Last updated: 18 October 2026.
If Phu Quoc is on your 2027 list, plan around Leaders’ Week, expected in November, when Phu Quoc APEC 2027 brings 10,000 to 12,000 attendees to the south of the island. Exact dates are not yet announced, but hotels near Bai Dat Do will hold rooms for delegations and nearby roads will likely see controls. Come from May for the new terminal and roads, or from December for the light rail too. The milestone table further down shows what opens when.
What APEC Is and Why Phu Quoc Is Hosting in 2027
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, is a regional economic forum founded in 1989. It brings together 21 member economies, from Australia, China and Japan to the United States and Viet Nam. Each year one member hosts a run of ministerial and business meetings that ends with the Economic Leaders’ Meeting, the week most people mean by an APEC summit.
Phu Quoc APEC 2027 will be the third time Vietnam has hosted, after Hanoi in 2006 and Da Nang in 2017, and the first time the island has held the leaders’ week. Local planning puts attendance at 10,000 to 12,000 people. That includes leaders and delegations from all 21 economies, about 2,000 businesses and around 3,000 reporters.
The week usually combines several meetings in one place, from the foreign and trade ministers’ meeting and the APEC CEO Summit for business leaders to the leaders’ meeting itself. On Phu Quoc they will all run in the new complex in the south, which explains why so much of the building work sits within a few kilometres of An Thoi.
Phu Quoc was confirmed as host in January 2025, when Vietnam’s state president announced the choice during a visit to the island. Official coverage pointed to its open visa policy, air links, tourism infrastructure and landscapes. It also pointed to growth: in the first nine months of 2025 Phu Quoc received more than 6.5 million visitors, including about 1.2 million from abroad.
When APEC 2027 Leaders’ Week Is Expected
Phu Quoc APEC 2027 Leaders’ Week is expected in November 2027 and to last about seven days, but the exact dates have not yet been published. Vietnam’s National Committee for APEC 2027 met on Phu Quoc on 28 January 2026. It has asked for the schedule to be coordinated with other regional summits held around the same time of year.
Until the dates are announced, treat the whole of November 2027 as the summit month. Da Nang, the last host city in Vietnam, held its Leaders’ Week from 6 to 11 November 2017, which shows how early in the month the meetings can fall. These are the milestones already on the calendar:
- By the end of 2026: exterior works finished on the convention centre and theatre
- 30 and 31 March 2027: target dates for finishing the theatre and convention centre interiors
- April 2027: first phase of the expanded Phu Quoc International Airport expected to open
- Second quarter of 2027: DT.975 road and APEC Avenue due for completion
- July 2027: light-rail test runs; commercial service from November 2027
- November 2027: APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, exact dates to be announced
The APEC Complex at Bai Dat Do
The Phu Quoc APEC 2027 venue rises at Bai Dat Do, on the southern coast near An Thoi, and is being built by Sun Group. Three of its parts matter most to visitors.
Convention and Exhibition Centre and Its 11,050 m2 Ballroom
The APEC Convention and Exhibition Centre has 153,130 square metres of floor space over a basement, three floors and a technical level, and stands 39.25 metres tall. Its roof is shaped like rolling ocean waves. The main ballroom covers 11,050 square metres with a clear span of 81 metres, with no columns breaking up the room.
By September 2026 the frame and roof were closing in, with the exterior due for completion in the last quarter of the year and the interiors on 31 March 2027. Reported capacity is up to 10,000 people for a single event. The investment is put at about VND 21.9 trillion (about USD 860 million).
After the summit, the developer plans to keep the centre running as a venue for conferences, exhibitions and large cultural events. Banquet halls, exhibition space and a dinner-show area sit alongside the ballroom, giving the south of the island a convention centre it has never had.
The 4,030-Seat Multi-Purpose Theatre
Next to the convention centre stands the APEC multi-purpose theatre, with 54,680 square metres of floor space over six floors and a basement. Its auditorium seats 4,030, and it is planned as the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies.
