Vietnam – Getting to know Con Dao

One of Vietnam’s most promising ‘up-and-coming’ destinations in our opinion, Con Dao is an archipelago of 16 islands located in the South China Sea, just 45 minutes by air from Ho Chi Minh City, and defined by miles of undisturbed beaches, wild jungle and turquoise waters.. The archipelago makes up one of Vietnam’s most pristine Marine National Parks, put in place to protect Sea Turtles which nest each year on the region’s uninhabited islands.

What to do in Con Dao

  Con Dao used to be infamous as the location of a Colonial French penal colony, which imprisoned Vietnamese nationalists and political prisoners and became an American POW during the region’s later conflicts. The Con Dao Museum is home to sensitive and informative exhibitions about this painful history.

    One of the prison’s most famous inmates was a teenage girl known as Vo Thi Sau, who resisted the French occupation and ended up imprisoned at 14 years old, and executed at 19. She’s since become a folk hero and national martyr, and her grave at the Hang Duong cemetary on Con Son (Con Dao’s largest island) is much visited by devotees from across the country.

    The super-deluxe Six Senses Con Dao resort on Con Son set tongues a-wagging when it opened, and is rated amongst the finest resorts in Asia – but there are also a couple of mid-range hotels to choose from. Whichever you choose, or your wallet allows, your stay on Con Dao is just as likely to be about the spectacular beaches as your proximity to a fancy spa! There’s also the small matter of the turtles, which come ashore to nest between June and September.