A night market stall
on Phu Quoc Islands sells two pearl rings for VND100,000 (US$5). Photo: Tien
Trinh
An abundance of fake and
cheap pearls widely sold on Phu Quoc has ruined its reputation as a producer of
some of the world's finest organic gems.
Tourists visiting the
"Pearl Island" as Phu Quoc is otherwise known can easily buy a pearl
for just VND50,000 (US$2.5). Kiosks hawking "Real Phu Quoc Pearls"
are literally everywhere on the island--hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops and
even at the grocery stores.
The owner of one souvenir
shop at the Dinh Cau Night Market told a reporter: “On this island there are
Phu Quoc pearls and nothing else.”
However, experts and
insiders say that only a few farms sell real cultured pearls and natural
pearls, harvested by divers, are now extremely rare.
Le Thi My Dung, the owner
of the Quoc An Pearl Farm in Duong To Commune, said farming pearls is a
difficult job that takes at least three years before a harvest.
“A strict culturing process
yields only 5-10 percent good pearls," she said. "We don't
have enough cultured pearls to meet demand and never sell to the island's many
hawkers.”
Dung said a single
high-quality pearl can fetch hundreds of millions of dong.
“A pearl cannot be sold for
just a few hundred thousand dong,” she said.
More fake than real
Hai Nang, a diver on the
island, said many locals once hunted pearls which weren't nearly as rare as
they are these days.
“Phu Quoc’s real pearls are
famous for their purity and durability. Some fishermen make a killing after
getting lucky on a single precious pearl.”
“Many people still dive for
pearls today, but it's much harder to eke out a living,” he said.
Japanese and Australian
firms set up pearl farms on Phu Quoc in the 1990s and exported the fruits of
their operations back home.
The global economic crisis
forced them to abandon their farms and leave their technology to their local
partners.
Only a few households still
cultivate pearls, which they only sell at their own shops.
A retired pearl trader on
Phu Quoc, who asked to be identified only as V., said everything else being
sold on the island is a fake or cheap Chinese imitation.
“Only pearl farms sell real
pearls, the rest are from other places, mostly China,” he said. “Fake
pearls have badly affected Phu Quoc's reputation.”
V. said he used to buy
Chinese pearls in the northern province of Quang Ninh by the sackful.
“Natural or cultured pearls
aren't perfect spheres like the Chinese ones,” he said.
V. said Chinese pearls are
produced by binding ground oyster shells with adhesive and polishing them to
make it difficult to distinguish them from real ones.
Many pearl farmers say one
can easily tell them apart by rubbing the pearl on a rough surface or burning
them. Real pearl don't scuff or melt.
Most vendors on the island
won't let you do either, saying it will damage the pearl.
Nguyen Van Dung, chairman
of the Saigon Jewelry Association, said you know a pearl isn't real if the
vendor won't allow you to test it.
“A good pearl can fetch
VND10-20 million ($472-944) while a low-quality or fresh-water pearl is only
worth a few hundred thousand dong.”
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VIETNAM'S PEARL ISLAND
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Dubbed “Pearl Island,” Phu Quoc sits inside a UNESCO-recognized World Biosphere Reserve off Vietnam's southeastern coast.
A district of Kien
Giang Province, it has a total area of 574 square kilometers (222 square
miles) and a permanent population of approximately 85,000.
According to the
island’s authorities, about 500,000-600,000 tourists visit Phu Quoc each
year, of which 40 percent are foreigners.
In May, the Ministry
of Planning and Investment called for Singapore to support Vietnam in
developing Phu Quoc into a regional hub for tourism, science and
technology.
A visa exemption policy that took effect last March allowing foreign visitors to Phu Quoc up to 30-day visa exemptions.
Visa waivers will also be offered to foreigners who transit at any airport or seaport in Vietnam on their way to Phu Quoc.
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