Con Dao Island Vietnam: What to Do & Best Things to See?

Con Dao Archipelago is one of the most beautiful and best destinations for a holiday trip to Vietnam. Coming to Con Dao, you not only swim and relax on the beautiful sandy beaché, but you can also join some other best activities to do and things to visit below.

1. Diving, Snorkeling and Corals Watching:

One of the activities you should not miss in Con Dao is diving, snorkeling, and watching corals. Con Dao consists of different sub-islands such as Bay Canh, Tai, Tre, Trac or Cau, etc., in which the convergence of coral reefs is the highest density in Vietnam. Among these sub-islands, Tai is the most suitable and wonderful place to explore marine life. The types of coral reefs here are various from branches, slabs, blocks with diverse colors and shapes.

Taking the snorkeling tour, you will be equipped with the life jacket, diving goggles, diving mask, propellers, and guided about the diving manipulation. You will have a chance to immerse yourself in the crystal clear water, explore the magical ocean world, and admire schools of fish swimming through the colorful coral reefs. Besides, you can also see sea cucumber, mussels, etc., in different shapes. Let's prepare your best health condition and spirits to have an unforgettable experience under the sea of Con Dao.

2. Joining Fishing Activities:

Fishing is also a favorite activity in Con Dao. At first, this activity is just accessible in a small group coming to Con Dao for a vacation. Until now, it is becoming more and more well-known, and among activities, you should not miss in Con Dao. Con Dao has various types of fishes, such as mackerel, grouper, plaice, etc. due to the number of islands. Each of the islands has a different kind of fish. To catch different types of fish, you will need a different type of bait.

After fishing, you can enjoy your achievement as well as watching the scenery of the sea and islands. For more excitement, you can try to challenge your courage with shark fishing. The ideal place for shark fishing is the Nhat beach, located on the Love Peak of Con Dao.

3. Exploring Small Islands Nearby:

Con Son Bay has a system of 14 big and small islands close or far away from each other. All of the islands create magnificent scenery that you cannot take your eyes off. If you want to discover the wildlife and see rare animals, Tai island will be a suitable choice for you. You can admire the wildlife of macaque, ebony squirrel, iguana, gecko, etc.

Ba Island is also among those islands; you can admire these rare animals. Besides, on this island, you can easily find beautiful beaches, forest ecosystems, and diverse mangroves. Let's find yourself with more deserted islands in Con Dao, which will bring you many new and surprising things.

4. Witness turtle prawn eggs and Release baby turtles to the sea:

Watching turtles laying eggs is an exciting activity you should not miss when you are in Con Dao. Hon Bay island, known as the best eco-island in Con Dao, also the most significant marine turtle conservation in Vietnam, is the most suitable island to watch. The island has the highest number of turtles to lay eggs in Con Dao.

During the breeding season, from April to September every year, the number of mother turtles crawling to the edge for nesting and laying eggs can reach up to 30. If you are lucky, you also can see the previously hatched baby turtles trying to crawl out of the eggshell.

5. Best Famous Tourist Attractions in Con Dao Island:

Visiting Con Dao, you will have the chance to immerse yourself in the cool, crystal-clear water of different beaches, visit historical sites to learn about the French and American war times in Vietnam, and engage in the wildlife in Con Dao National Park. Let’s refer to some attractions below for a splendid holiday in Con Dao Archipelago.

5.1. Charming Beaches in Con Dao Island:

Con Dao Island is an ideal destination for a vacation in Vietnam due to its pristine sceneries of the beaches. Con Dao has a lot of beautiful and peaceful beaches, including some of the beaches like: Lo Voi Beach, An Hai Beach, Dam Trau Beach, Nhat Beach in the Shark Cape, Suoi Nong Beach.

If you travel to Con Dao Island by waterway towards the center, you will catch up with the image of two long coastlines with the sound of the waves and the sea breeze blowing in, called Lo Voi Beach. Lo Voi beach is named after the So Lo Voi, in which the French colonialists exploit labor through the process of burning lime from corals. Lo Voi Beach has idyll sea surface, crystal blue water, long and clean white sandbank. Along the beach, you can see the poplar trees stretching. The beach is exceptionally suitable for a family picnic.

- Lo Voi Beach: although located in the center of Con Son town, An Hai beach is pristine with a peaceful atmosphere. The water of the sea is so clear that you can see the bottom of the sea. The beach with smooth and white sand, next to a mountain and small islands on the sea surface, creates a wonderful landscape picture. The jetty on An Hai beach is the place where fishing boats mooring. If you wake up early to see the sunrise, you can also catch up with the fishermen's image, preparing their fishing gear for their fishing journey. In the afternoon, you can relax, swim at the beach or walk along the sandbank.

