Phú Quốc SAR: What the Administrative Reorganization Means for Travelers
#AdministrativeReorganization
#SpecialAdministrativeRegion
#TravelerNotesPhú Quốc has been folded into Việt Nam’s nationwide administrative overhaul. The island has been designated a special administrative region and its former ward/commune units have been reorganized into lower-level hamlet units. In practice, locals still say “Dương Đông” and “An Thới”—and this Travelogue uses those names strictly as neighborhood reference points, not as current official units.
What Changed
National restructure: Việt Nam consolidated provinces and streamlined local government in mid-2025, eliminating some intermediate administrative layers and merging many wards/communes.
Phú Quốc’s status: elevated to Special Administrative Region (SAR), with its prior wards and communes reorganized into smaller hamlet-level units, and ward/commune names being deprecated for official use.
Former wards and communes are no longer used as official ward names under the new structure; they exist now as colloquial neighborhoods covering collections of hamlets. Because locals, hotels, and residents still use those names, this guide retains them for orientation.
Former Wards & Communes of Phú Quốc
Dương Đông ward - now 12 hamlets.
An Thới ward - now 10 hamlets.
Gành Dầu commune - now 3 hamlets.
Cửa Cạn commune - now 4 hamlets.
Bãi Thơm commune - now 4 hamlets.
Cửa Dương commune - now 8 hamlets.
Hàm Ninh commune - now 4 hamlets.
Dương Tơ commune - now 6 hamlets.
Thổ Châu commune - now a Special Administrative Region on its own.
Practical Takeaways for Travelers
Addresses & maps: Official documents may use hamlet-level names, but most locals and services still understand “Dương Đông” or “An Thới.”
Ride-hailing & delivery: Apps use landmarks, hotel names, and neighborhood terms by default—those are still safe bet reference points.
Hotels & tours: Many use legacy ward names in their published directions—these are still valid for navigation.
Government services: If you need anything official (police, hospital registration), staff will know the new hamlet covering your location—bring your booking and maps to clarify.