Con Dao Islands
Once a French colonial prison island, now a national park with pristine beaches, nesting sea turtles and coral reefs — the most tranquil island in southern Vietnam.
The Con Dao Islands lie off the coast of southern Vietnam, about 230 km from Ho Chi Minh City. The archipelago consists of 16 islands, the main one being Con Son Island; since 2025 it has been administratively part of Ho Chi Minh City as the Con Dao Special Zone. French colonists began building prisons here in 1862, and for over a century large numbers of Vietnamese revolutionaries were held here, leaving sobering historical sites such as Phu Hai Prison, the Tiger Cages and Hang Duong Cemetery. Today most of the land and surrounding waters belong to Con Dao National Park, which protects rainforest, coral reefs and sea turtle nesting grounds. The best season is March–September, when the sea is calm and ideal for snorkeling and boat trips; May–October is turtle nesting season, when you can join a national park tour to stay overnight on Bay Canh Island to watch turtles; October–December brings rough seas with the northeast monsoon, and boats are often cancelled. Getting there: direct flights connect Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and other cities with Con Dao Airport, or take a high-speed boat from Vung Tau or Tran De Port in Soc Trang. A stay of 3–4 days is recommended: one day for the prison sites and museum, one day for beaches and hiking around the island, and 1–2 days for snorkeling trips or turtle watching. Renting a motorbike is the easiest way to get around. The historical sites are somber places; please be respectful.
Top sights
- Con Dao Prison – Phu Hai Camp – A complex of prisons known as 'hell on earth', built by French colonists in 1862. Phu Hai Camp is the largest and earliest of them.
- Hang Duong Cemetery – A cemetery holding about 20,000 people who died in Con Dao prison. Incense burns through the night before the grave of the heroine Võ Thị S…
- Dam Trau Beach – A tranquil crescent bay beside the airport, with white sand, clear water and coconut groves. Planes fly low overhead as they come in to lan…
- Bay Canh Island – The largest outlying island of Con Dao and the core base for sea turtle nesting and hatching. Overnight turtle-watching tours can be joined…
- Tiger Cages – The "tiger cages" where prisoners were kept under iron grates and watched and tortured from above. Their existence was exposed to the world…
- Con Dao Museum – A comprehensive museum covering the natural history, archaeology, and prison history of Con Dao. It is the best orientation before visiting…
- Governor's Mansion – A French colonial official residence completed in 1876, where more than twenty prison governors lived. It is now an exhibition hall.
- Pier 914 – A century-old stone pier built with the sweat of prisoners. According to legend, 914 people died building it, which gave it its name.
- An Son Temple (Lady Phi Yen Temple) – An ancient temple on the island dedicated to Phi Yen, a concubine of Nguyen Anh. Islanders regard her as a guardian spirit, and beside the…
- Van Son Pagoda (Nui Mot Pagoda) – The only Buddhist temple on Con Dao, built on the hillside of Nui Mot (One Mountain), with views over An Hai beach, Quang Trung Lake, and t…
- Bai Nhat Beach – A hidden little beach that appears only at low tide, with rocks, white sand, and clear water, and reachable on the ring road.
- Dat Doc Beach – A long, curved beach on the east coast of Con Dao, home to the Six Senses resort, with clear water and a private setting.
- An Hai & Lo Voi Beaches – A town beach next to Con Son, where fishing boats are moored, and which is good for sunset walks. Lo Voi Beach nearby is covered in rocks.
- Ong Dung Beach – A pebble bay reached by a rainforest trail through the national park, with abundant coral near the shore that makes it good for snorkeling.
- Con Dao National Park – A national park covering rainforest on land and the surrounding sea, protecting sea turtles, dugongs, and coral reefs, with several hiking…
- So Ray Plantation Trail – A hiking trail through rainforest to the former prisoner plantation, where wild macaques live along the way and the summit overlooks Con So…
- Ma Thien Lanh Bridge Ruins – A stone bridge begun by prisoners deep in the mountains and never finished. Its remaining piers lie hidden in the jungle, a grim reminder o…
- Hon Cau Island – A small island east of Con Son Island with clear, coral-rich waters and a turtle nesting beach, often visited on snorkeling day trips.
- Hon Tai Islands – Small islands south of Con Son Island with diverse corals and transparent waters, a popular spot for snorkeling and picnics.
- Hon Ba Island – A small island off the southwest of Con Son Island, home to a little temple dedicated to 'Ba', with waters good for snorkeling.
- Mui Ca Map (Shark Cape) – The southernmost cape of Con Son Island, where giant boulders look like a shark with its jaws open, with views over Hon Ba and the southern…
- Con Dao Market – The main market in the town center, selling seafood, tropical fruit and Vietnamese breakfast noodles, with a small night market nearby in t…
Where to eat
- Thu Ba Seafood Restaurant – One of Con Dao's oldest seafood restaurants, near the market, with fair prices and popular with both visitors and local…
- Tri Ky Seafood Restaurant – A two-storey open-air seafood restaurant on the seafront road, where live seafood from tanks is priced by weight.
- Bar200 Beach Restaurant – A popular Western restaurant in Con Dao, known for pizza and pasta since it moved to the beachfront, and the base of a…
- Madame Ha Vegan Kitchen – A small, fully vegan Vietnamese restaurant in Con Dao town, decorated with recycled fishing nets and praised for its ve…