- Dam Trau beach: This is also among the alarming beaches in Con Dao. Dam Trau beach is located near Co Ong Airport, on the edge of Con Dao National Park, and is about 14 kilometers from Con Dao town. Dam Trau beach possesses a beautiful, wild and mysterious scenery with vast turquoise sea, smooth sand, smooth waves, untouched primary forests, and colorful coral reefs. You can also see cliffs of various shapes created over time above Dam Trau Beach. Let’s drop in Dam Trau beach and enjoy the best moments of fun!

- Nhat Beach: The beach is located 6 kilometers from Con Dao to the Southeast. The natural landscape in Nhat beach is wild, and there is almost no human impact here. The beach has a sandy surface mixed with gravel and stone. You can see gravel lying close to each other anytime wave rushes. The undulating, various shapes and stacked to each other pebbles on the banks look attractive and have become a favorite attraction to take photos. Nhat Beach is quite small and only visible at low tide. Under the sunshine, the rocks look glistening, and you can view this from the Love mountain in the Shark Cape. The Shark Cape has a large rock protruding from the sea, looking like a shark’s nose.

- Suoi Nong Beach: Beach has become one of the attractions you should not miss in Con Dao due to its unspoiled sea with white sand and mangroves stretching along. From Dam Trau beach, you just have to walk a short forest road to come here. Coming to Suoi Nong beach, not only will you be immersed in the beautiful landscapes, but you will also be amazed by the water temperature. The underground stream goes through the hot mineral mine; the water on the beach remained at more than 50 Celsius degree all year round. Therefore, when visiting the beach, you will have a chance to witness a strange view of steam rising to create mysterious scenery.

- Con Dao Prison: Con Dao Prison was built by French colonialists to detain particularly dangerous prisoners for the French colonial regime such as political prisoners, prisoners under the death penalty, etc. During the French colonial times, many communists and patriots who opposed the colonial government, were arrested and prisoned. Later on, the Americans continued to use the prison in the war against the US.

Con Dao Historical Prison Complex includes Phu Son Prison, Phu Hai Prison, Phu Tho Prison, Phu Tuong Prison, The Tiger Cage, the separated cow shed, Phu An Prison, Phu Phong, and Phu Hung Prison.

The most famous place in Con Dao Prison Complex is the "Tiger Cage" Site. The "Tiger cages" area is the harshest solitary confinement in prison. Prisoners here were confined in a 5m² wide room with poor hygiene and eating conditions. They were shackled and had to lie on a damp cement floor, and were often tortured for interrogation. Above the Tiger Cage, there are grilles for the guards to monitor the prisoners below and sprinkle lime or poke a long stick to warn if they see any resistance. Besides, Tiger Cage also has a roofless prison system. The prisons here were stripped of their clothes and laid under the sun and the rain.

Con Dao Prison - Tiger Cages Area

The Tiger Cage is for important prisoners who refuse to report and subdue the prisoners' will through brutal torture. To avoid public opposition, the "tiger barn" was built in isolation and kept a secret. For a long time, no one outside knew the existence of this "tiger barn."

- Chua Dao Palace: Chua Dao Palace is also a worthy attraction to visit in Con Dao Archipelago if you would like to understand more about the magnanimous fighting history of Vietnam.

Chua Dao Palace, also known as The Governor's palace, was built between 1862 and 1876, with a total area of 18,600 m2. This place was formerly the home of 53 island kings, including 39 island kings during the French colonial period and 14 island kings during the American empire over 113 years. It used to be where the harsh policies for prisoners and measures to suppress and torture the prisoners were set. It was also the island kings' accommodation and place of work, showing the luxurious life of domination besides the miserable and poor life of prisoners.

After the South Revolution Day, Chua Dao Palace is used as a display for the crimes of the king, as well as the colonial and empire regime. There are for topics being displayed, which are:

• Con Dao – country and people
• Con Dao – the hell on Earth
• Con Dao – a revolutionary school
• Con Dao – historical relics of revolutionary

Besides Con Dao Prison and Chua Dao Palace, Con Dao Museum is a place to store a lot of artifacts and images during two wars in Vietnam. The museum preserves the long-term cultural and historical heritages of Vietnam. It contributes a part in the sustainable tourism development of the Con Dao District.

- Con Dao National Park: Con Dao National Park, built-in 1993, is a part of a special-use forest system among 33 national parks in Vietnam. It has vibrant and diverse vegetation, from terrestrial to aquatic species. There are more than 370 species of woody, more than 100 species of vines, more than 200 beneficial herbs, and 30 different types of orchids scattered on the island.

Con Dao has up to 69 species of genera, 28 species of mammals, 39 species of reptiles. Some animals are considered local animals here, as they appeared years ago. They are the typical species on the island, including Con Dao deer mouse, black squirrel, ebony squirrel. Visiting Con Dao National Park, you will have an opportunity to admire many kinds of rare corals and animals named in the Red Book of Vietnam, such as dugongs, crocodiles, etc.

Adventure Journey

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