Phú Quốc

Phú Quốc (known as Koh Tral by Cambodians) is the largest island currently administered by Vietnam, although the island is the subject of territorial disputes between Vietnam and Cambodia (see History). Situated in the Gulf of Thailand, the island is part of Kiên Giang province. The district of Phú Quốc includes the island proper and 21 smaller islets. The district seat, Dương Đông, which is located on the west coast, is also the largest town on this island, whose total area is 574 km².

Geography

Located in the Gulf of Thailand, Phú Quốc island lies convert|62|nmi|km from Rạch Giá and nearly 290 nautical miles (540 km) from Laem Chabang, Thailand. Roughly triangular in shape the island is 50 km long north to south and 25 km east to west in the north at its widest.

A mountainous ridge of "99 peaks" runs the length of Phú Quốc with Chúa Mountain (603 m) being the tallest.

The island's monsoonal sub-equatorial climate is characterized by distinct rainy (June to November) and dry seasons (December to May). The annual rainfall is high averaging 2,879 mm. In the northern mountains up to 4,000 mm have been recorded. April and May are the hottest months with temperature reaching 35 °C.

Economy

Phu Quoc is famous for its two traditional products: fish sauce and black pepper. The rich fishing grounds offshore provides the anchovy catch from which the prized sauce is made. Pepper cultivation is located inland in the center of the island. More recently a pearl farm was established.

Tourism plays an important part of the economy with the beaches being the main attraction. Phu Quoc is served by Phu Quoc Airport which air links to Saigon's Tan Son Nhat Airport and Rach Gia's Rach Gia Airport. A new international airport is going to be built here. Phu Quoc is also linked with Rach Gia and Hà Tiên by fast ferry hydrofoils.

History

The island's history is as old as any Asian mainland. An 1856 record mentions the island: "... King Ang Duong (of Cambodia) apprise Mr. de Montigny, French envoy in visit to Bangkok, through the intermediary of Bishop Miche, his intention to yield Koh Tral to France (cf. “The Second [French] Empire of IndoChina”)". Such a proposition aimed to create a military alliance with France to avoid the threat of Vietnam on Cambodia. The proposal did not receive an answer from the French.

While the war between Annam, France, and Spain was about to begin, Ang Duong sent another letter to Napoleon III to warn him on Cambodian claims on the lower Cochinchina region: the Cambodian king listed provinces and islands, including Koh Tral, under Vietnamese occupation since several years or decades (in the case of Saigon, for 200 years, following this letter). Ang Duong asked the French emperor to not annex any part of these territories because, as he wrote, despite this relatively long Vietnamese occupation, they remain Cambodian lands.

On May 25, 1874, the island was placed under French protectorate and together with Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos to form what was called French Indochina.

After Cambodia obtained independence from France, there have been disputes over the sovereignty of the island, since no colonial decision on the latter remains. In 1939, the general-governor of French Indochina, Jules Brévié drew a line to define the administrative responsibilities on the gulf islands: north of the line, the islands will be administrated by the Cambodian protectorate, and south of the line, by the colony of Cochinchina. Brévié underline that such a statement only concerns police and administrative task, and that no sovereignty decision have been made. At least, the line let Phu Quoc island under Cochinchina administration. Phu Quoc has been a sleepy historical backwater most of its life. The temple on Cau rock was built in 1937. During the Vietnam War the island housed South Vietnam's largest prisoner of war campFact|date=October 2008. On Monday, April 30, 1975, the day a tank crashed though the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon, 5,000 fisherman and farmers on Phu Quoc went about their daily business.

In 1967, during the Sangkum Reastr Niyum, Norodom sihanouk aimed to make the border internationally recognized; in particular, in 1967, the North Vietnamese government and the FNL (south vientnamese rebels) recognize theses borders. As written in an article from "Kambudja" magazine in 1968 (and quoted in the Sihanouk website), entitled "border questions", this border definition recognize that Phu Quoc island is in Vietnamese territory, even if Cambodian claims have been made later.

On May 1, 1975, a team of Khmer Rouge soldiers raided and took Phu Quoc Island. Hanoi soon retook the island but a new war had begun. The Vietnam-Cambodia War missed the headlines, but a series of incursions and counter incursions eventually escalated to the capture Phnom Penh by Vietnamese forces in 1979.

Despite the world applauding the overthrow of Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge resistance fought on through a bloody guerrilla campaign. Vietnamese troops held the cities while the Khmer Rouge controlled the rural areas. Phu Quoc became a major military stronghold over 50,000 military housed in bases over the north of the island. The struggle did not end until Vietnam withdrew its troops in the late 1980s. Compared to the 2m+ killed in the Vietnam War, the body count was small, estimated at 30,000 on each side. Tensions along the border continued into the early 1990s but have eased from then.

External links

*wikitravel
* [http://www.mysherpa.info/phuquoc/index.cfm Locally published visitor guide book]
* [http://www.phuquocmap.info Phu Quoc map with Long Beach Hotels]
* [http://www.discoverphuquoc.com Phu Quoc Island - Everything you need to know]
* [http://www.vietnam-culture.com/photogallery-27-1/Phu-Quoc.aspx Phu Quoc Island photo gallery]
* [http://www.daongoc.com Emerald Island]
* [http://www.virtourist.com/asia/vietnam/phu-quoc Virtual tour of the island]
* [http://www.diadanh.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=562694 Phu Quoc view from satellite]