Con Dao Travel Guide

There are 2 options to get to Con Dao, by air or by sea:

March to October is the best time as the sea is calm during this period. November to February  is also the good time to come to Con Dao when it’s warm sunshine and dry season

March to the end October is the best time as the sea is calm during this period, although May to October is raining season, however, the rains in Con Dao are normally lasting for no more than 1 hour, other times of the day are still with sun-shine. This time is suitable for activities on the sea, snorkeling and exploring uninhabited islands. May to September is remarkable of the turtle spawning season and June to the end of October is the great time to come Con Dao to see the baby turtles released into the sea.

November to the end of February, due to the influence of strong winds that limit trips on the sea but there are still some days in a month for setting sail when it’s calm. The peak of windy season is betwin December and January, if the weather is bad, you still can jumb on a motobike and find other beaches around the main island of Con Son at ease. The Con Dao national park is worth for a trekking during this time of the year. Find more of what to do if it’s a big wavy day in Con Dao

There are many attractions in Con Dao, here are the must-see attractions for your trips

• Con Son Museum: Learn the history of Con Dao through artifacts, antiquities, photos and documents saved from the French period to the present.

• Tiger Cage System: Explore the system of political prisoners’ solitary confinement rooms hidden between the mazes of inner and outer gates to distract prisoners and distract observations. The most brutal forms of torture took place here.
• Phi Yen Temple: Also known as An Son Mieu, it is a place to worship Phi Yen, the concubine of Lord Nguyen Anh. In Con Dao, local people worship two women as sacred saints, namely Phi Yen and national hero martyr Vo Thi Sau.
• Nui Mot Pagoda, also known as Van Son Tu, a relic associated with the land of Con Dao and is the spiritual place of the local people. Nui Mot Pagoda is a majestic architecture located on the top of a mountain viewing to An Hai lake, Con Son central town & Con Son Bay and is a beautiful landscape not to be missed while you are in Con Dao.
• Nhat Beach: After a day of exploring Con Dao, have a relax with nature at the beach, watching the beautiful sunset slowly diving through Ba Island. Nhat Beach only appears a few hours a day. Other times this beach is submerged in water and is hidden
• Dam Trau Beach: Con Dao has many beautiful beaches, but it is impossible not to mention Dam Trau, a beach associated with the legend of Gentleman Cau and Lady Trau. Coming to Dam Trau Beach, visitors can watch airplain landing right on top of your head while enjoy the beauty of this beach.
• Suoi Nong Beach: Hidden by one side-top of Dam Trau makes this beach hard to find but once you are there, it is paradise!
• Van Son Pagoda: Also known as Nui Mot Pagoda, a relic associated with the land of Con Dao, is the spiritual place of the local people. Van Son or Nui Mot Pagoda is a majestic architecture located on the top of the mountain, a beautiful landscape not to be missed when coming to Con Dao. From here visitors can see An Hai lake, panoramic view of Con Dao town and Con Son Bay..
• Ben Dam Habour: Nestled in Ben Dam Bay, surrounded by mountains and small islands. From the habour, visitors can experience the daily life of local fishermen or immerse in the beautiful sea and island nature of Ba Island and Vung Island wich is not far away.
• Bay Canh Island: Is the second largest island among 16 islands of the Con Dao archipelago, with the largest number of sea turtles occupied in Vietnam. Every year, May to September is the turtle spawning season and June to the end of October is the great time to come Bay Canh Island to see the baby turtles released into the sea. The whole island is covered by primary tropical forest, with a very rich flora and fauna. Coming to Bay Canh Island, visitors will have the opportunity to explore the ecology of the mangrove forest, swim, snorkel and admire beautiful coral reefs of this island.
• Cau Island: The island of solitary confinement for the early prime minister Pham Van Dong, also known as an ancient village of “Ba Thiet Hamlet” during the reign of Gia Long King. Today, Cau Island is an attractive tourist destination in Con Dao because of its wild beauty and flat white sandy beach. Coming to Cau Island, visitors will have the opportunity to visit coconut forests, orchards, learn about nature conservation, swim, snorkel and admire the amazing ocean world of this beautiful tropical island.
• Fraternal Archipelago: Including 4 islands of Tai Lon, Tai Nho, Trac Lon, Trac Nho, is a beautiful world of various kinds of sea creatures hidden under crystal clear blue water. Coming to the Fraternal Archipelago, visitors will admire the mysterious shimmering beauty of the aquarium with many kinds of colorful and fancy corals that are hard to find anywhere else.

• Discover “the hell on earth”: Explore the system of political prisoners’ solitary confinement rooms hidden between the mazes of inner and outer gates to distract prisoners and distract observations. The most brutal forms of torture took place here.
• Beach exploring: Lo Voi beach, An Hai Beach, Nhat beach, Dam Trau beach and Suoi Nong beach are wating for your foot-prints
• Snorkeling: You can find a wide variety of corals as well as impressive fishes at most of the small islands like Bay Canh island, Cau island, Tai islands, Trac islands,…, the islands that create poetic beauty for Con Son Bay and are marine ecological conservation areas.
• Watch turtles laying eggs: Experience a quiet yet captivating night on Bay Canh Island, you will be able to witness  Green Turtles or Chelonia Mydas Turtles nesting and laying eggs on the beach (Available from May to September)
• Watch baby turtles released to the sea: From June to the end of October, when turtle eggs hatched, is a great time to join this exciting activity at Bay Canh Island

Sea Food, of course! You can find many sea food restaurants right in town, especially on Pham Van Dong Street. For an open space and good ocean view while eating, there are some floating restaurants at Ben Dam Bay, accessible by boat from Ben Dam harbour

For the real local taste, don’t forget to try roasted terminalia catappa seeds, whether sweet or salted. Roasted terminalia catappa seeds are also found in a kind of cookie as a special product of Con Dao.

In a hot weather day, why not try the Con Dao coconut ice cream, you will love it!