A guide to take full advantage of Con Dao.
Con Dao, or Con Son, is a collection of islands in the southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau. Upon arriving here, you not only stand a chance to lay yourself flat on the pristine beaches, savor straight-from-the-sea food but also many other eco activities.
Flights to Con Dao depart from either Ho Chi Minh or Can Tho cities and will take you around one hour. Taking a boat from either city is another option. Some prefer the boat not because it's cheap but for the experience it offers. However, remember that the journey takes up to 14 hours (from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m.).
Coral reef
Photo from @naty_ratajova/Instagram
Another coral sightseeing place worth being labeled unmissable. Tourists on Con Dao can hire a boat to get to Bay Canh Island, jump into the water and swim to the coral reefs.
Turtles laying eggs
From Bay Canh Island, Con Dao’s guests can move on to Cau Island to visit mangrove forests. Right here lies the conservation site for turtles established in 1995. Visitors can stay a night here and take part in bringing freshly to the beaches.
Mountain climbing
Con Dao is famous not only for the waters surrounding it but also the rock inside it, that is So Ray Mount. Along the one-and-a-half-hour trekking route from the foot to the peak, you’ll find wild monkeys that have befriended people thanks to
After making it to the top, don’t undo the magic by taking the same route. Take another two-hour route leading to Ong Dung beach to rest your exhausted body on the sand, wash the fatigue away in the water and come back like a king.
Museum
The museum offers information on both history, oceanic ecology, the famous prison and today’s Con Dao, giving you details to add to the story you’re about tell when you arrive home.
The prison
Not a story told about Con Dao lacks the chilling part about its role during the war. The prison here bore witness to the most horrifying scenes of oppression under colonization and the Saigon regime in the twentieth century. A tour here will render every heart heavy, but will make your trip a lot more memorable.