Khem Beach, Phu Quoc
The verdict
- Best for: Travellers who want calm, refined white sand in the south, happy to combine a gentle swim with the cable car and Sunset Town rather than a lively beach bar scene.
- Best spot: The public access stretch first thing, before the day trippers arrive, when the bay is glassy and the white sand and clear shallows are at their most photogenic.
- Know this: Much of the bay is fronted by resorts including the JW Marriott, so come early to the public section for parking and shade, or for an easy walk up scene try Bai Sao instead.
Published 19 April 2026. Last reviewed 26 May 2026
Khem is the south's quiet showpiece, a clean arc of fine white sand wrapped around clear, sheltered water, with the An Thoi hills rising behind. Part of its perfection is an accident of history, for the bay spent years as a restricted military beach, which kept the development and the crowds away long enough for the sand to stay genuinely pristine. As a composition it is among the most balanced beaches on the island, a simple curve of white, turquoise and green that photographs beautifully in the soft early light.
The honest read is that the beach you see in the photographs is now substantially spoken for. The reopening that made Khem accessible also brought the resorts, and the JW Marriott and Premier Village front large parts of the bay, so the experience is more managed than the open beaches further north. There is a genuine public access stretch with parking and seafood vendors, and it is lovely, but it is smaller than the whole sweep implies and fills with day trippers as the morning goes on. Khem rewards an early arrival as much as any beach on the island.
Treat it as the calm, refined half of a southern day rather than a beach to fight a crowd for. Come early for the public stretch while the bay is still glassy, take a gentle swim and a seafood lunch, then fold in the south's other draws, the Hon Thom cable car and the Sunset Town promenade nearby. If the resort frontage and the controlled feel are not what you are after, Bai Sao a short drive away offers the same brilliant white sand with a livelier, more open beach bar scene. Khem is the polished, peaceful option, at its best in the quiet hours.
Resort fronted white sand
Khem is resort beachfronts and a simple public stretch rather than an open club scene. Compare the island's clubs and service in our Phu Quoc beach clubs directory.
JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay
The JW Marriott fronts a large part of Bai Khem with a private white sand beach, pools, restaurants and bars set in its much photographed campus styled grounds. For a non guest it is a destination for a meal or a day pass rather than an open club, and whether day visitors are admitted and any pricing are to be confirmed. It sets the polished tone of this bay, and is best approached with a booking ahead in the dry season high months.
Premier Village Phu Quoc
Premier Village sits on the southern headland near Khem with its own beach frontage, pools and dining spread across the tip of the island. Like the Marriott it is a resort rather than a public club, so for a non guest it works as a place for a meal or a booked day rather than a walk up beach bar. Day access and any minimum spend are to be confirmed, so check ahead, particularly outside the busy dry season.
Khem lies in the south near An Thoi and Sunset Town, around an hour by road from Duong Dong town and a short hop from the Hon Thom cable car station. Most travellers arrive by taxi or scooter, and the public access stretch has its own parking and a line of simple seafood vendors. Aim to arrive early, because the public section is smaller than the whole bay suggests and its parking and shade fill quickly once the day warms.
Bring sun cover and water, and treat the seafood vendors and resort restaurants as your facilities, since open public amenities are limited. There are no public lifeguards reported, so check the sea before you swim, keep children close and treat conditions as typical rather than guaranteed. Combine a calm morning swim at Khem with the cable car and the An Thoi islands and you have the gentlest, most polished day in the south of Phu Quoc.
Reserve a calm day at Khem
Tell us the date and party and we will match you to a resort beach day, a seafood lunch or a quiet swim at Bai Khem and pass on your request. No obligation, and we reply within 24 hours.
Common questions
What is Khem Beach Phu Quoc known for?
Bai Khem, or Khem Beach, is a softly curving bay of fine white sand and calm, clear water in the south of the island near An Thoi. It was a restricted military beach for years, which is part of why the sand stayed so pristine, and it is now one of the most photographed shores on Phu Quoc. The catch is that much of the bay is fronted by resorts, the JW Marriott among them, so the look is gorgeous but the access is more controlled than the open beaches.
Can you visit Khem Beach without staying at a resort?
Yes, there is a public access stretch with parking and simple seafood vendors, so you do not need to be a resort guest to enjoy the white sand. The resort fronted sections, including the JW Marriott end, are more controlled, and whether their beach clubs and restaurants admit day visitors is best confirmed ahead. Arrive early on the public stretch, because parking and the best patches of shade fill quickly once the day warms up.
Is Khem Beach good for swimming?
It is one of the calmer swims on the island. The bay is sheltered and the water shelves gently into clear, usually settled shallows, which makes for easy bathing on a dry season day. There are no public lifeguards reported, conditions are typical rather than guaranteed, and the wet season can change the picture, so read the sea, keep children close and never swim a rough or rising sea. Mornings tend to be calmest and clearest.
Is Khem Beach better than Bai Sao?
They are close in beauty and serve different moods. Both have brilliant white sand and calm water, but Bai Sao is busier with boat tours and beach bars, while Khem is quieter, more polished and more resort controlled. If you want a calm, refined day on white sand and do not mind the resort frontage, Khem often feels less hectic than Bai Sao at midday. If you want lively beach bars and an easy walk up scene, Bai Sao has more of that energy.
What is near Khem Beach?
Khem sits in the south near An Thoi and Sunset Town, so it pairs naturally with the Hon Thom cable car, one of the longest sea crossing cable cars in the world, and the Sunset Town promenade and Kiss Bridge. A full southern day might combine the cable car and the An Thoi islands with a calm swim and a seafood lunch at Khem, ideally with the beach itself saved for the gentler morning or late afternoon light.
When is the best time to visit Khem Beach?
The dry season from November to April brings the calmest, clearest water and the brightest light on the white sand. Within the day, early morning is the time to come, before the day trippers arrive on the public stretch and while the bay is still glassy and quiet. The wet season from May to October can bring choppier water and washed up debris, so the southern dry months are the reliable window for the postcard version.
