Also available in: Deutsch
Have you ever heard of the island paradise Con Dao with its main island, Con Son? No? Neither had we before our trip through Vietnam! The archipelago lies in the South China Sea and is about 80 km from Vietnam’s mainland.
Con Son – An Island for Peace Seekers
Con Dao is still very undeveloped for tourism. Therefore, it is especially recommended for nature lovers, divers, and those seeking peace. When we were there, only a few people spoke English. However, this was not a problem since we could communicate well with sign language. The locals are very friendly and helpful. Even in our hotel or in bars and cafés, we had to make ourselves understood with gestures.
However, the Vietnamese government also wants to invest more money here to make the islands more attractive to tourists. For instance, there is already a luxury hotel, the Six Senses. More will surely follow. So, before long, the peace and seclusion will also come to an end.
How to Get To Con Dao
There are only two ways to reach Con Dao. One option is a ferry, which operates only every two or three days, so it doesn’t really provide a regular connection to the Vietnamese mainland. The trip starts in Vung Tau and takes around 12 hours.
The easier way, which we also chose, is by taking a domestic flight in Vietnam. Con Dao has a small airport with direct flights to the island from Can Tho and from Ho Chi Minh City. The flight time is about one hour from each. You can find more about prices and tickets at Skyscanner as well as from our partner 12go.asia.
Accommodation on Con Son – Our Hotel Tip
The largest selection of hotels on the main island of Con Son is, of course, in town, and one of the best price-performance hotels there is Eden House & Coffee. The rooms are clean and nicely furnished, and the owners are super friendly and take great care of you. Another hotel to check out is the Red Hotel. It also has a good location and is a great starting point to explore the island.
If you prefer to stay somewhere more secluded, you can find even more hotels on Con Son here.
What You Should Experience on Con Son
Diving
Con Dao is especially attractive for divers. Around 144 hectares of the surrounding waters are protected within the Con Dao National Park. After years of overexploitation of the sea by intensive fishing or coral mining on live corals, the reef system has slowly recovered over the last few decades.
Now, for the most part, there are once again wonderful, colorful coral reefs around the islands. Many fish species, sea turtles, and even dolphins now live together in this fragile ecosystem. Dugongs also come to these islands between April and May to forage for seagrass. You won’t regret doing a few unforgettable dives in these waters.
Trekking/Hiking
Besides diving, you can also go on beautiful trekking and hiking tours on Con Son. The national park not only includes the waters around the islands, but also 6,000 hectares of land. Fourteen of the 16 islands are protected. Before you head into the jungle, you have to register with the national park authority. Then you can explore the forests. You don’t necessarily need a guide, but you should definitely always go in pairs.
Although you’ll mostly find harmless animals in the forests, such as the black squirrel, some birds, and macaques, there are also venomous insects, spiders, and snakes, where a bite can even be fatal. For your own safety, we definitely recommend exploring the jungle with a guide. We took a great hike to Ong Dung Beach. We were hoping for a nice, fine sandy beach there, but it turned out to be a rocky beach. Nevertheless, you can go snorkeling there.
Beaches
There are several gorgeous, secluded beaches all around Con Son. The easiest one to reach is Con Dao Town Beach. As the name suggests, it’s located right on the coastal road of Con Son. A few small resorts and restaurants have also settled here.
Two other very well-known beaches on Con Son are Dam Trau Beach and Canh Beach. Both are located near the airport: one before and one behind the runway. You can watch the planes take off or land very well at both.
You’ll also find a lovely beach if you follow Con Son’s coastal road further toward the airport. Shortly before leaving town, on the right side, you’ll see Lo Voi Beach.
Dat Doc Beach belongs to the luxury Six Senses Hotel and can only be accessed through it.
Turtles
A special attraction can be found on the island of Hon Bay Canh. As part of an excursion organized through the national park authority, you can watch sea turtles laying their eggs. This trip includes an overnight stay on the island.
You travel to the island in the afternoon by boat. There, you can go snorkeling or simply relax on the beach. After sunset, you can watch the little baby turtles as they make their way into the sea. If you’re lucky, another pregnant turtle might stop by during the night, and you can watch her lay her eggs.
Other Attractions on Con Son
Prison (Con Son Prison)
Another attraction is the old prison on the island. It is also why Con Son was nicknamed the “Devil’s Island.” It was first used by the French, then later by the Americans. Prisoners were kept in so-called tiger cages, which are cells sunk into the ground, closed off from above with a grating. Today, you can visit the prison. Some of the cells have figures on display, showing what life was like in the prison.
Hang Duong Cemetery
Those who did not survive their imprisonment were buried at Hang Duong Cemetery. Many Vietnamese believe that the spirit of the folk hero Vo Thi Sau, who was buried here after being imprisoned, still haunts the place.
Van Son Tu Temple
You can also visit the Van Son Tu Temple, which is a Buddhist temple and the only temple in the entire archipelago. From there, you have a beautiful view of Con Dao town and part of Con Son Island.
Hotels on Con Son
The best-known and largest hotel is the luxury Six Senses Hotel, where even Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are said to have stayed. However, you have to expect to pay over €500 per night for this hotel.
We spent our nights in the Red Hotel. It’s a small hotel with clean rooms, and the daughter there can speak a little English. A room here costs around €25 per night.
There are also a few other small hotels and guesthouses in the area, all of which cost between €20 and €30. If you book in advance, you’ll definitely find something that suits you.
Bars & Cafés
There are several small bars and cafés in Con Son town. We often went to the Con Son Café. It’s a small café located on the coastal road, with outdoor seating. From here, you can enjoy the beautiful sea view with a hot cup of Vietnamese coffee.
Another great place is Infiniti Coffee and Resto. It’s a small bar serving mostly Western food. You can end your evening here with a few cocktails or local beer.
During the diving season, you can also visit Bar 200. This bar is part of the Rainbow Divers dive center.
Getting Around
Some hotels offer a shuttle service that picks you up from the airport. If your hotel does not offer this, your best option is to take one of the few taxis on the island to get to town. You can reach most places there on foot.
For longer distances, the best option is to rent a scooter to explore the island on your own. We rented ours directly from our dive school. We had the scooter for our entire stay on the island. You can get anywhere by scooter and remain very flexible.
How Much Time?
We stayed on Con Son for two nights. However, that was too short. If you also want to go diving, we would recommend at least five nights. That way, you can also comfortably spend a night on Hon Bay Canh with the baby turtles. You could also fit in a beach day. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to visit the prison or the cemetery. These are things we missed and definitely want to catch up on next time.
Best Time to Visit
There are only two distinct seasons in the Con Dao Archipelago: the dry season from December to April, and the rainy season from May to September. If you only want to visit Con Dao for swimming or hiking, the middle of the dry season, from January to March, is ideal.
However, if you would like to see the turtles laying eggs and go diving, the months from March to July are better. The turtles only come to lay their eggs between May and September. And the chance to see dugongs is only between April and May.
Have you already been to Con Dao Island? How did you like it? We look forward to your comment.
Photos: Photo 1 (Beach): Han Minh Chu/flickr (CC BY 2.0)
