Vietnam Travel Tips & Experiences

How long to spend on the Con Dao Islands?

It may be hard to imagine that Vietnam’s most beautiful beaches aren’t located on the 3,400km coastline covering its south and eastern coasts, but around the tiny 76 km2 area of the Con Dao islands, lying 90km off the mainland. It is also hard to imagine that there is a paradise on earth more befitting of the name than these islands, but the white-sand beaches, coral-rich waters, rustic shacks, and mangrove forests, all sheltering beneath a canopy of coconut trees prove Con Dao to be an excellent option for a Vietnam beach vacation. Tourism on the islands is still in its infancy, and a lack of general information to go off leaves tourists wondering how long to spend on Con Dao.[incredible_toc]Of course, this depends on how relaxed you want to get, as the numerous beaches around the Con Dao islands offer a limitless beauty that could really be soaked up over weeks for ardent beach lovers. That’s a fairly unrealistic timeframe for most tourists though, who usually come to Con Dao for 3 days, or thereabouts. Below, we’ve suggested some travel tips & experiences by listing a suggested itinerary for your Vietnam beach break, laying out the attractions of the islands and giving you an idea of how long to spend on Con Dao.1. Two Days on Con DaoGiven how much time and money it costs to get here, it is unlikely that you will ever feel fulfilled from less than two days on Con Dao. The islands are laden with beaches that offer even the most studious Saigonese businessman a welcome reprieve from his work, and these are all within easy-reaching distance of the main and only inhabited island, Con Son.1.1. Day 1You will arrive at Con Dao from the Vietnamese mainland and will almost definitely want to begin reclining on the beach straight away. Getting to the islands is not cheap or particularly easy, so if you are only looking to spend 2 days on Con Dao, then you will want to get the most out of the beaches here. An Hai BeachFortunately, from the front door of your hotel, you will have amazingly easy access to the two harbourfront beaches, each requiring no more than a 20-minute walk from practically anywhere in the main town of Con Son. With most of the best Vietnam beach destinations such as Phu Quoc, Mui Ne and Nha Trang, the main beach is usually the destination’s least appealing one, as its ease of access draws big crowds. The fact that Con Dao’s main beaches are both stunning and largely spacious is because, quite simply, there are two of them, along with just a small amount of locals and tourists to crowd them. Both An Hai and Lo Voi contain the ubiquitous formula of pearl-white sands, teal waters, verdant mountains, and an attractive smattering of colorful basket boats. These beaches offer great convenience for families and a welcome place for any adventurous passengers arriving by the arduous overnight ferry from Vung Tau to catch up on sleep.You might need some gentle-to-heavy coaxing to leave the paradise of the beach, but once you do, you will find a gorgeous town with plenty of food and drink options. Spending many days on Con Dao can be done like a local, at one of the plentiful range of cafes with a Vietnamese coffee in hand. The town has a gorgeous French colonial architecture running through its wide, tree-lined avenues and this often extends to cafes, where entire days can be spent watching an alternative view - the meandering of laidback locals around a picturesque and happy town. Con Son Café is an ideal way to admire both the French construction in its beautiful building and the natural beauty out in front, where mountains provide a shaded background to the turquoise waters before them.1.2. Day 2Rise early today for a refreshing morning swim, available at a multitude of locations around the island. No matter how long your spend on Con Dao, you will want each day to start with something like this, as the beauty of the islands lie in the truly peaceful early hours of the day.Perhaps today would be a good day to visit Con Dao Prison, the brutal detention center that made the islands infamous for their incarceration of political prisoners from North Vietnam. There are 15 individual sites making up the prison, none of which really keep with the laidback, stress-free atmosphere of the islands, but are a vital stop to learn more about their ruthless past as well as the war overall. A tour of the prison will show you the horrendous living conditions that prisoners, many of which were ambitious communist leaders, were forced to endure, demonstrated by harrowing mannequins that show how each prisoner lived. The notorious ‘tiger cages’ draw the biggest crowds here as the unspeakably terrible conditions that they forced their prisoners into were the cause of global outrage when a journalist printed photos of them in Life Magazine in 1970. Many Vietnamese come to the islands as part of a sort of pilgrimage, paying their respects to former detainees through prayers and offerings.Con Dao PrisonBecause a day spent in Con Dao is not spent properly without a visit to the beach, it is worth exploring some of the other options further outside of the main town. As one of the best beach destinations in Vietnam, Con Dao has a few more white-sand options than just its two most convenient, so