The design pairs a round theatre with the square convention centre, an old Vietnamese image of a round sky over a square earth. The shell is patterned on dragon scales, and the 50 columns holding up the roof refer to the legend of the 50 children who followed their father to the sea. Interiors are due to be finished on 30 March 2027.
APEC Avenue and the New Hotel District
APEC Avenue, about 3 km long with four to six lanes and 8-metre pavements, links the main buildings and is due for completion in the second quarter of 2027. Alongside it, the Bai Dat Do mixed-use urban area covers about 88.4 hectares and is planned for high-rise buildings, international hotels and shops.
Further hotel stock is coming at Nui Ong Quan, where a mixed-use area of over 21 hectares is expected to add about 5,200 serviced apartments. Few of these new rooms will be open long before the summit. Most visitors in 2027 will still stay at resorts already operating in the south of the island.
Airport, Rail and Road Upgrades You Will Notice
The summit has pulled forward the island’s biggest transport projects, part of 21 government-listed works worth about VND 137 trillion (about USD 5.4 billion). Most of them will be open, or close to it, before Leaders’ Week begins.
Runway 2 and the New T2 Terminal
Phu Quoc International Airport’s second runway, 3,300 metres long and 45 metres wide, was finished in late July 2026 after eight months of work and has already handled calibration flights. Built to ICAO Code E, it can take wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 787, Boeing 777 and Airbus A350.
The new T2 passenger terminal, designed around the image of a phoenix, is the centre of a wider expansion that Vietnam News puts at about VND 22 trillion (about USD 870 million) across 1,050 hectares. Its first phase is expected to open in April 2027 and is designed for 20 to 24 million passengers a year by 2030. A separate 9,890-square-metre VIP terminal will receive delegations of up to 300 people.
Read more: Phu Quoc Airport
The Airport-to-South-Island Light Rail
Phu Quoc’s first light-rail line will run 17.59 km from the airport to the APEC area along the centre of the DT.975 road, with six stations whose architecture draws on the three regions of Vietnam. The trip is expected to take about 20 minutes, with capacity for more than 4,500 passengers an hour.
Track-laying on the light rail began in September 2026. The line is due to start test runs in July 2027 and open to paying passengers from November 2027, just in time for the summit, and the operator is studying contactless card payment at the gates.
DT.975, the 10-Lane North-South Road
The DT.975 provincial road is being rebuilt as a 62-metre-wide, 10-lane avenue running north to south, with the light rail along its central strip. Due in the second quarter of 2027, it should cut drive times from the airport and Duong Dong to the southern resorts and Sunset Town.
The table below sums up what is due to open and when. All dates are targets and can move.
| Project | Key figures | Expected |
|---|---|---|
| Airport runway 2 | 3,300 m by 45 m, Code E | Built July 2026, in use date to be announced |
| T2 terminal, phase 1 | 20 to 24 million passengers a year by 2030 | April 2027 |
| VIP terminal | 9,890 m2, delegations of up to 300 | Interiors by March 2027 |
| DT.975 road | 10 lanes, 62 m wide | Second quarter of 2027 |
| APEC Avenue | About 3 km, 4 to 6 lanes | Second quarter of 2027 |
| Convention centre | 153,130 m2, 11,050 m2 ballroom | Interiors by 31 March 2027 |
| Multi-purpose theatre | 4,030 seats | Interiors by 30 March 2027 |
| Light rail | 17.59 km, 6 stations, about 20 minutes | Tests July 2027, service November 2027 |
What the Summit Means for Visitors
For leisure travellers, Phu Quoc APEC 2027 is mostly a question of timing. These three points decide whether November 2027 suits your trip.
Rooms and Rates Around November 2027
With 10,000 to 12,000 attendees expected, hotels near the APEC complex and the airport will hold blocks of rooms for delegations, media and business groups during Leaders’ Week. No resort has published summit-week rates yet. Expect less choice and higher prices in the south of the island for those days.
If your dates are fixed for November 2027, book a flexible rate once the official dates are announced. Booking directly means the resort handles any changes itself. Business groups planning around the summit should ask about meeting space and group rates early, before delegation blocks take the best rooms.
