Rach Vem fishing village is a hamlet of roughly 200 households on the north coast of Phu Quoc, about 20 to 25 km from Duong Dong. Family homes stand on wooden stilts along the shore, and wooden raft houses float 200 to 400 metres out, reached by plank walkways and small boats. Most families still fish, and a cooperative formed in 2018 raises cobia and grouper in cages under the rafts.
The village charges no entry fee. Many raft houses now double as seafood restaurants, so a visit usually means a walk along the shore, lunch over the water and the starfish in the shallows nearby.
Walk Rach Vem before the lunch crowd arrives
Your guide takes you through the village in the quiet morning hours, then a private boat runs out past the rafts to the starfish sandbar. Free cancellation up to 3 days before.
★Starfish Beach Private Morning TourRach Vem by private boat before the crowds, a swim at the starfish sandbar and seafood lunch over the water. · About 5.5 hoursSee the tour →North Phu Quoc Private Day: Starfish Beach to SunsetStarfish Beach by private boat, lunch on the water, Ganh Dau Cape, the Cua Can mangroves by kayak and a west-coast sunset. · About 10 hoursSee the tour →What is Rach Vem fishing village?
Rach Vem is a fishing hamlet in the far north of Phu Quoc, on the stretch of coast now known to visitors as Starfish Beach. Rach Vem sits at the end of the new concrete Suoi Cai to Rach Vem road, which opened in March 2025, and the drive from Duong Dong takes 40 to 60 minutes. The full route is in our guide on how to get to Rach Vem.
Reports put the population of Rach Vem at roughly 180 to 200 households. In 2020 VnExpress described the residents as mostly fishermen and divers whose daily work is catching seafood and supplying the restaurants around them. That description still fits the village today.
Until 30 June 2025 Rach Vem was a hamlet of Ganh Dau commune. Since 1 July 2025 the whole island has been a single special zone of An Giang province, so the official address is now Rach Vem, Phu Quoc special zone. Our article on the Phu Quoc special zone explains what the change means for visitors.
Tourism at Rach Vem grew from the residents themselves rather than from a developer. A 2023 report in Bao Can Tho called the village’s tourist services spontaneous and simple, and that is still what a visitor finds: family-run rafts, small boats and no resort.
Stilt houses, raft houses and plank walkways
Rach Vem is built in two layers. On land, wooden houses line the shore, many of them raised on stilts above the tide line. Out on the water, a row of wooden raft houses floats between 200 and 400 metres from the beach, and that row is the view most photographs of the village show.
A raft house at Rach Vem is a wooden platform on floats, with a roofed living space, fish cages hanging underneath and, on many rafts, tables for visitors. Wooden plank walkways run out from the shore toward some rafts, and small wooden boats ferry people to the others.
| Structure | Where it is | What it is used for |
|---|---|---|
| Stilt house | Along the shoreline | Family homes, above the tide line |
| Raft house | 200-400 m offshore | Homes, fish cages and seafood restaurants |
| Plank walkway | From the shore toward the rafts | Getting between houses on foot |
| Small wooden boat | Beached by the village | Ferrying people to rafts, the sandbar and Ham Rong Cape |
The raft houses are working structures, not a museum. Fish are fed in the cages and boats come and go from early morning. A visitor sees Rach Vem best by looking at the rafts as the places where families live and earn, rather than as a backdrop.
How the village makes a living: fishing and fish cages
Fishing is still the base of life at Rach Vem. Families work nets from small boats close to the coast, some residents dive for seafood, and squid is caught at night. The catch goes to the raft restaurants in the village.
Fish farming in cages is the newer income. In 2018, 33 households in Rach Vem formed an aquaculture cooperative that raises cobia and grouper in cages under the rafts, according to VietnamPlus and Bao Kien Giang in August 2023. The cooperative also runs a raft restaurant and boats for visitors, and its director reported a profit of about 300 to 400 million VND a year from combining sea farming with tourism.
For a visitor, the cages explain how lunch works at Rach Vem. The fish on the table often comes out of a cage a few metres from where you sit, weighed and priced by the kilo. Some rafts let guests watch the fish being fed or throw in feed themselves.
Tourism is the newest source of income in the village. Boat trips to the starfish sandbar and Ham Rong Cape, seafood lunches and parking all bring money to Rach Vem families, which is one reason tourism now shapes daily life in the village.
How to visit Rach Vem with respect
Rach Vem is a place where people live, so the ordinary rules of visiting someone’s home apply. Ask before photographing people, children or the inside of a house, stay off private rafts unless invited, and keep drones and loud music away from homes.
The starfish in the shallows by the village are wild animals, not props. Look at them and photograph them where they lie, and never lift one out of the water. Our guide to seeing the starfish without harming them explains why, and the red cushion starfish article covers what species you are looking at.
Agree prices before you use anything. Boats are charged mostly per person, roughly 150,000 to 300,000 VND return as of September 2026, and seafood is sold by the kilo, so ask the price per kilo before anything is cooked. Some visitors reported overcharging at raft houses in late 2025. The full breakdown is in Rach Vem costs.
Timing changes the feel of the village. Mornings are quiet, with boats going out and families at work. Group tours usually reach Rach Vem around midday for lunch, and the raft restaurants mainly serve lunch and wind down by late afternoon. For the wider picture of the area, start with our Rach Vem Beach visitor guide.
If you want someone to explain what you are looking at
A licensed local guide walks the village with you, then a private boat takes you past the rafts to the sandbar and Ham Rong Cape.
Starfish Beach Private Morning TourAbout 5.5 hoursSee the tour →North Phu Quoc Private Day: Starfish Beach to SunsetAbout 10 hoursSee the tour →Rach Vem fishing village: common questions
Where is Rach Vem fishing village?
Rach Vem fishing village is on the north coast of Phu Quoc, about 20 to 25 km from Duong Dong, or 40 to 60 minutes by road. Rach Vem is the village behind the stretch of coast known as Starfish Beach.
Is there an entrance fee to Rach Vem village?
No. Rach Vem village and the beach are free to enter. Visitors pay only for what they use, such as a boat to the sandbar, a meal at a raft house or parking.
Do people still fish at Rach Vem?
Yes. Fishing, diving and night squid fishing remain the main work in Rach Vem, alongside fish farming in cages and serving visitors on the raft houses.
What fish are farmed at Rach Vem?
The Rach Vem aquaculture cooperative, formed by 33 households in 2018, raises cobia and grouper in cages under the raft houses. Some of that fish is served at the raft restaurants.
When is Rach Vem village least busy?
Rach Vem is quietest in the early morning, before group tours arrive around midday for lunch. The raft restaurants are busiest from late morning to early afternoon.
A morning in Rach Vem, rafts and boat included
We collect you at your hotel, reach the village before the tour buses and take a private boat out past the rafts. Lunch on a raft house is included.
★Starfish Beach Private Morning TourRach Vem by private boat before the crowds, a swim at the starfish sandbar and seafood lunch over the water. · About 5.5 hoursfrom$63/ person›
Choose your group size · price is the group totalSolo traveller$175BOOK →2 guests$200BOOK →3 guests$225BOOK →4 guests$250BOOK →See the full tour page →North Phu Quoc Private Day: Starfish Beach to SunsetStarfish Beach by private boat, lunch on the water, Ganh Dau Cape, the Cua Can mangroves by kayak and a west-coast sunset. · About 10 hoursfrom$91/ person›
Choose your group size · price is the group totalSolo traveller$255BOOK →2 guests$295BOOK →3 guests$330BOOK →4 guests$365BOOK →See the full tour page →Village details, boat fares and rules as of September 2026.