Con Dao is a group of 16 islands in the South China Sea, about 80 km off the Mekong Delta coast. Only the largest, Con Son, has a town, an airport and roads; most of the rest is national park. It is a very different trip from Phu Quoc: smaller, quieter and far less developed, with forested hills, empty beaches, the most important sea turtle nesting site in Vietnam — and the remains of the prisons that made the islands notorious for more than a century.
Since 1 July 2025 Con Dao has been a special zone (đặc khu) of Ho Chi Minh City; before that it was a district of Ba Ria–Vung Tau province.
Getting there from Phu Quoc
There is no direct flight or boat between Phu Quoc and Con Dao. Fly via Ho Chi Minh City (about 1 hour 15 minutes on the last leg, on small ATR-72 turboprops), or take a speedboat from Tran De or Can Tho if you are on the mainland. Full details in how to get to Con Dao.
When to go
Con Dao’s calm season is the opposite of Phu Quoc’s. March to September has the calmest sea and the best visibility for snorkelling and diving; from October to February the north-east wind makes the sea rough and boats are sometimes cancelled. June to September is the peak of the turtle nesting season. Vietnamese holidays, especially the weeks around 30 April and 2 September, fill the island’s hotels and flights.
The prisons and the history
The French opened a penal colony on Con Son in 1862 to hold political prisoners from the mainland, and the prisons stayed in use, under the French and then the Republic of Vietnam, until 1975. Thousands of prisoners died here. Today the camps are a national relic site and the reason many Vietnamese visitors come; even if you are here for the beaches, give them a morning.
- Con Dao Museum (2 Nguyen Hue, 4.6 on Google Maps from 2,416 reviews) — the best place to start: the history of the islands and the prisons, with photographs and documents.
- Phu Hai Camp — the oldest and largest of the prison camps, dating from the first years of the colony.
- The tiger cages — the French-built cells at Phu Tuong camp (from 1940), rows of cells with barred ceilings that guards patrolled from above, and the later American-era cages at Phu Binh.
- Hang Duong Cemetery (4.8 from 503) — where many of those who died in the prisons are buried, including Vo Thi Sau, a teenage resistance fighter who is one of Vietnam’s best-known national heroines. Her grave is visited all day and late into the night; dress respectfully.
The museum and the prison sites open roughly 7:30–11:30 and 13:30–17:00 every day (Google Maps, October 2026). Vietnam Airlines’ guide listed a combined ticket for the museum and four sites at 50,000 dong per person in March 2025, and noted that some buildings were closed for restoration — check at the museum.
Beaches
- Dam Trau (4.3 from 1,431) — the island’s favourite beach, a crescent of sand next to the airport where planes come in low over the water. Good swimming, a reef offshore and the best chance of seeing a turtle while snorkelling.
- Bai Nhat (4.8 from 605) — a small beach on the road to Ben Dam that appears only at low tide; a popular sunset stop.
- An Hai and Lo Voi — the two town beaches in Con Son, handy for an evening swim.
- Dat Doc — the long beach in front of the Six Senses resort, where turtles also nest.
Further afield, the beaches of Ong Dung, Bai Bang and Dat Tham are reached on foot through the national park — see hiking in Con Dao.
The national park, turtles and the sea
Most of the archipelago is Con Dao National Park, on land and at sea.
- Sea turtles — green turtles nest on the islands from April to November. The park runs night tours to watch them lay and morning trips to release hatchlings: see Con Dao sea turtles.
- Snorkelling and diving — some of the healthiest reefs in Vietnam, around Hon Bay Canh, Hon Cau and the smaller islands: see snorkelling in Con Dao.
- Hiking — paved trails through the forest to empty beaches and the Holy Cave, and guided treks with the park: see hiking in Con Dao.
Where to stay
Con Son town is small, and nearly everywhere is within a few minutes’ ride of the centre. Ratings from Google Maps, October 2026:
- Six Senses Con Dao (4.7 from 773) — the island’s luxury resort, villas on Dat Doc beach.
- The Secret Resort (4.6 from 2,142) — a large resort on the seafront in town, the most-reviewed hotel on the island.
- Poulo Condor Boutique Resort & Spa (4.4 from 448) — a quieter resort outside town.
- Hotel De Condor (4.5 from 387), The Mystery Hotel (4.6 from 330) and Tuan Ninh Hotel 2 (4.7 from 294) — well-rated smaller hotels in town.
Book early for the turtle season and Vietnamese public holidays; Con Dao has far fewer rooms than Phu Quoc.
Where to eat
Seafood is the thing to eat, and cơm niêu — rice cooked and served in a clay pot — is a local favourite. The best-reviewed places on Google Maps (October 2026):
- An Oi Cafe & Restaurant (4.9 from 1,013) and Infiniti Cafe & Restaurant (4.5 from 1,123) — two of the most popular cafés and restaurants in town.
- Spice Kitchen (4.9 from 860), Yin Yang (4.9 from 457) and May Bistro (4.9 from 469) — three of the best-rated restaurants in town.
- Madame Ha (4.9 from 753) — vegetarian and vegan.
- Com Nieu Hop Y (4.8 from 461) and Com Nieu Hoa Giay (4.6 from 436) — clay-pot rice.
- Riso Amaro (4.9 from 324) — Italian, on a rooftop; Beach House (4.9 from 475) for cocktails by the sea.
Getting around
Con Son is small enough to explore by rented motorbike, which most hotels can arrange. Grab and Xanh SM cars work on the island, and taxis meet the flights. For the national park and the turtle and snorkelling trips, book through the park’s ticket office on Ton Duc Thang Street or through your hotel.
Another trip from Ho Chi Minh City: the mangrove forest and beach of Can Gio. Further up the coast, in Khanh Hoa, Diep Son has a sandbar path between islets that the low tide uncovers.
Ratings, review counts and opening hours: Google Maps, October 2026.
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