for lunch. In the rainy season, roughly May to October, bring an umbrella, as you walk outdoors between sections. The museum fits neatly into a day in the south — before the Hon Thom cable car in the morning or before sunset at Sunset Town. ## Is Phu Quoc Prison worth visiting? Yes, if you're interested in history and ready for a heavy visit: it's free, on the way to the south of the island, and in an hour you'll see a side of Phu Quoc that the beaches don't show. The YesGo take: this isn't an attraction or a photo stop. If you're on a family beach holiday with small children, or simply don't want something this sombre on your trip, skipping it is fine. If you go, come in the morning, take your time and consider a guide — without explanations a lot remains unclear. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Modest clothing - [ ] Not arriving between 11:30 and 13:30 — lunch closure - [ ] Water and a hat; an umbrella in the rainy season - [ ] Cash in dong for a guide and parking - [ ] Remember: graphic exhibits — no young children - [ ] Next stop planned — Sunset Town or Sao Beach ## History on Phu Quoc: compare and choose Historic sites on Phu Quoc rated by YesGo. - [Coconut Tree Prison](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phu-quoc/phu-quoc-prison) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free ## Southern Phu Quoc in one day The Hon Thom cable car in the morning, Phu Quoc Prison on the way, Sao Beach in the afternoon and Sunset Town for the evening. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Hon Thom Cable Car](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phu-quoc/hon-thom-cable-car) — YesGo score 19/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · 850,000 VND return 2. [Coconut Tree Prison](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phu-quoc/phu-quoc-prison) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free 3. [Sao Beach](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phu-quoc/sao-beach) — YesGo score 24/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free; sunbeds extra 4. [Sunset Town](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phu-quoc/phu-quoc-sunset-town) — YesGo score 25/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free entry; bridge and shows paid ## Good to know Don't confuse it with the prison on Con Dao island or Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi. On maps it appears as Nhà tù Phú Quốc, Phu Quoc Prison or Coconut Tree Prison. ## Tips - Start in the exhibition hall — the grounds make more sense afterwards. - Take a guide at the gate, or at least read the signs at each section. - Arrive at opening — the grounds get hot by midday, and it closes for lunch at 11:30. - Keep quiet and skip selfies at the memorial. - Afterwards, head to Sunset Town, about 10 minutes away by car. ## Questions ### What are Phu Quoc Prison's opening hours? Daily, roughly 7:30–11:30 and 13:30–17:00, closed at lunchtime. There's no official website; these hours come from travel guides. ### Is there an entrance fee at Phu Quoc Prison? No, entry is free. You only pay for an optional guide and parking. ### Where is the Coconut Tree Prison? In An Thoi in the south of the island, at 350 Nguyễn Văn Cừ on road ĐT46 — about 26 km from Duong Dong and 3.6 km from Sunset Town. ### How do I get to Phu Quoc Prison? From Duong Dong, 35–40 minutes by Grab or taxi; from the airport about 20 minutes. Search for "Nhà tù Phú Quốc". ### How long do you need at Phu Quoc Prison? 1–1.5 hours, or around two with a guide. ### Is Phu Quoc Prison suitable for children? Not for young children: the grounds include lifelike figures and graphic reconstructions. Prepare teenagers beforehand. ### Do I need a guide? It isn't essential — every section has signs. A guide at the gate costs around 100,000–200,000 VND per group (unofficial). ### What should I wear? Modest clothing, as at any memorial. A hat and water help — there's little shade. ## How we checked The museum has no official website or published timetable, so entry and hours are marked unofficial. Free entry is confirmed by Jungle Boss Tours, MIA.vn, Vietnam Airlines and Sun Paradise Land; one English-language guide mentions a token fee that the others don't support. Hours: Jungle Boss Tours and Vinpearl give 7:30–11:30 and 13:30–17:00, MIA.vn starts at 8:00; we show approximate hours with the lunch break. Parking: Jungle Boss Tours says paid (5,000 VND for scooters), Vietnam Airlines says free; marked unofficial. Guide prices are unofficial. The monument status and Decision 2408/QĐ-TTg are from Tuổi Trẻ. Airport travel time is from Vietnam Airlines and Jungle Boss Tours. Distances are from OpenStreetMap and an OSRM route. In line with YesGo policy, the page covers only what you need to visit, not the site's history. ## Sources - Tuổi Trẻ — profile of the special national monument "Trại giam Phú Quốc": status, Decision 2408/QĐ-TTg of 31.12.2014, address - Jungle Boss Tours guide — entry, hours by session, guides, parking, time needed, best time - MIA.vn guide — entry, hours, guides, signage, dress, visitor conduct - Vietnam Airlines travel guide (Vietnamese edition) — entry, visit route, memorial, travel time - Sun Paradise Land — free entry - OpenStreetMap — coordinates of the museum, Kiss Bridge and Dinh Cau Shrine; OSRM route — distances and times - Wikidata Q10800918 - YesGo general facts for Vietnam — cash and Grab --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.