Buzz
Located in the province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Con Dao is renowned for its pristine beaches, fine white sand that captivates travelers. Moreover, the island's fresh air, likened to a resort paradise, makes it an excellent destination for those seeking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city for relaxation.
Explore the stunning check-in spots you can't miss when traveling to Con Dao.
Just by exploring the fantastic destinations that Mytour introduces below, you can confidently say that you've explored quite a bit of Con Dao.
Dam Trau Beach
Regarded as the most beautiful beach in Con Dao, Dam Trau Beach is located 12 km northwest of Co Ong Airport. From the center of Con Dao town, if you travel by motorbike or car, it will take about 30 minutes to reach Dam Trau Beach. This place is famous for its long stretch of white, powdery sand, pristine forests with lush green trees, and unique rocky cliffs. At Dam Trau Beach, tourists can freely swim in the sea, admire beautiful scenery, or dive to explore coral reefs.
Hot Spring Beach
Hot Spring Beach is a stunning beach in Con Dao. From Dam Trau Beach, tourists can take a short trek through the forest to reach Hot Spring Beach. This place still retains its pristine beauty and is lesser-known, with flat white sand and a rare mangrove ecosystem not found on other islands.
Con Dao National Park
Con Dao National Park covers an area of nearly 6,000 hectares on land and 14,000 hectares of water. The interconnectedness of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove forests has created an ideal environment for breeding, propagation, and conservation of marine species.
Currently, Con Dao has the highest number of sea turtles in Vietnam, with two common species being hawksbill and green turtles. There are 17 recorded turtle nesting beaches, including 4 beaches with up to 1,000 mother turtles nesting annually.
Here, you can experience various exciting activities such as fishing, diving, cycling, hiking, or enjoying the natural scenery.
Seven Corners Island
Seven Corners Island is located in the eastern part of Con Dao, covering an area of 683 hectares, consisting of two connected islands with a sandy isthmus in the middle called Big Sand Beach. This is also one of the 14 turtle nesting beaches in Con Dao and the beach with the highest number of nesting turtles in Con Dao. During the breeding season (from April to September every year), at least 1-2 individuals, and sometimes up to 20-30 mother turtles, come ashore to nest and lay eggs.
Hang Duong Cemetery
Hang Duong Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Con Dao. This is where tens of thousands of revolutionary soldiers and patriotic Vietnamese people from many generations who were imprisoned, ranging from 1862 to 1975, are buried. There are over 2,000 graves of martyrs, including graves of famous patriots such as Vo Thi Sau, Nguyen An Ninh, Le Hong Phong... A unique experience you must try when visiting here is to visit the cemetery at midnight. Unlike the idea that visiting graves at this time will be quiet and deserted, even at midnight, the cemetery is still bustling with tourists. The stalls at the cemetery are brightly lit, serving the needs of buying ritual items for visitors to burn incense.
Con Dao Prison
Con Dao Prison is considered the 'hell on earth' during the wars against the French and Americans. This prison system was built by the French to detain particularly dangerous prisoners for the French colonial regime, such as political prisoners, death row inmates... During the French colonial period, this place detained communist figures and patriots who opposed the colonial government, and later it was used by the United States to detain prisoners of war during the war against America.
The most famous location within this prison complex is the 'tiger cage.' The 'tiger cage' area is the most severe isolation area. Prisoners here are confined in rooms only 5m² in size, without beds. They are shackled and forced to lie on damp concrete floors, with very poor sanitation and food, and are often tortured for interrogation. This area is reserved for important prisoners who refuse to confess, with the purpose of using hardship to break the will of the prisoners. To avoid public outcry, the 'tiger cage' area was built in isolation and kept secret, for a long time, no one outside knew of the existence of this 'tiger cage' area.
