A quiet coastal road lined with trees, palm lamps and a roundabout sign in Con Dao town.

Southern Vietnam

Empty, beautiful, and not an easy holiday

An hour from Saigon by small plane and a world away: one small town, a dozen empty beaches, protected reefs, and a prison complex that is the reason most Vietnamese come here.

Plan my trip

Orientation

What Con Dao is

Sixteen islands, of which one is inhabited, in the sea south-east of the delta. The single town is a grid of French-era buildings along a seafront, backed by forested hills; beyond it are beaches you will usually have to yourself and a marine park with the healthiest reefs in Vietnam. There is no nightlife, no strip and very little to buy.

The island is also where the French and then the South Vietnamese state imprisoned political detainees for over a century, and the prison buildings and cemetery are preserved. Most Vietnamese visitors come for that and for the cemetery at night, which is a genuinely moving thing to witness and not a tourist activity. Foreign visitors mostly come for the emptiness. Both are the island.

Nights: 3 to 4
Flight from Saigon: 1 hour, small aircraft
Calm season: March to June
Rough season: October to December
Town: One, with about a dozen restaurants

What to do

What there is to do

Nothing, deliberately, for at least a day — this is what the island is for and people who fight it do not enjoy it.
Diving and snorkelling between March and June, when visibility is at its best. Two operators, both small, book ahead.
The prison complex and the Hang Duong cemetery — two to three hours, sobering, and essential context for where you are.
Dam Trau beach, near the airstrip, which is the best strip of sand and still usually empty.
Turtle nesting on Bay Canh island from June to September, on a permit system with the national park — an early start and a genuine wildlife experience rather than a show.

Casuarina trees frame a quiet sandy beach with a small island on the horizon at Con Dao.

A weathered guard tower and stone wall stand at the historic prison site in Con Dao, mountains rising behind.

A green forested islet rises from turquoise waters near Con Dao, with waves breaking on rocky shores.

A coastal road winds along rocky cliffs above turquoise waters near Con Dao.

Timing

Getting there, and the season

Flights from Saigon take about an hour on a small turboprop with a strict baggage limit, and they are the sensible way in. There is a ferry from Vung Tau and Soc Trang, which takes three to five hours and is genuinely uncomfortable outside the calm months.

March to June is the calm season and the best window for the sea. September to December brings the northeast swell, rough crossings and cancelled boat trips; the island is still beautiful and the sea is not the reason to come then. Note that this runs almost opposite to Phu Quoc, which is useful — between the two islands there is a good beach option in almost any month.

Not for everyone

Who should skip it

If you need restaurants, shops or anything to do after dark, you will be bored by the second evening and there is no fixing it on this island. If your baggage is heavy, the aircraft limit is real and enforced. And if you are travelling with teenagers who need stimulation, this is the wrong island — Phu Quoc is the right one.

Common questions

Questions travellers ask most

How do I get to Con Dao?

A one-hour flight from Saigon on a small aircraft with a strict baggage allowance, or a three to five hour ferry from Vung Tau or Soc Trang, which is rough outside the calm months.

When is the best time for diving?

March to June, when visibility is at its best and the sea is calm. Book with one of the two operators before you arrive.

Is the prison museum suitable for children?

Older children, with context and a guide who can pitch it. It is unflinching about what happened there.

Is there much to eat on the island?

A dozen or so places in town, seafood-led, simple and good. Your hotel is often the best option for dinner, which tells you something about the pace here.