When the Giraffe Sticks Out Its Tongue — Half a Day at Phu Quoc Vinpearl Safari

In the northwest of Vietnam's Phu Quoc island, now part of An Phu province, Vinpearl Safari requires a good drive from the airport. If you're staying in the southern commercial are…

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In the northwest of Vietnam's Phu Quoc island, now part of An Phu province, Vinpearl Safari requires a good drive from the airport. If you're staying in the southern commercial areas like Grand World or Sunset Town, it's best to allow plenty of travel time. We arrived just after 9 AM, and the shade areas in front of the ticket office were already packed. A straw-roofed gate displays a green 'VINPEARL SAFARI' sign, with gray elephant sculptures and pink flamingo sculptures lined up beside it. The kids bolted straight to the elephants for photos.

Green VINPEARL SAFARI sign hanging above the straw-roofed ticket office, with gray elephant and pink flamingo sculptures in front where children pose at the main entrance
Ticket windows 1 through 6 lined up in a row. There was already a queue despite being mid-morning.

Just past the gate, we came to a pink 'flamingo' letter sculpture. Behind it were an artificial waterfall and a thatched gazebo, with wooden stump-shaped stepping stones covering the ground. This spot is famous as a photo point, so we had to wait our turn, but thankfully the turnover was quick. After taking photos, the animal sections begin immediately to the left.

Three children posing with V signs in front of the pink flamingo letter sculpture and Vinpearl Safari logo
The 'flamingo' sculpture. The waterfall sounds behind it were louder than expected.

Open Safari — What We Saw Through the Bus Windows

The key here isn't seeing animals behind barriers, but driving through open pasture areas. We boarded a safari bus with only a roof and no sides, traveling along a red dirt road for roughly 20 minutes. The first animal we encountered was a zebra. It had its head down on the dry red earth, tearing at vegetation, and with its mane standing straight up just like in picture books, the kids spotted it first. In the tree shade behind it, a few deer were ambling about.

A zebra with its head lowered eating grass on red earth, with deer walking between trees in the background of the pasture
Being the dry season, the ground was parched. Quite a bit of dust was flying around.

Going a bit deeper, we found a herd of cattle with extraordinarily long horns gathered in tree shade. Watussi cattle. Their horns easily exceed the length of a human arm, and about twenty of them sat clustered together, escaping the heat. They didn't even glance when the bus stopped.

A herd of brown Watussi cattle with long horns clustered together in the shade beneath tall trees
A herd of long-horned Watussi cattle. They were all crowded in the shade.

The rhino was scraping at the ground near a shaded shelter post with dry branches overhead. Its wrinkled skin sat like armor, and its front horn was blunt. Green feed crumbs scattered around its feet suggested feeding time had just passed.

A white rhino with its head lowered, scraping the ground near a shaded shelter post with dry branches
The rhino. Green feed was scattered on the ground.

The Predator Area — Lower Your Expectations

To be honest, the lion and tiger area was disappointing. The time of day was mostly to blame. When we passed around 11 AM, the male lion was lying beneath palm trees with his eyes half-closed and yawning. His mane was much sparser than in photos, and his face bore several old scars. Beside him, the female lion's front paw was sticking out.

A male lion lying in grass beneath palm tree leaves with his mouth open, the female lion's front paw visible on the right
The male lion. The scars on his face were striking.

Right next to him, the female lion was completely asleep, her face buried in her front paws. Curled up like that, she looked no different from a big cat. She didn't flick an ear once as the bus passed.

A female lion sleeping beneath palm fronds with her body curled and face buried in her front paws
The female lion sleeping with her face buried in her front paws.

The tiger was the same. Half its body was hidden behind a large rock, stretched out with its belly toward the sky. At first we couldn't locate it until we spotted one ear sticking up. With its orange stripes half-covered by fallen leaves on the ground, I finally understood why this pattern serves as camouflage in the wild.

A tiger stretched behind a large rock on a forest floor covered in fallen leaves, with one ear visible
The tiger stretched behind the rock. We could only find it by spotting its ear.

A bit further, the same tiger had rolled over and was lying on its side. We could see its face, but it was still sleeping. If you want to see the big cats active, it's better to come right after opening or late in the afternoon. Few animals remain awake in the midday heat of Phu Quoc.

A distant view of a tiger lying on its side in a forest surrounded by rocks and fallen leaves
Even after rolling over, it kept sleeping.

The Sun Bears and Elephants, By Contrast, Were Active

Unlike the sprawled-out predators, the sun bear was sitting facing our direction. With a distinctive cream-colored V marking on its chest, it sat on its hind legs with front paws together—the picture of waiting for something. This area has glass barriers, so you can get very close.

A sun bear with a cream-colored V marking on its chest, sitting upright on its hind legs with front paws together
The sun bear with the clear V marking on its chest.

Zooming in, the fur around its snout was graying, and when it opened its mouth, pink gums showed. It appeared to be quite an old individual. When the child put his hand on the glass, it briefly looked our way before turning its head again.

A close-up of the sun bear's face with graying fur around its snout, mouth open showing pink gums, looking to the side
The graying fur around its snout made it look quite old.

The elephant enclosure had a red dirt floor with a small water puddle. One elephant stretched its trunk long and extended it toward the viewing path. Its trunk tip came within a meter of us, and we could see every wrinkle. Behind its ear, the pinkish age spots characteristic of older elephants were scattered.

An elephant on red earth extending its trunk toward the viewing path, with a water puddle and rocks visible in the background
The elephant extending its trunk toward the path. Close enough to see every wrinkle.

