Sunset Town

Picture a sliver of the Mediterranean grafted onto the southern tip of Phú Quốc island: a 75-metre clock tower inspired by the campanile of St Mark's in Venice, sun-coloured facades spilling downhill to the sea — and all of it just a few years old. Sunset Town (Thị trấn Hoàng Hôn) has no past of its own to preserve. Sun Group built its sixty-plus structures from nothing at An Thới, dressed in the costume of an old Europe. So the heritage question here runs backwards: not what this place kept, but what it borrowed — a King of the Sun fountain cast by the Frilli workshop in Italy, a bridge drawn by the Italian architect Marco Casamonti.

A Town That Borrowed Its Past

That bridge — Cầu Hôn, the Kiss Bridge, opened at the end of 2023 — is the town's one new idea about a very old thing: two arms reaching a combined 800 metres over the water and stopping exactly 30 centimetres short of touching, the gap calculated so that the sunset of New Year's Day falls precisely between the tips. Because the only genuinely old thing here is the sunset itself, and the whole town is built facing it. One piece of Vietnamese heritage sits inside the borrowed shell too: the À Ơi theatre stages rối nước — traditional Vietnamese water puppetry — right beside the sea, and a free puppet performance joins the evening line-up on the beach, on the operator's schedule.

But this town only lives half a day. Before mid-afternoon the sloping streets are nearly empty, with little shade and many shops still shut — a visitor in 2025 found hollow buildings with shopfront decals pasted over their facades, and the operator itself suggests arriving from about four in the afternoon. Then the place wakes with the sun: busiest in the final minutes before sunset, when people climb the Kiss Bridge to claim a spot; after dark come the VUI-Fest Bazaar night market with its forty-odd stalls, free performances around town, and the Kiss of the Sea show on a stage built over the sea — sixty performers, fire, water, lasers, a fireworks finale, every night except Tuesday. When the show ends, the town empties out.

So how much would you pay for a sunset? There is a genuinely free tier here: strolling the streets, watching the sun go down, browsing the night market — no gate ticket. Payment is item by item: the cable car to Hòn Thơm island includes a water park and Kiss Bridge access, while the evening show sells its own ticket with limited seats, so book ahead. Stack everything into one day and the cost sits at the high end for Vietnamese attractions — several restaurant meals' worth. And a few things the ticket page won't volunteer: food inside the town runs pricier than the Phú Quốc norm, and An Thới next door is cheaper; on windy days the Kiss Bridge can stop admitting visitors for safety, so a ticket doesn't guarantee you'll stand on it; and the last cable car leaves the island by late afternoon — miss it and you're down to a boat. The dry months from around November to April are this town's season; mid-year brings the rain, and every stage here is open to the sky. A town with no past, wearing a borrowed memory, waiting each evening for the one old thing it owns — would you want to watch it do that, just once?

Enough to decide whether to go

What it is

A Mediterranean-styled tourism town built and run by Sun Group, 60+ structures; the town itself is free to enter — no gate ticket

Where

An Thới, southern Phú Quốc island — about 25 minutes from the airport, 40 from Dương Đông town; free Sun World shuttle bus available

Hòn Thơm cable car fare

Round trip 850,000 VND for adults and anyone over 1.4m tall; 700,000 VND for children 1–1.4m; under 1m free — includes Aquatopia water park, Exotica village, Bãi Trào beach and Santo Beach Club on Hòn Thơm island, plus Kiss Bridge access (fares effective 01/01/2026, verified 02/09/2026)

Kiss of the Sea show

9:00–9:30pm nightly except Tuesdays; separate ticket, about 5,000 seats, book ahead at ticket.kissofthesea.com.vn (verified 02/09/2026)

How long

Half a day to an evening for the town alone (from about 4pm until after the show); a full day if you add Hòn Thơm island in the morning

Know before you go

Last cable car back from the island usually around 5:00–5:30pm depending on season, and schedules shift with weather — check sunworld.vn or the hotline first (verified 02/09/2026); on windy days the Kiss Bridge may stop admitting visitors