A former French and American prison, the remote Con Dao Islands have found a more peaceful title of “national park” in recent years. Today, you’ll find trails leading into the jungle, wild coral reefs, empty beaches, and mountains that appear to tumble into the sea.
Con Dao National Park sits on the Con Dao archipelago, a chain of 15 islands in the South China Sea. Most people concentrate around Con Son, the largest island, in the main town of Con Dao. It’s here you’ll find the national park headquarters, where you can get forest permits, hire guides for treks, and arrange boat trips to other islands. The town is highly walkable and has plenty of hotels and restaurants to help you relax between outdoor adventures.
Con Son, the largest of the archipelago’s 15 islands, is where most people arrive via airplane from Ho Chi Minh City or ferry from Vung Tau. It’s about a 1-hour flight or a 3-hour ferry crossing. From the island’s only town, Con Dao, you can easily set out on foot, and arrange taxi services and excursions.
There’s no bad time to be in paradise, but the best time to be in Con Dao is March through September, when the sea is at its calmest and the breezes at their coolest. That being said, always be willing to accept a little rain, and be prepared for saturated, muddy ground that can be difficult to navigate.
Though Con Dao offers some of the most pristine landscapes in all of Vietnam (don’t miss Bang Beach or Love Peak), most Vietnamese people come here to honor the fallen—some 20,000 prisoners died here in the fight for independence. Both Phu Hai and Phu Son prisons are within walking distance of town and are worth a visit and the nominal entrance fee.