How to Send a Postcard from Phu Quoc: I Sent 6 and All 6 Arrived
I sent six ordinary paper postcards from Phu Quoc to Russia.
Two destinations were thousands of kilometers apart: Perm and Magadan.
All six arrived.
It started partly as a travel ritual and partly as an experiment. Could I buy a postcard on a Vietnamese island, write an ordinary address on the back, hand it over at a local post office and actually have it appear in someone’s mailbox on the other side of the map?
About six weeks later, I had my answer.
So if you want to send a postcard from Phu Quoc yourself, here is exactly how I did it, what I paid on my visit, what happened afterward and what I would check before doing it today.
MY POSTCARD TEST
6 SENT · 6 ARRIVED · 2 DESTINATIONS · ABOUT 6 WEEKS
Postage on my visit: 32,500 VND per postcard
Destinations: Perm + Magadan, Russia
Can You Send a Postcard Internationally from Phu Quoc?
Yes.
I mailed six postcards through the regular Vietnam Post counter in Duong Dong, and all six eventually reached Russia.
Vietnam Post also currently offers ordinary international mail/document services through its international postal network.
What I would not assume is that the price, opening hours or delivery time I experienced will be identical when you visit.
Those are the parts worth checking again.
The process itself was surprisingly simple.
Step 1. Buy Postcards in Duong Dong
I bought mine around the market area in central Duong Dong.
Small souvenir shops and stalls had the usual Phu Quoc designs:
- beaches
- fishing boats
- palm trees
- sunsets
- Hon Thom cable car
- generic Vietnam and Phu Quoc scenes
Mine were classic tourist postcards rather than anything particularly artistic.
That was fine.
The interesting part was not the design. It was knowing that this small piece of card was about to travel thousands of kilometers by ordinary mail.
If you are already in central Duong Dong, it is easy to combine the post office with Dinh Cau, the waterfront and sunset.
On my visit, I paid around 25,000 VND per postcard, with better prices sometimes available when buying several.
Treat that as my purchase price, not a guaranteed current price.
A simple sequence that worked well for me was:
buy postcards → find a café → write them properly → go to the post office with everything ready
Much easier than standing at the counter trying to remember someone’s postal code.
If you are already spending time in central Duong Dong, this is easy to combine with the market, cafés and the rest of town.
Step 2. Write Everything Before You Reach the Post Office
I prepared the postcards before going to the counter.
That made the actual postal part take only a few minutes.
For each card, I included:
NAME SURNAME
Street + house / apartment
City / region
Postal code
COUNTRY
For my postcards, I used Latin letters and wrote RUSSIA clearly on the final line.
If you are sending somewhere that uses another writing system, I would check the current addressing guidance for that destination rather than assuming my Russia example applies everywhere.
Most importantly:
leave plenty of blank space for stamps.
This mattered more than I expected.
My postcards ended up with five stamps each, which took a noticeable amount of room.
Do not write your message all the way to the edge of the card.
Step 3. Take a Photo Before You Send It
This takes ten seconds and I would absolutely do it again.
Before handing each postcard over, I photographed the written side.
That gave me:
- a record of which card went to which person
- the exact address I had used
- a memory of the message
- something to compare with the card if and when it arrived
Obviously, do not publish those photos online with someone’s full home address visible.
But for your own records, it is useful.
Step 4. Go to the Main Phu Quoc Post Office in Duong Dong
The post office I used was in central Duong Dong, close enough to combine with the market and other errands.
The building itself was easy to remember.
It had an older pink-and-cream facade that felt surprisingly old-fashioned compared with much of modern Phu Quoc.
Inside, however, it was simply a working post office.
When I visited, there were only a few people around and two staff members working different types of transactions.
I joined the outgoing-mail side, showed the postcards and explained that I wanted to send them to Russia.
Check the Current Hours Before You Go
This is one detail I would not copy blindly from an old travel article.
On my visit, the branch had a midday break.
Opening arrangements can change, as can weekend and holiday schedules.
So before building your day around the post office, check the current Google Maps / Vietnam Post information.
Open Phu Quoc Post Office in Google Maps ↗
Do not rely on an old street address or old opening-hours screenshot.
Step 5. Ask to Send the Postcards Internationally
You do not need an elaborate conversation at the counter.
The useful information is simply:
“Postcard to [country], please.”
I showed the clerk the finished postcards and said they were going to Russia.
The clerk checked them and calculated the postage.
There were no envelopes.
They were sent as ordinary postcards.
Step 6. Pay the Postage and Add the Stamps
On my visit, each postcard received:
5 stamps × 6,500 VND = 32,500 VND postage
I attached the stamps myself at the counter.
With the postcard itself costing me around 25,000 VND, the whole thing came to roughly:
about 60,000 VND per postcard including the card and postage
Again, this is what I paid, not a current guaranteed Vietnam Post tariff.
