The Con Dao Archipelago is a group of 16 islands and islets 185 km from Vung Tau and 230 km from Ho Chi Minh. The total land area reaches 75 km2 and the population is about 5000. The largest island in the group, with a total land area of 20 km2, is the partly forested Con Son island, which is ringed with bays, bathing beaches and coral reefs. Con Son island is also known by its Europeanised Malay name, Poulo Condore ( Pulau Kundur), which means “Island of the Squashes”. Local products include teak and pine wood, fruits ( grapes, coconuts and mangoes), cashews, pearls, sea turtles, lobsters and corals.

Occupied at various times by the Khmer, Malays and Vietnamese, Con Son also served as an early base for European commercial ventures in the region. The British East India Company maintained a fortified trading post here from 1702 to 1705 – an experiment that ended when the English on the island were massacred in a revolt by the Macassar soldiers they had recruited on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Under the French, Con Son was used a prison for opponents of French colonialism, earning a fearsome reputation for the routine mistreatment and torture of prisoners. In 1954 the prison was taken over by the South Vietnamese goverment, which continued to take advantage of its remoteness to hold opponents of the goverment. The island’s revolutionary and Museum has exhibits on Vietnamese resistance to the French, Communist opposition to the Republic of Vietnam, and the treatment of political prisoners.

Con Dao island from March to September has rain but also has a quick stop and the sea is calm. It is also turtle – hatching season, which is the most ideal time to pay a visit. The visitors can take a flight from Tan Son Nhat airport to Con Dao airport or take a ferry from Soc Trang to Con Dao by Superdong.

Con Dao National Park

Many of the islands were given protected status in 1984 as a part of Con Dao National Park. This natural preserve was enlarged in 1998. Endangered species protected in the park include the hawksbill sea turtles, the green sea turtle, dolphins and the dugong. Ecosystem represented in the park include seagrass meadow, mangrove and coral reefs. Con Dao national park is working with the World Wide Fund for nature to protect the marine area with programs to establish a marine protected area that protects coral reefs, seagrass beds and species while also developing the sustainable nature – based ecotourism.

Con Dao Prison

For those who are interested in the history, Con Dao prison is an destination which should not be missed in your journey to this island. The museum is very interesting to read through, detailing the reality of the horrors  that happened on this island in the past time.

Beaches

Travellers coming to this primitive island will be amazed by the charming view of the blue sea, green trees and mountains with white sand and golden sunshine. Heaven can be felt on this island itself since it inherited the beauty from the nature. Beaches are the jewels of this island, you can take a hike to Ong Dung beach, a stony coastal spot where you can snorkel close to shore or head to Dam Trau beach as one of the world’s best beaches. Other beautiful beaches to explore are such as Nhat beach, Loi Voi beach, Dat Doc beach, Suoi Nong ( hot spring).