Con Dao Travel Guide: Islands, History, Turtles & Best Time

This Con Dao travel guide is for the traveller who wants a Vietnamese island that still feels quiet: empty beaches, green forest, sea turtles and a history that asks you to slow down and listen. I suggest Con Dao to guests who have done the busy cities and want a few gentle days by the sea, with something meaningful to take home. It is small, calm and very easy to love.

Quick answer: Con Dao is a group of 16 islands in the South China Sea, around 230 km south of Ho Chi Minh City, reached by a short flight or a high-speed ferry. It suits travellers who want uncrowded beaches, national park forest, snorkelling, turtle nesting season and the moving history of the old Con Dao prisons. The best time to visit Con Dao is usually the dry season, from about December to April, with calmer seas into early summer. Allow two to four days.

In this guide: Things to do · History · Best time · Culture · Food · Tips · FAQs

What are the best things to do in Con Dao?

Almost everything happens on Con Son, the main island. Its one small town curves around a bay, with a seafront road, a market and a handful of cafés. You can see the whole town in an afternoon, and that is part of the charm. Nothing here is in a hurry.

Start with the history, because it shapes how the island feels. The Con Dao prisons sit right in town. Walk through Phu Hai prison, with its thick stone walls and long, bare cells, then see the infamous tiger cages, built in 1940. It is heavy, but your guide will explain it with care. Most guests tell me they are glad they went.

Then let nature take over. Con Dao National Park covers much of the islands and the sea around them. The Ong Dung forest trail is a shady walk of roughly 30 to 60 minutes each way, through the park to a pebbly little beach. Bring water and good shoes, and go in the morning before the heat builds.

For swimming, Dam Trau beach is the one people remember. It is a soft, curved bay right beside the airport, and planes come in low overhead. An Hai beach is closer to town and easy for a sunset swim. On a calm day, a boat trip lets you snorkel over coral around the smaller islands.

If you visit in nesting season, ask us about a turtle-watching trip. Green turtles come ashore on the outer islands to lay their eggs, and the national park runs small visits to see nesting and, if you are lucky, baby turtles heading to the sea. Places are limited, sightings are never guaranteed, and visits must be arranged through the park, so plan ahead.

Comfort tip: keep the prisons and the cemetery for the cooler morning or late afternoon, and plan a slow beach hour afterwards. It is a lot to take in. Giving yourself a quiet moment by the water helps the day settle.

A little history: from prison island to peaceful island

For more than a century, Con Dao was a place people were sent and rarely left. The French began building prisons here in 1862 and used them for Vietnamese political prisoners. After the French left, the South Vietnamese government kept the prisons open until 1975.

The world learned about the tiger cages in 1970, when a visiting American congressional delegation and their aide Tom Harkin found and photographed the hidden cells. Many prisoners never came home. Many of them lie in Hang Duong Cemetery, at the edge of town.

The best-known grave belongs to Vo Thi Sau, a young resistance fighter executed on Con Dao in January 1952, while she was still a teenager. Vietnamese visitors often come to her grave late at night with flowers, incense and small gifts. Today the island is peaceful and green, but locals still treat this history with great respect, and you will feel it.

When is the best time to visit Con Dao?

Con Dao has a tropical climate with a dry season and a wet season. For most of our guests, the most comfortable time is the dry season, from about December to April, when days are sunny and humidity drops a little. From around March, the sea usually turns calmer and clearer, which is lovely for snorkelling and boat trips.

The wet season runs roughly from May to November. Expect short, heavy showers and very green hills. Turtle nesting runs roughly from May or June to October, peaking in the middle of the year. Seas can get rough, especially later in the year, and flights or ferries are sometimes delayed by weather, so leave a spare day in your plans.

Not sure which week suits you? Ask My Viva Tour and we’ll tell you honestly what Con Dao will be like on your dates.

People, culture & etiquette in Con Dao

Island life starts early. Fishing boats come back to the bay at dawn, the market fills with fresh fish and squid, and by mid-morning the town is sleepy again. People are friendly and unhurried, and a smile and a simple “xin chào” (hello) go a long way.

Con Dao is also a place of remembrance for many Vietnamese, and that shapes the etiquette. At the prisons and Hang Duong Cemetery, dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered, speak quietly and ask before you take photos of people paying their respects. The small Van Son pagoda on Mot mountain is worth the short climb for its view over the town. Take your shoes off if you go inside.

What food should you try in Con Dao?

Seafood is the star. Fish, squid and shellfish come straight from the boats, grilled simply with salt, chilli and lime. The island speciality is oc vu nang, a small shellfish that clings to the rocks, usually grilled or steamed. Ask your My Viva Tour guide where the locals eat it.

Look out, too, for hat bang, the nuts of the sea almond trees that line the island’s roads. They are slow to crack open, so locals often turn them into sweet, crunchy snacks. A bag makes a lovely small gift to take home. Your guide can point you to the best local spots for both.

Con Dao travel guide: know before you go

• Getting there: the easiest way is a short flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Con Dao Airport. High-speed ferries run from Tran De port in the Mekong Delta (about 2.5 hours) and, a few times a week, from central Ho Chi Minh City (about 5 hours). Ferry routes change often and are cancelled in rough seas, so check close to your date.
• Visa: Australian and US travellers need a Vietnam e-visa, valid for up to 90 days. UK travellers can currently visit visa-free for up to 45 days. Rules can change, so check before you travel.
• Getting around: the town is small. For beaches and the forest trail, use a taxi, a private car with your guide, or a bicycle if you’re comfortable in the heat.
• What to wear: light, breathable clothes, reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, and something that covers shoulders and knees for the prisons and cemetery.
• Money: carry some Vietnamese dong in cash for small shops and markets. There are fewer ATMs and card machines than on the mainland.

Con Dao travel guide FAQs

Why Con Dao stays with me

What stays with me about Con Dao is the quiet. The sea is very clear, the roads are almost empty, and in the evening you can hear the waves from the middle of town.

It is also the only beach island I know where people often go home a little changed. The prisons are hard to see. Then you sit by the water at sunset, and the peace feels earned somehow. I think that is why guests remember it long after the tan has faded.

Over to you: have you been to Con Dao, or seen the turtles nest? Tell me about it in the comments below. I’d love to hear the moment you remember most.

See Con Dao with My Viva Tour

Most guests fly to Con Dao from Saigon, so start with our Ho Chi Minh City travel guide and add the river life in our Mekong Delta travel guide. Our Southern Vietnam 5-day tour doesn’t include Con Dao as standard, but we can tailor-make a few island days onto the end of it. Comparing islands? Read our Phu Quoc travel guide too. You can also browse every story tagged to the islands on our Con Dao destination page.

Ready to plan it? Send My Viva Tour an enquiry and we’ll gently pace Con Dao into your Vietnam trip.

Travel notes fact-checked: November 2026.