Travel And Leisure posted on the official website, located just 45 minutes away from bustling Ho Chi Minh City, Con Dao is an archipelago of 16 small islands in the sea off the coast of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province. This place caught the "green eye" of international travel experts because of the long list of must-see attractions and discoveries.

Destination for Vietnamese history enthusiasts

Con Dao was once known as “hell on earth”, the land of prisons, prisoners, and prison guards. For tourists interested in learning about history, they will surely find moments of tranquility in the relics filled with information about Con Dao’s past.

The most terrible and climax of the cruel prison regime was the isolated tiger cage area built by the French colonialists in 1940, the isolated cow cage area built by the Americans in 1930, expanded in 1963, and Phu Binh prison, dubbed the “American-style tiger cage” built in 1971.

Con Dao people still tell the story of 1975, when the island was completely liberated, they still heard screams and discovered people soaked to the point of maggots eating away their bones under the cow cage.

It would be very difficult to go through all 127 prison cells, 42 solitary confinement cells, 504 isolated cow cage rooms built during the 113 years that Con Dao suffered under the yoke of invasion, but just going to one of those places, you will fully understand the so-called “hell on earth”.

Wandering with nature, passionate with people

The first impression for visitors to Con Dao will be the image of majestic mountains, wild nature, filled with the flavor of the sea.

Con Dao has 200 km of coastline with dozens of beautiful and pristine beaches, clear blue water, colorful coral reefs such as: An Hai, Dam Trau, Lo Voi, Suoi Ot, Hon Ba... always bringing exciting and new feelings to visitors here. Depending on their travel “taste”, visitors can choose a quiet space for a sweet vacation, or look for beaches where when the tide is low, they can see colorful coral reefs, different types of fish swimming in the sea…

In addition, visitors who have visited Con Dao should not miss a picnic in Con Dao National Park, home to about 285 species of plants, many species typical of the forests of the three regions of North, Central, South and more than 100 species of birds, endemic mammals such as black squirrels, white-rumped geese, mountain rats…, along with many rare products such as bird’s nests, hawksbill turtles, sea cucumbers, seaweed…

As for visitors who have been traveling for a long time, are more “picky” to feel the beauty, the new… can try two types of entertainment that are considered the most impressive in Con Dao – diving to see coral and fishing for sharks.

The most diverse and plentiful coral diving services are in Hon Tre, Hon Tai, Con Son Bay and Dam Trau Beach. The boat owners providing this service will fully equip life buoys and tools for divers.

At the pre-explored diving sites, visitors will be instructed in basic diving techniques and dive with the instructor himself. The coral is only about ten meters below sea level, so diving is not too difficult.

In addition, if you have a lot of money in your wallet, visitors can experience professional diving services with Rainbow International Diving Company to see coral offshore and discover more wonders in the ocean.

Shark hunting is no less attractive. The most ideal location is Nhat Beach, located on the famous Tinh Yeu Peak of Con Dao. According to shark fishing experts who are islanders, the most suitable time to go shark fishing is when night falls, and the size of the fish, the number of fish, depends on the weather and the tide.

Tourists will be provided with a specialized fishing rod about 3m long, a 100m long line, using fresh squid bait. While fishing, enjoying a full dinner of fresh seafood on the beach, feeling the serenity from the sound of waves, the rustling of forest leaves, mixed with the excitement of waiting for the fish to bite the hook... will be an unforgettable experience for visitors to Con Dao.

Paradise for food lovers

A rare specialty on Con Dao, with a rather “sensitive” name, is the snail. This name simply comes from the shape of the snail, which is pyramidal, with a small knob on top of the shell. The snail can be grilled, boiled, or eaten as a salad, all of which are delicious.

It is said to be a rare specialty because in Vietnam, the snail only lives in a few places such as the sea of Con Dao, the sea of Cu Lao Cham (Quang Nam), the sea of Dai Lanh (Khanh Hoa) ... However, the snail in Con Dao is the largest type, available all year round and most abundant on full moon days.

Another unique delicacy made from the seeds of the Pangium tree - a forest tree that has almost become a symbol of the strong vitality of nature and people of Con Dao.

This is the ideal time to go to Con Dao to enjoy Pangium seed jam. Because around June and July, it is the season of ripe Pangium fruit. Con Dao people often go early in the morning to pick up fallen Pangium fruit, dry it, then split it to get the seeds and roast it with sugar or salt.

The sweetness of sugar or the saltiness of salt mixed with the rich and fatty taste of Pangium seeds on the tip of the tongue, brings a jam that is both delicious and very strange. This is a specialty dish that bears the mark of Con Dao that few people who come here do not buy some as gifts.

Another interesting piece of information for tourists who are planning a trip to Con Dao is that in addition to being voted the most beautiful island in the world by Travel And Leisure, Con Dao is also in the Top 10 most romantic islands in the world and the Top 10 islands with the best hotel quality in the world by the international travel guide Lonely Planet.