Tours out of Ho Chi Minh City and across Vietnam
Southern Vietnam
An island with a hard history and a clear sea
Con Dao was a penal colony for over a century. It is now one of the emptiest and cleanest stretches of sea in Vietnam, and both facts shape a visit.
Overview
Two reasons to fly to Con Dao
Con Dao is a group of sixteen islands south-east of the delta, of which only the main one, Con Son, is really lived on. The French opened a prison here in the nineteenth century and the South Vietnamese government kept using it into the 1970s. Thousands of political prisoners died here. The prisons, the tiger cages and the cemetery are preserved, and many Vietnamese visitors come as a pilgrimage.
The island is also one of the least developed and most beautiful places on the coast: a small town of low French-era buildings on a seafront, forested hills behind, beaches you will often have to yourself, and a marine national park with the best reefs in Vietnam. Two nights gives you both halves without rushing either.
- Length
- 3 days, 2 nights
- Flight from Saigon
- About 1 hour, small aircraft
- Baggage
- Strict limit, checked at the airport
- Best months
- March to June
- Style
- Private, with guide
Nights
Where you sleep
Day by day
Day by day
Day 1
Arrival and the prisons
The cemetery at dusk
A flight of about an hour from Saigon on a small aircraft. The airport is at the south of the island and the drive to town takes about twenty minutes, round the coast. After check-in and lunch, your guide takes you at 14:30 to Phu Hai prison, the oldest on the island, and to the tiger cages, where prisoners were held in pits beneath walkways.
At the end of the afternoon we walk to Hang Duong cemetery, where many of the prisoners are buried. Vietnamese visitors come here at night with incense and flowers, and if you want to see that, your guide can go with you after dinner. It is moving and respectful; it is not a performance, and it should not be photographed as one.
Day 2
Forest, bay and sea
Snorkelling on the healthiest reefs in Vietnam
At 07:30 we drive to the trailhead for a walk of about two hours through the national park forest to a quiet bay on the west coast, with monkeys in the trees if you are lucky. Swim, then back along the same path or by car.
In the calm months a boat takes you in the afternoon to the reefs off the smaller islands for snorkelling. From roughly May to October green turtles come ashore to lay on some of the outer island beaches, and the national park runs small, supervised overnight visits to watch; places are limited, the timing depends on the turtles, and we can only apply for you, not promise it.
Day 3
A last swim and the flight home
An empty beach before the flight
A free morning: the beach nearest the airport is one of the best for swimming. We take you to the airport after lunch for the flight back to Saigon.
Price
Price
| Travellers | Tier 1 — simple | Tier 2 — comfortable | Tier 3 — the good ones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 travelling | from 525 | from 655 | from 1000 |
| 4 travelling | from 430 | from 540 | from 820 |
| 6 travelling | from 390 | from 485 | from 740 |
Con Dao is more expensive than its size suggests: flights are on small aircraft with few seats, and there are only a few hotels, from simple places in town to one or two very expensive resorts. Those two things move the price most. A boat day is a fixed cost shared by the party; an overnight turtle visit, if a place is granted, is added at cost.
Included
What is included
What the price includes
- Return economy flights Saigon to Con Dao
- Airport transfers and a car on touring days
- Local English-speaking guide for days one and two
- Boat and snorkelling gear when the sea allows
- Two nights at your chosen tier, with breakfast
- Lunches, national park and museum fees, and water
What it does not include
- An overnight turtle-watching visit, which is applied for separately
- Extra baggage on the flight
- Dinners, drinks and tips
- Travel insurance and visas
Practical
Sea, seasons and baggage
March to June is the calm season and the best for the sea. From about September to December the north-east monsoon brings swell, rough crossings and cancelled boat days; the island is still beautiful, but the water is not the reason to go then. This is almost the opposite of Phu Quoc, which is useful when planning.
The aircraft is small and the baggage limit is enforced. Pack light, in a soft bag. There is very little to buy on the island, so bring what you need, including sun cream and any medicines.
Not for everyone
Who this does not suit
If you need restaurants, shops or anything to do after dark, Con Dao will bore you by the second evening. It is also the wrong island for teenagers who need entertainment, which Phu Quoc offers in abundance. And anyone who finds places of mass suffering hard to visit should know that the prison history is at the centre of the island’s identity and hard to avoid.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
When can we see turtles nesting?
Roughly May to October, on some of the outer islands, through the national park’s supervised programme. Places are limited and sightings are not guaranteed.
Is the flight reliable?
Generally, but the aircraft is small and weather can delay it. We avoid booking you on a tight international connection the same day.
Is two nights enough?
For the history and one day on the water, yes. Add a third night if you want a real rest.
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