Con Dao Island (Vietnam) - tourist information

This article has been translated from Russian language using an artificial intelligence-based translation algorithm. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the quality of the translation. You can read the original version of this article in Russian here, and ask questions on the topic of our travel forum in English here.

General information about Condao island

Condao island

Con Dao Island - an island in Vietnam, located in the south of the country, about 100 kilometers from the coast in the waters of the South China Sea. In fact, despite the well-established name "Con Dao island", it is actually a group (archipelago) of 16 islands with a total area of 76 sq. km. the largest island of the archipelago, with an area of 51 sq. km. It is also sometimes called in the old way Con Son (Con Son, was renamed Con Dao in 1977). Previously, the island was a place where political prisoners were held.

Con Dao is one of the popular island resorts in Vietnam along with the islands Phu Quoc and Cat Ba. The island offers excellent beach holidays and opportunities for diving and snorkeling (see diving in Vietnam). Given the remoteness and inaccessibility of the island, the rest here is considered quite secluded, calm and exotic. There are few tourists here, and so far you can meet wild little-known places. Currently, the island is actively building tourist infrastructure, so if you want to see the island, not yet densely populated by tourists, you should hurry.

Most of the territory of the archipelago since 1984 is the territory of the National Park, where you can get acquainted with exotic animals, plants, as well as the underwater world (diving on the island is considered the best in Vietnam). You can visit the park yourself, together with a group tour or by hiring an individual guide. Another entertainment is a visit to the small islands of the archipelago, where you can even spend the night camping. On one of the islands (Hon Bay Canh), there is a lighthouse that tourists visit as a tourist attraction.

Also on the island there are some historical sights. The most important of them is the prison of political prisoners (Phu Hai prison), in which 20,000 prisoners died. Now this place has been turned into a museum. Another memorable place is the cemetery (Hang Duong Cemetery), dedicated to those who died in prison. You can visit both of these places by hiring a guide at the Revolutionary Museum, which is also worth a visit. Of course, there is a temple on the island on the hill.

The tourist infrastructure of the island is still poorly developed, which is more a plus for such a place than a minus. Apart from hotels and restaurants, there is almost nothing here, although the construction of new facilities is underway. The center of the island is only a newly built town (Con Son Village) with excellent roads, new buildings, but even in it you can find only the most necessary. You can buy something only in the markets, there are no shopping centers here. Everything is very expensive, so it is better to buy everything you need for a holiday, even on the mainland. There are diving centers and travel agencies ready to send you to nearby islands or on a tour of the National Park. In the evenings there is nothing to do on the island.

Weather on Con Dao, seasons

The climate on Con Dao is tropical, warm all year round. As usual, the dry season and the rainy season stand out. The temperature changes little throughout the year.

The dry season is from December to April. This is the best time to rest. There is practically no precipitation, the temperature is moderate, not too hot.

The rainy season is from May to November. This is not the best time to visit, however, and it is not necessary to refuse a trip at this time. Rains here are not as much as on the mainland, and they are short-lived.

However, in some cases, it is worth tying the time of visiting the island not to the seasons. So, if you want to see turtles that crawl ashore to lay eggs, you should come here from May to November. The best time for diving and snorkeling, when the visibility of the water reaches 20-30 meters, is from February to July.

Tourist seasons on Con Dao by month, when is the best time to go

Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov.	Dec

*best time to visit;
acceptable time to visit;
not recommended time to visit

Weather on the island Con Dao and forecast for the near future:

How to get to Con Dao island

By plane

On the island of Con Dao there is an airport (Con Dao Airport), where airlines fly VASCO (subsidiary of Vietnam Airlines) and Air Mekong (temporarily suspended operations in 2013) from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho.

The most frequent (several times a day) flights are operated from Ho Chi Minh City Airport. The price for such flights and at the promotional rate starts from 750,000 VND (about $ 35, see currency of Vietnamand exchange rate). From Hanoi and Kanto, flights are operated about 4 times a week. The frequency of flights varies depending on seasonality.

From Con Dao airport, the hotel can be reached by taxi or minivan (about$3).

By ferry

The island can be reached by night ferry (12 hours on the way, departs at 17:00) from Vung Tau. Cost 250 000 VND. Vung Tau, in turn, can be reached by boat from Ho Chi Minh City.

What to navigate

There is no public transport on the island. Motorcycle and bicycle rentals are available (see motorcycle rentals in Vietnam). There are also quite a lot of car taxis and minibuses.

Hotels In Con Dao

There are very few hotels on Kondao, but among them there are inexpensive accommodations. However, taking into account the shortage of inexpensive accommodation, we highly recommend booking a hotel on Con Dao ahead of time, preferably even a few weeks or months in advance. At the moment, several large hotels are being built on the island, and after their opening, the situation may change. At worst, on the island you can settle in camping in tents, of course, for money.

You can find and book accommodation on Con Dao island on these sites or through the search form: