The most northerly beach on Phu Quoc Island, Rach Tram is also the most remote and least visited. Accessed via a newly paved road through beautiful jungle and cajeput forests, Rach Tram is a long, sandy, tree-rimmed beach with high, green hills rising behind. It’s one of the most scenic stretches of coastline anywhere on the island, and there’s no development at all, yet. That will change soon, as plans are afoot to build a large ‘eco-tourism area’ here. But, for now, if you take the rough, red-dirt lane to the northern section of Rach Tram, you’ll have the entire beach to yourself. The sea here (which is the Gulf of Thailand) is warm, shallow and calm, and the Cambodian mainland is clearly visible on the horizon. Rach Tram Beach isn’t perfect: there’s plenty of fishing-related debris on the sand and in the water, and each year more household litter washes up on the beach from the open sea. But the swimming is good, the scenery marvellous, and other travellers are nowhere to be seen. Rach Tram is great for exploring and is one of the last such places left on this rapidly developing island. Enjoy it while you can.

One of the most talked about beaches in Vietnam over the last few years, Ky Co is a drop-dead gorgeous wedge of white sand between two giant rocky buttresses, which isolate the beach completely. Until recently, it was only possible to access Ky Co by boat, but now there is an absurdly steep and scenic road running along the clifftops before descending, almost vertically, to the beach itself. Ky Co justifies the hype it receives in the travel industry and on social media: the first glimpse of it, from high up on the cliffs, really is jaw-dropping. Already very popular with domestic tourists, the best time to visit Ky Co is between 1-3pm, when most visitors are having lunch or sheltering from the sun. The centre of the bay can get pretty busy: this is where boats come and go at the pier, photography kiosks take your picture on the sands, a restaurant serves food (and techno music), and jet skis can be rented. But stroll further down the beach, toward the southern end, and you’ll find it much more peaceful. Here, there are caverns and pretty little coves, the water is perfect for bathing, and there are showers, changing rooms, bamboo-and-thatch huts, and a couple of snack outlets. Litter is not yet a problem Ky Co, but only because staff are employed to go around constantly picking up the trash that people discard, and because the beach has a no outside food and drink policy

Stretching thirty kilometres into the East Sea, like a giant causeway to a sunken castle, Hon Gom Sandbar (also referred to by other names) is a deserted, rocky and beguiling peninsula two hours north of Nha Trang, on the south-central coast. A long and rugged finger of land pointing southwards into the ocean, its eastern side is characterized by miles of empty, exposed, wild and windy beach, while, on its western side, fish farms and fishing hamlets shelter in peaceful, protected coves, where the water is as calm as a lake. A wide new road has been constructed along most its length, paving the way for future development. But, for now, the road is as empty as the beaches either side of it. There are several good beaches and bays on Hon Gom Sandbar, including Hon Ngang (a long, sandy beach stretching along the north and east of the sandbar), Hon Ghenh and Xuan Dung (both beaches near the centre of the sandbar), and Mui Doi Cape (at the tip of the sandbar, and Vietnam’s most easterly point). You’ll need your own wheels to really explore the beaches, bays and coves here, and some are only accessible on foot. Predictably, trash is becoming a big problem on the sandbar. But, in general, the water quality is good and the swimming excellent, unless you happen to visit during high winds, of course.

The central section of an almost unbroken beach stretching from Tam Hai Island in the south to the Cua Dai Estuary in the north, Tam Thanh is an up-and-coming little beach retreat. Within easy reach of Hoi An, Danang, and Tam Ky, Tam Thanh is a long and sandy beach backed by casuarina trees with wide ocean vistas and several interesting places to stay. Part of Tam Thanh’s appeal is the acres of space and lack of crowds: tourism in this area has long focused on Hoi An and Danang, leaving the coastline around Tam Thanh relatively undeveloped. But that’s starting to change, as investors realize the potential of Tam Thanh. For now, however, the beach is often empty, save for dozens of beautifully-made woven fishing canoes pulled-up on the sand. Tam Thanh is also one of several coastal villages where colourful murals have been painted on village buildings as a way of attracting visitors, but also to highlight local issues, such as litter and the environment. There is a lot of empty sand to tread and sea to swim in along this stretch of coast.