Con Dao Island Beach Holiday

You will be transferred to Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City for your flight to Con Dao island. Upon arriving on the island, a new driver will pick you up and transfer you to your hotel. 

You will have what is left of the day as free time. Perhaps you would like to relax in your well-equipped resort, or perhaps you would like to check out either of the island’s two main beaches lying on both edges of the town. An Tam and Lo Voi beaches are both pristine, white-sand beaches that sit in a slightly curved bay, with an undisturbed beauty that is impressive considering their easy accessibility.

Take breakfast at your own pace. You will enjoy your first full free day on Con Dao island today. You can either explore the islands independently or you can contact Incredible Asia Journeys if you would like to book onto the following tours:

Option 1: Hon Tai and Hon Bay Canh

We will head to the pier and take a boat to Hon Tai, one of the beautiful islands that comprise the 16-strong archipelago. We will take some time here for snorkelling around the incredible coral reefs, after which we re-board the boat and head to Hon Bay Canh. We will have lunch in the great, deserted outdoors of this resplendent island before visiting a salt-marsh forest and spending the afternoon in total serenity, swimming and snorkelling around the clear teal waters and returning to the hotel afterwards.

Option 2: Con Dao National Park

The Con Dao islands have some of the most unique animals anywhere in Vietnam due to their isolated location. You can see many endemic species on a visit to the Con Dao National Park, including a wealth of endangered marine animals like dolphins, turtles and dugongs. This tour takes you from your hotel to the national park, where we will embark on a 5km trek through gorgeous rainforest to the beautiful, craggy Ong Dung beach, one of the island’s most isolated. An outdoor lunch will follow this, succeeded by an afternoon of swimming, snorkelling and relaxing, all topped off gorgeously by a stunning sunset.

Take breakfast in the hotel and await the collection from our guide. We will start our tour of Con Dao with a visit to the institution that put the islands on the map, Phu Hai Prison, part of the overall complex of the Con Dao prison system. Phu Hai was the main prison on the islands and the site for some of the most brutal torturing via the infamous ‘tiger cages’. After this, we head to the Hang Duong Cemetery to learn more of the resistance fighters who died in the Con Dao prison system, along with the practice of pilgrimage to the cemetery by many Vietnamese people today. We finish the tour at the quaint Lady Phi Yen Temple, which pays homage to the wife of Emperor Gia Long, who was imprisoned on the island by her own husband for suspected treason. 

We will return to your hotel, from where you can enjoy the rest of the day as free time. Spend this time at the pool here or head out to some of the island’s more isolated beaches. Though still close to the town, Dat Doc beach offers a different scene and atmosphere than An Hai and Lo Voi beaches, set between two capes and tended to by the Six Senses Con Dao resort. Suoi Nong beach lies further afield and is harder to get to, but this adds to its true castaway appeal.

Rise at whatever time suits you for breakfast this morning and plan your free day.

For the ultimate reclusive experience on this Vietnam beach vacation, you can head out on a charter cruise around the many stunning islands of the archipelago. Cruises follow your own itinerary and are driven by a professional driver, granting you access to entire islands where you may be the only visitor. Options for swimming, snorkelling and reclining on distant shores abound from the freedom of a private boat.

For a more active day, a 6km trek is available from Con Dao National Park, cutting through luxuriant jungle and opening up to the sea at Dam Tre bay. This area is excellent for swimming, snorkelling, bird-watching and climbing.

Savour the last of your time on Con Dao island over breakfast, the driver will transport you to the airport in good time for your return flight to Ho Chi Minh City. We will transport you to whichever hotel you have booked in the city’s centre.

This signals the end of this particular southern Vietnam tour. We thank you kindly for joining us in stunning Con Dao and we very much hope to see you again soon!