Food & drink · Bai Thom

Sea Urchin & Herring Salad at Bai Thom Village Eateries

Bai Thom Village's handful of no-frills seafood shacks serve some of the most honest, freshest food on Phu Quoc — because the boats unload metres away and the menu is simply whatever the sea gave up that morning. Two dishes stand above the rest: raw herring salad and grilled sea urchin with lime.

The Two Dishes You Must Order

Bai Thom Beach is one of only two beaches on Phu Quoc where sea urchins are found close to shore in abundance, and local cooks know exactly what to do with them: halved and eaten raw with a squeeze of lime juice, or scooped and stirred into a rich, briny porridge that is deeply warming at any hour of the day.

Herring salad (gỏi cá trích) is Phu Quoc's most famous raw dish — thinly sliced fresh herring tossed with herbs, toasted peanuts, sesame rice crackers and a sharp lime-fish sauce dressing. It is an adventurous eat, but visitors who skip it consistently regret it.

The village eateries also serve reliable pho bo (beef noodle soup) and broken rice dishes for those who want something more familiar — portions are generous and prices are well below what you'd pay in the resort areas of the south.

The Fishing Village Atmosphere

Eating in Bai Thom Village means eating surrounded by the actual fishing community — nets drying on fences, boats pulled up on the beach, fishermen comparing catches over iced tea. It is the kind of meal that makes you feel like a traveller rather than a tourist.

If you catch your own fish or squid from a hired boat off Thom Beach, the local restaurants will cook it for you for a small fee — arguably the most satisfying way to eat on the entire island.