Phu Quoc Island, the largest island in Vietnam, has officially dethroned Bali to claim the top spot as the Most Beautiful Island in Asia this year.
The prestigious title was announced through the Readers’ Choice Awards by the renowned U.S. travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler.
In this year’s awards, Phu Quoc earned an impressive score of 95.51 points, marking a 0.15-point increase from the previous year.
Langkawi Island in Malaysia took second place, followed by Koh Samui in Thailand in third. Meanwhile, Bali, which held the top spot last year, fell to sixth place, behind Boracay and Palawan in the Philippines.
Exceeding Previous Record
Phu Quoc’s rise in popularity is backed by a significant surge in tourist arrivals. Between January and September 2025, the island welcomed 1.2 million international visitors, a 65.8% increase from the same period last year, surpassing its annual target of one million.
Including domestic travelers, the total number of visitors reached 6.5 million, exceeding last year’s record of 5.9 million, according to data from the An Giang Provincial Department of Tourism.
More than 757,000 readers of Condé Nast Traveler participated in the survey, sharing their travel experiences and opinions across various categories from cities and islands to hotels, resorts, cruises, spas, and airlines.
The Readers’ Choice Awards is one of the oldest and most respected recognitions in the global travel industry, celebrating excellence in hospitality and destinations worldwide.
Global Tourism Rivals
Responding to Bali’s decline in ranking, Chairman of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association of Karangasem Regency, I Wayan Kariasa, said this should serve as a wake-up call for Bali to improve and adapt to growing global tourism competition.
“Bali’s tourism throne as the Most Beautiful Island in Asia has been taken over by Phu Quoc, Vietnam, which now occupies the top position. This should be a moment of introspection for us. We cannot blame anyone instead, we must focus on improving every aspect so that Bali’s tourism becomes more sustainable and of higher quality, without harming the environment,” Kariasa told RRI in Karangasem on Monday (October 13, 2025).
He emphasized that global tourism rivals have strong strategies Bali must not underestimate. Therefore, comprehensive improvements are needed in visitor experience, infrastructure, cleanliness, waste management, traffic control, and environmental preservation.
“Our competitors certainly have strategies that we must not take lightly. If Bali wants to reclaim the top position, we have to make improvements across all areas from infrastructure to visitor experience, ensuring that tourism development does not damage the environment,” he added.
Phu Quoc, widely praised for its well-managed natural beauty and cleanliness, has impressed international travelers with its sustainable approach to tourism and commitment to maintaining a pristine environment — a key factor behind its success in surpassing Bali this year.
Sources : RRI, CNNIndonesia
Feat Image : via VietnamTravelDocs