rent a motorbike or take a taxi to visit any of the outlying beaches on the fringes of the island. Dat Doc beach is one of the most beautiful here, still managing to retain its windswept scrubs and unfettered view of the rocky, tree-clad mountains that rise up from its sides. The Six Senses Con Dao offers convenience here without spoiling the natural beauty, but if it’s truly an untamed experience that you’re after, then a visit to Suoi Nong will fulfill your isolated island paradise dreams in full.Take the evening to discover the wonders of the Con Dao Night Market, an outdoor string of restaurants on Tran Huy Lieu Street offering excellent seafood in Vietnamese communal style. This market is still yet to take flight like other night markets have around the country, but growing popularity of the islands means more tourists and more time spent at Con Dao Night Market.2. Three Days on Con DaoThe addition of another day really helps to Con Dao’s visitors to unwind further. Unexplored beaches still abound around the island after the two-day itinerary and Con Dao’s most treasured little critter still remains to be spotted. You can take care of both of these in three days spent on the Con Dao islands.If you’re booked for three nights, then you should use the second night to engage in an overnight turtle tour, which run between July and October when the turtles flock to the isolated island of Bay Canh from the Philippines to lay their eggs on the sand. Tours are overnight affairs, as this is when endangered Green Turtles arrive to bury their eggs in the sand, so tours run from the late afternoon, giving you time to relax on the untamed beach before the mama turtles arrive. Transport and accommodation (a room of hammocks in the ranger’s station) are included, giving you a chance to nap in between turtle arrivals.Release green turtles in Con DaoPerhaps, at some point during your three days on the Con Dao islands, you might want to exert yourself a bit more than the previous day’s Con Dao Island Beach Holiday activities were allowed. Con Dao National Park offers excellent hiking options around one of the most unspoiled lands in the country, owing to the fact that it was one of the lucky few places to avoid bombing during the war. The wetlands here are a great example of this, housing mangroves and vines along with 144 species of endemic animal throughout the park. A trek to the 577m peak of Thanh Gia Mountain is the most popular as the views that the peak provides over the islands and their extended turquoise waters is nothing short of magical.Hiking in Con Dao National Park3. Four Days on Con DaoIf you’re looking at a 4-day southern beach holiday in Vietnam, Incredible Asia Journeys suggests hitting the sweet spot here. Four days is generally considered an excellent amount of time to spend on Con Dao as this allows you the time and freedom to check out most of the beaches, as well as the potential to explore a bit further afield.You can round off your Con Dao tour with a visit to some of the other glorious beaches that kiss the pellucid waters here. It might not sound appealing, but on either side of the tiny Con Dao airport lies two fantastic beaches, Dam Trau and Bien Dong, both essentially accessible through the airport’s doors. The fact that seven flights land daily at Con Dao airport has done nothing to damage the beauty of these beaches, both of which would attract a wealth of tourists if they were located on the mainland. Services are minimal here, but a quick walk to the airport will provide you with all the convenience you need, including cheap transportation back to Con Son town.Dam Trau BeachFor those ready to splash the cash, it might be worth eschewing all of the transport issues in favour of a charter boat, which can run up to about 6,000,000 VND ($260 USD) for a maximum of 12 passengers. These are some of the best things to do in Con Dao if looking to travel privately and efficiently. Utilising the services of a professional captain, you can explore some of the other 15 islands that comprise Con Dao and discover some of the completely untouched beauty that they contain.Any time left at the end of the day can be spent back on Con Son, a burgeoning hipster’s paradise with a growing cafe culture. Café Con Son was mentioned on the first day, but more Vietnamese options are always available, including Lo Voi Café, a wonderful outdoor drinking space encompassing some of the more iconic Vietnamese ideals: bamboo, pottery, beautiful houseplants and an open, communal space in which to drink. Café Infiniti has been long established as an island favourite, with a colourful and modern style that seemed to set the coffee wheels in motion around Con Dao. This is one of the more eclectic cafes in Con Son town, with decorations made of doors and sofas comprised of sawn-off bathtubs.4. How Long to Spend on the Con Dao Islands?With a huge array of beaches, 15 uninhabited islands and a national park boasting a wealth of animals native to the island, Con Dao is a nature-lover’s paradise and should really be enjoyed over the course of at least three days. If it’s possible to spend more time on Con Dao, we would suggest four, just to guarantee that you have time to explore thoroughly while ensuring that your Vietnam tour is not oversaturated with sand.

