Another week, another set of subjective travel ratings, this time from National Geographic Traveler Magazine. The publication just released their 2014 list of “Best Winter Trips” in which Phu Quoc ranked 3rd after Paris, France and Whitefish, Montana (really?).

Here’s what the magazine said about the former island prison:

Some of Vietnam’s best beaches are on heart-shaped Phu Quoc island, making them closer to Cambodia than the Vietnamese mainland. Located in the Gulf of Thailand just off the Cambodian coast, Phu Quoc once housed the so-called “coconut tree prison” (now a museum), where Vietcong prisoners of war were held through 1973. What’s bringing international travelers and, so far, restrained development to Phu Quoc today are its warm, turquoise waters; secluded, deep sand beaches; and lush, mountainous interior (protected as a national park).

Yup, that sounds pretty good, especially since it’s feeling a bit wintery in Saigon these days!

[Photo via Linh Lý Thành]