Frequent business travellers from member economies can also apply for the APEC Business Travel Card. It pre-clears short business visits to participating economies and opens fast-track immigration lanes at major airports. Vietnam takes full part in the scheme and issues cards valid for five years, and applying early helps anyone who travels the region often.
Two kinds of news will keep arriving before the summit: projects that are announced or due, and services that are actually open. Treat a reported date as a target until the operator starts selling tickets or taking passengers, and treat talk of delegate hotels as unconfirmed until the organisers publish a list.
Security Zones and Road Restrictions
Da Nang’s 2017 summit shows what to expect on Phu Quoc. During Leaders’ Week, from 6 to 11 November 2017, the city banned trucks and buses of 16 seats or more from central streets between 05:00 and 23:00 from 5 to 12 November. It also paused the Dragon Bridge fire show and suspended river cruises for three days.
Tours were also kept away from the Son Tra peninsula from 2 to 11 November 2017, according to Vietnam’s tourism authority. On Phu Quoc, expect similar controls around the APEC complex, the airport and the roads between them. Check local notices closer to the date before planning day trips in the south.
Why Visiting Before or After the Summit Pays Off
The summit lands at the start of Phu Quoc’s dry season. November averages about 164 mm of rain and December only 59 mm, and December to March are the island’s driest months. A trip in December 2027 or early 2028 gets the calmest weather and every new road and terminal, without the summit-week restrictions.
An earlier trip in 2027 works too, since the new terminal and main roads should be open by May. The dry months of February to April also make a good beach window before the summer rains. These tips help either way:
- Wait for the official Leaders’ Week dates before booking non-refundable flights for November 2027
- Plan Sun World Hon Thom and Sunset Town days outside the summit week, since both sit near the complex
- Allow extra time for airport transfers in the weeks around the summit
- Book direct and keep rates flexible until road and security notices are published
Read more: Phu Quoc vs Nha Trang: Which Is Better for Your 2026 Trip?
The South Island Around the Venue
The APEC complex sits in the busiest part of the south for visitors, close to the island’s biggest evening attraction, its record-setting cable car and its best-known beach. Plan each of them around summit week rather than into it.
Sunset Town and Kiss Bridge
Sunset Town, a hillside district of Mediterranean-style streets above the sea at An Thoi, is the south’s evening centre. Kiss of the Sea plays there at around 21:00 next to Kiss Bridge. The half-hour show of light, water and music closes with fireworks, and 2026 tickets cost VND 950,000 (about USD 37).
The district’s own free shuttle stops on Khem Beach, which saves a taxi from the resorts on that side of the bay. Show times shift with weather and season, and events in the area may change during summit week, so check on the day.
Hon Thom Cable Car and Sun World
From its station at An Thoi, a quarter of an hour’s drive from Khem Beach, the Hon Thom cable car spans 7,899.9 metres of sea to Hon Thom island. It has held the Guinness World Record for the longest non-stop three-rope cable car since January 2018. Adults pay VND 850,000 (about USD 33) for a 2026 round trip, and children from 1 to 1.4 metres pay VND 700,000 (about USD 27).
The ticket includes Aquatopia Water Park, Exotica Village and the beach at Bai Trao. Allow a full day between first boarding at 09:30 and the last cable car back at 17:30, and confirm hours before you go, as schedules can change.
Read more: Hon Thom Cable Car Phu Quoc
Sao Beach and Phu Quoc Prison
Sao Beach, a short drive from An Thoi port, is the south’s most photographed stretch of sand, fine and pale with shallow, calm water far from the shore. It is busiest at midday, and mornings are the quieter time to swim.
Near An Thoi, the Phu Quoc Prison history site documents the island’s wartime prison camp. Admission is free, and visitors are asked to dress modestly out of respect for the site.
Where to Stay Minutes From the APEC Complex
Leisure guests and event teams planning around Phu Quoc APEC 2027 can base themselves at Premier Residences Phu Quoc Emerald Bay on Khem Beach, about 3.5 km by road, or seven minutes, from Bai Dat Do.
The resort was developed by Sun Group, the same group building the APEC complex, and is managed by Accor. Phu Quoc International Airport is about 25 minutes away.