International postal rates can change.
If you are reading this much later, let the counter calculate the current price rather than arriving with exactly 32,500 VND and expecting it to be unchanged.
Step 7. Hand Them Over and Forget About Them for a While
Then there was nothing else to do.
No tracking ritual.
No refreshing an app every morning.
I handed over the postcards and carried on with my trip.
The post office gave me a rough estimate of around a month.
Mine took longer.
How Long Did My Phu Quoc Postcards Take to Arrive?
About six weeks.
By the time messages started arriving saying, “Look what finally turned up,” I had already moved on and had almost forgotten about my little postal experiment.
That delay actually made the postcards more fun.
A message arrives immediately.
A postcard appears in someone’s life long after the original moment has passed.
Your delivery time may be completely different.
Destination, international routing, local postal systems, weekends, holidays and other operational factors can all affect ordinary mail.
So I would describe six weeks as my result, not as a promise.
My Phu Quoc Postcard Checklist
Before heading to the post office, I would check five things:
- postcard written
- recipient address checked
- postal code checked
- destination country clearly written
- enough blank space left for stamps
And before leaving your hotel or café:
check the current post-office opening hours.
That one extra check can save you a wasted trip.
How Much Did It Cost Me?
Here is my real example:
| Item | What I Paid |
|---|---|
| Postcard | about 25,000 VND |
| International postage | 32,500 VND |
| Total | about 60,000 VND |
The postage was made up of five 6,500 VND stamps.
These are historical prices from my own visit.
Use them to understand the scale of the cost, not as a current tariff sheet.
Where to Write Your Postcards in Duong Dong
You do not need anywhere special.
I would buy the cards first and then sit somewhere comfortable rather than trying to write them standing beside a souvenir stall.
A café works perfectly.
Write the cards, check everyone’s addresses, photograph them, then continue to the post office.
It gives you an easy little Duong Dong sequence:
market → coffee → postcards → post office
And then you can continue with the rest of the town.
If you still need coffee, pepper or other easy-to-pack souvenirs, KingKong Mart is another useful stop while you are already in Duong Dong.
Is the Phu Quoc Post Office Worth Seeing by Itself?
I would not make a special sightseeing journey across the island solely for the post-office building.
But if you are already in Duong Dong, it is an interesting practical stop.
The older facade gives it more character than a generic postal counter, and actually using the building makes it much more memorable than photographing it from outside.
That is also how I prefer places like this.
Not:
“Here is an old building. Take a picture.”
But:
“Here is an old post office. Send something from it.”
The experience gives the place a purpose.
Staying around Duong Dong?
Markets, cafés, the post office, Dinh Cau and evening walks are all much easier when you are based nearby.
Why Send a Postcard When You Can Send a Message?
Not instead of a message.
In addition to one.
A message solves:
“I want to tell you something now.”
A postcard does something else.
It leaves Phu Quoc physically.
It spends weeks somewhere between countries.
Then one day it appears in a mailbox after both sender and recipient have almost forgotten about it.
Someone can put it on a fridge.
Leave it on a shelf.
Find it again years later.
That is very different from one more holiday photo disappearing into a chat history.
And after sending six postcards from a small post office on Phu Quoc and seeing all six eventually arrive, I would do it again.
Minimal effort.
A small amount of money.
And a physical piece of the trip keeps travelling after you have already moved on.
If you are still planning the rest of the island, my 5-day Phu Quoc itinerary by car and scooter connects the main sights, beaches and different parts of the island into one route.
FAQ: Sending a Postcard from Phu Quoc
Can you send an international postcard from Phu Quoc?
Yes. I sent six ordinary postcards internationally through Vietnam Post in Duong Dong, and all six reached Russia.
Where can I buy postcards in Phu Quoc?
I found standard souvenir postcards around the market and tourist area in central Duong Dong.
Where do you send postcards from in Phu Quoc?
I used the main Vietnam Post branch in Duong Dong. Check its current map listing and opening hours before going, because operational details can change.
How much does it cost to send a postcard from Phu Quoc?
On my visit, international postage to Russia cost 32,500 VND per postcard. My postcard itself cost around 25,000 VND, bringing the total to roughly 60,000 VND. Treat this as my historical cost, not a guaranteed current tariff.
How long does a postcard from Phu Quoc take to arrive?
My six postcards took approximately six weeks to reach Perm and Magadan in Russia. International ordinary-mail delivery times can vary significantly.
Should I use an envelope?
I did not. Mine were sent as ordinary postcards with the stamps attached directly to the card.
Should I photograph the postcard before sending it?
I did, and I recommend it. It gives you a record of the address, message and card before you hand it over.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you make a booking or purchase through one of them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