Ba Phi Yen Temple
Ba Phi Yen Temple, also known as An Son Temple, is an ancient temple built in 1785 (later rebuilt in 1958) to worship Phi Yen, the second wife of King Nguyen Anh. This temple is very sacred to the islanders and is associated with a tragic story of a talented, patriotic woman. After her death, the islanders deeply mourned her and erected a large, beautiful temple in her honor. In 1861, after the French occupation of the island, they decided to relocate all the people to the mainland to build a prison. The temple gradually fell into ruins. In 1958, the islanders rebuilt the temple on the old foundation.
Dam Tre Bay
Located in the north of Con Son Island and 3 km from Con Dao Airport. This is a sheltered bay, nestled deep into the mainland, harmoniously combining the sea and the surrounding mountains, creating many picturesque, mysterious scenes, a charming landscape, and a pristine environment.
Con Dao Museum
Commenced construction in December 2009, Con Dao Museum, with a total budget of over 62 billion VND, is a meaningful project and a place to preserve historical values, evidence of the glorious yet heroic period of the nation.
With nearly 2,000 documents and artifacts displayed in 4 major themes reflecting the crimes of the colonial and imperial regime; about the resilient and indomitable spirit of revolutionary soldiers and patriotic Vietnamese over 113 years; about the development of Con Dao today and the promotion of the historical relics of Con Dao as a national heritage, educating today's and future generations about the revolutionary tradition of the Communist Party and the Vietnamese people.
Nui Mot Pagoda
Nui Mot Pagoda (Van Son Pagoda) is located on Nui Mot Mountain, built in 1964. Over time, the pagoda has deteriorated and was renovated on August 13, 2010, and inaugurated on December 4, 2011. Being situated on the mountain, the pagoda offers a panoramic view of the sea, overlooking the entire town of Con Dao and Con Son Bay, and An Hai Lake.
Ba Island
Ba Island is the third largest island among the 16 small to large islands in the Con Dao archipelago. When visiting Ba Island, tourists can easily find beautiful beaches, diverse ecosystems of forests and mangroves with many rare and precious species of fauna and flora.
When you come here, you can hike through the forest for about 20 minutes to the west to reach Dam Quoc Beach, where you can explore pristine mangrove forests, swim, dive to see coral reefs and marine life; or you can hike to conquer Love Peak. During the rainy season, after swimming, tourists can also enjoy bathing in the cool stream near the edge of the forest near the beach.
Ong Dung Beach
Ong Dung Beach is a beautiful and ideal beach located in Con Dao National Park, about 4 km west of the center. From the park center, you will hike for about an hour on a trail through the forest to reach Ong Dung Beach, but when you arrive, all fatigue will disappear, replaced by excitement as you watch the fish swimming happily alongside the beach, colorful corals welcoming you to immerse yourself in the crystal clear water here.
Tai Island
Tai Island is located southeast of Con Son Island, covering an area of 34 hectares, attracting tourists with its beautiful natural landscape, ideal for relaxation, sightseeing, and exploring nature on the island. Tai Island has 2 small, smooth white sand beaches, where hundreds of mother turtles come ashore to nest and lay eggs every year, and thousands of baby turtles return to the ocean (from April to September each year). Especially, here you also have the opportunity to see the rare black squirrel - a species unique to Con Dao, pangolins, pythons, red-faced monkeys... and many other seabird species.
Cau Island
This place is quite famous as it used to be an ancient village during the reign of King Gia Long, called 'Xom Ba Thiet'. Cau Island is one of the two islands in the Con Son archipelago with underground water sources. In front of Cau Island, there is a long stretch of white sand along the crescent-shaped mountain range, interspersed with coconut trees and sturdy casuarina trees blocking the endless green wind. Here you can visit the historical site where former Prime Minister Pham Van Dong was detained; explore coconut forests, fruit orchards, learn about nature conservation efforts, snorkel... these are unforgettable experiences.
By Ha Mi (Compiled)
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Reference: Mytour Travel Handbook
MytourJuly 24, 2017