For anyone hosting guests during a busy week, service is the real test. The 2026 Haute Grandeur Global Awards named the resort Best Resort Service in Vietnam, and the 2026 World Travel Awards gave it Asia’s Leading Family Beach Resort for a third straight year.
Colleagues sharing a room do well in the Superior Suite 2 King Beds with Balcony, 80 square metres for three or four travellers. One king bed sits in a separate bedroom and the second in a semi-private room off the living room. Two people can work late without waking the others, and a pair of balconies faces the garden or the pool.
Before a full day of sessions, Mercato Restaurant lays out its Vietnamese and International breakfast buffet for in-house guests from 06:30 to 10:30. Tables fill fastest between 08:00 and 09:00, and an early table is the quieter option.
Mercato doubles as a venue for larger groups and events. With space for 750 guests, it hosts gala dinners, group buffets and private events, which suits a company running its own reception during the busy summit weeks.
Lunches and smaller team dinners suit Clubhouse, a 350-seat dining room on the edge of the sand, open from 10:00 to 23:00 with last orders at 22:30. Its menu pairs Phu Quoc seafood with Mediterranean, Indian and Thai dishes, which covers most tastes in a mixed group of delegates.
Between sessions, Clubhouse also serves the Burger & Beer Combo every day: the burger of the month with a 500 ml glass of Sun Kraft draught beer for VND 450,000 (about USD 17), including service and VAT. It keeps a delegation fed without a long sit-down meal; confirm the price before booking.
Each evening, chefs work the charcoal at the BBQ station within sight of every table, with the sea behind them. The island catch arrives on fishing boats that come in at dawn.
For something lighter after a day of meetings, order the Sesbania Flowers Salad at VND 229,000 (about USD 9). It is made with edible sesbania flowers, bean sprouts, herbs, shrimp crackers and freshwater shrimp. Sesbania is a flood-season flower from the Mekong Delta, and the salad makes a crisp, light change from the grill.
Families travelling for a leisure week before or after the summit have the Kids Club, open 08:00 to 18:00. Games, a ball pit and craft tables keep children busy while parents slip off for a meeting or a swim.
Keeping a training routine on site is straightforward. The Fitness Centre opens from 06:00 to 21:00 with a sauna and steam room, and the swimming pool from 07:00 to 19:00. Kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and bicycles at VND 50,000 per hour are available to in-house guests from 06:00 to 18:00.
For shoulders and backs stiff from long sessions, Emerald Spa offers a 30-minute Back and Shoulder Therapy at VND 800,000 (about USD 31). The spa opens from 10:00 to 22:00, and its three VIP treatment rooms each have a private steam room and sauna.
Event organisers can also earn points on the booking itself. Under ALL Accor Rewarding Meetings and Events Organisers, every EUR 2 spent on an eligible event of eight or more participants paid by invoice earns one ALL reward point and one status point. Points stay active with one qualifying event every 12 months.
For the trip home, the Sun Executive Lounge offer gives resort guests lounge access before flights departing Phu Quoc at VND 750,000 (about USD 29) per guest per visit, excluding VAT. It is booked at the front desk and valid until 31 December 2027, and direct bookings also include the complimentary shared airport shuttle.
- Address: Khem Beach, Phu Quoc Special Zone, An Giang Province, Vietnam.
- Phone Number: +84 297 3927 777.
- Reference Price: From approximately $110 USD per night, depending on room type and season.
- Google Review: 4.7 out of 5 (based on over 2,000 reviews).
Read more: How to Get to Phu Quoc: A Comprehensive Guide for Travelers in 2026
Conclusion
APEC 2027 brings Phu Quoc a new terminal, a light-rail line, a 10-lane road and a convention district. Most of it will be finished by mid-2027, all aimed at one week in November. Leisure travellers get the most from the upgraded island by coming before or after that week, while business groups should book early and flexibly once the dates are set.
Whichever side of Phu Quoc APEC 2027 you choose, a suite at Premier Residences Phu Quoc Emerald Bay keeps you seven minutes from the APEC complex. Herring Bar’s beachfront tables are ready for the evening after the meetings end.