We also captured it walking toward us head-on. Behind it, another elephant was heading toward the water puddle. What surprised us was how quietly they moved. Despite their massive bodies stepping on dry earth, there was barely a sound—just one dull thud.

An elephant walking toward the camera on red earth with another elephant behind it heading toward the water puddle
The elephant walking toward us head-on. The one behind was heading to the water puddle.

Giraffe Feeding — This Is the Real Deal

The most memorable part of the day was the giraffe feeding deck. Giraffes lower their necks over a wooden fence, positioning their faces exactly at human eye level. When we arrived, there were already crowds two-deep.

Multiple giraffes extending their necks over a wooden fence above crowds of visitors beneath a thatched roof deck
The deck is always this crowded. At least three giraffes were gathered there.

The feed is vegetable pieces in a paper cup, sold separately. The price seems to vary by season, so we recommend checking on-site. When you hold up the cup, the giraffe lowers its neck and comes closer.

A giraffe lowering its neck deeply toward visitors holding paper cups over the wooden fence
The giraffe lowering its neck toward people holding paper cups.

The tongue is the thing. Giraffe tongues are a dark purplish color and nearly 40 cm long, and they extend it first before taking the food. The kids were startled when they first saw it and pulled their hands back.

A giraffe extending its purple tongue downward with visitors holding leaves and smiling as they watch
The tongue is this long. If you know ahead of time, you're less startled.
A child in a gray t-shirt extending food as a giraffe reaches out its tongue to accept it, with other giraffes visible in the background
The second child went first. Two more giraffes are visible behind.

Once they succeeded once, the fear vanished. While the kids took turns holding up their hands, the giraffe didn't tire and kept lowering its neck. The kids said the tongue felt slick and warm when it brushed their palms.

A child in a gray t-shirt and adults feeding giraffes over the wooden fence, with two more giraffes visible in the enclosure behind
Once they try it, the kids want to keep doing it.
A child in a white t-shirt holding food up high to a giraffe's mouth against a blue sky and parasol structure
The open-sky seating has backlighting, making photos tricky.

Even after the food ran out, the giraffe came down to smell their hands. When the child held up an empty hand, it brought its nose close and sniffed for a long time. Everyone agreed this moment was the highlight of the day.

A child holding an empty hand up as a giraffe brings its nose close to smell, with a white parasol structure in the background
It came down to smell their hands even without food.
Three children standing together in a V pose beneath a giraffe's extended neck with a white parasol structure behind them
We barely managed to capture this group photo with the giraffe in the frame.

Lunch With a View of the Giraffes

Near the feeding deck is a restaurant facing the giraffe enclosure. It's an open-air pavilion with a thatched roof and bamboo railings, and giraffes stand visible through the windows while you eat. There's no air conditioning—just ceiling fans and the breeze—so lunch service is quite hot. There's a reason why each table comes with several bottles of Dasani water. The window seats are in high demand, so it helps to eat slightly earlier or later.

People eating inside an open-air restaurant with bamboo railings while a giraffe stands directly outside the window facing them
The giraffes are looking our way when you look up from eating. The number of water bottles on the table tells you how hot it is.

Where the Kids Lingered Longest

Surprisingly, the kids spent the most time not with the big animals, but in the small animal enclosure. A young deer was sitting on the dirt, and when you reached out to it, it didn't run away—it just stayed still. In the shaded pen behind it, adult animals were resting.

Two children crouching down to pet a young fawn on dirt ground, with larger deer resting in the shade of their pen behind
The young deer that didn't run away even when touched.

Elsewhere, five or six kids were gathered in a circle holding feed cups. As people crowded around, a young animal came into the middle and wandered around for a while. The adults were equally absorbed, crouching down to take photos.

Children and adults gathered in a circle on red earth beneath tall trees, holding feed cups for a small animal
When you hold up the feed cup, the animals come right into the circle.

In the sheep enclosure was a lamb that looked only days old. Its coat was still short and pure white, clearly different from the mother beside it. While the mother sniffed, checking on it, the lamb toddled our way.

A mother sheep with her nose to the ground while a pure white lamb with short fur waddles forward on the grass
A lamb that looked only recently born.

The Indoor Reptile House and Flamingo Pond

The indoor reptile house is a good refuge when you're tired of the sun. In a room decorated with artificial rock walls, a pale yellow python was coiled on a wooden perch. Its body was as thick as an adult's forearm, and its scales had a sheen. The lighting is dim, so photos don't come out well—it's better to shoot without flash, resting your arm on the railing.

A pale yellow python coiled on a wooden perch in an indoor exhibit decorated with artificial rock walls
The python coiled on its perch. It's cool inside.

Following the path down from the exit, we came to the flamingo pond. It mirrors the pink sculpture at the entrance, but the real flamingos are much paler pink than the sculpture. About a dozen stood in the shallow water, dipping their beaks. The trees block a full view, but walking a few steps to the left end of the pond opens up the vista.

About a dozen pale pink flamingos standing in shallow water between trees, dipping their beaks to feed
The trees obstruct the view. The left end of the pond is the clearest.

Location and Route — If We Go Again

The safari is located in the Cam Dau area in the northwest of Phu Quoc. If you start from the southern areas like Duong Dong or An Thoi, travel time alone takes a while each way, so it's more efficient to leave early, see the safari, and then head to nearby Vinwonders. Taxis are scarce in the northern part of the island, so it's best to arrange your return ride in advance. There are times when Grab isn't available.

If we go again, here's what we'd do:

The zoo experience itself isn't particularly dense for its size. But those 3 seconds when the giraffe extends its neck and lays its tongue on a child's palm is a scene hard to find anywhere else. If you're bringing kids, I'd recommend spending most of your time on that deck.

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