How to Spend One Day in Hanoi

Throughout its one thousand years as the political and economic center of Vietnam, Hanoi has amassed a history that would make many cities around the world envious. The city proudly displays its traditions through its pagodas, temples, and ancient universities. Even the influence of the French colonials who once resided here remains an integral part of Hanoi.[incredible_toc] Their grand buildings line wide boulevards adorned with overarching trees, serving as a constant reminder of the city's emergence into modernity. While it takes a few days to fully appreciate the prestige of the capital, many tourists visit Hanoi specifically to explore nearby attractions such as Sapa, Halong Bay, and Ninh Binh.For those pushed for time, we hope that this guide on how to spend one day in Hanoi will prove useful. This is not an itinerary, but a suggestion of how to travel, what to eat, and things to do in Hanoi, Incredible Asia Journeys hope will prove useful for your trip to the beating heart of Vietnam.Hoan Kiem Lake1. Morning in HanoiIf you’re looking to just spend one day in Hanoi, then you’re going to want to start early. Life in Hanoi begins before sunrise, with elderly ladies rolling outside in their invariably flowery pajamas and beginning their morning exercises, either performed solo along the pavements or through group classes in parks.Start with breakfast at about 6:00 am by finding any of the buzzing masses of locals, sitting on plastic chairs and shoveling hot Pho into their mouths. 25,000 – 30,000 VND should see you full with a delicious bowl of Vietnam’s national dish. If beef-stock soup doesn’t sound like your idea of a good breakfast, you can start instead with bún riêu, a tomato-based soup with tofu – the perfect way to begin your one day in Hanoi.Starting this early gives you a great chance to watch the sunrise from Long Bien Bridge. Following breakfast, either walk or take a motorbike taxi to Long Bien Bridge, a favorite spot for photographers because of the colorful train that passes regularly through the rustic iron girders along the bridge. On either side of the train tracks, you will experience the continuous whirring of motorbikes, as commuters cross the Red River, illuminated by a vivid red sun that rises from the east. Buy some fresh bananas from any of the vendors on the bridge who collect them from the verdant plantations running underneath, along the banks of the Red River.Long Bien BridgeHead back out into the Old Quarter and follow the activities of the locals over a Vietnamese coffee, one of the most unmissable Vietnam experiences. For 20,000 VND, you can sit in a street-side café and watch the organized chaos of Hanoi’s roads. Tread the paths of the Old Quarter’s 36 ancient roads, where people of the same trade have settled alongside each other, creating close-knit communities and a very outward-living atmosphere. Explore the various winding alleyways, where smoke from both cooking and incense combine and seep upwards through the tangled mass of electricity cables. Getting lost in the Old Quarter is not only inevitable, but it’s one of the quintessential things to do in Hanoi, as so many small and personable treasures can be located down its side streets.Continue your Hanoi one-day itinerary with a visit to Hoa Lo Prison, the infamous POW camp where former senator John McCain spent many long and excruciatingly difficult years, along with Everett Alvarez Jr., the first POW of the American War. A tour around the prison will reveal some of the horrors (if a touch biased) that the captured Americans went through, along with a full account of the French torturing of Vietnamese prisoners during their colonial occupation.Money SpentDistance TravelledBreakfast: 50,000 VNDHoan Kiem Lake to Long Bien Bridge: 1.5kmBananas (0.5kg): 20,000 VNDLong Bien Bridge to Old Quarter: 1kmVietnamese coffee: 30,000 VNDOld Quarter to Hoa Lo Prison: 1kmHoa Lo Prison entrance fee: 30,000 VNDMotorbike taxi: ~35,000 VNDTotal: ~165,000 VNDTotal: 3.5km2. Afternoon in HanoiRest and refuel for the rest of the day’s activities at noon with a classic Hanoian dish, bún chả. This meal has been a firm lunch favorite of the northern Vietnamese for years, but a visit to Bun Cha Huong Lien by then-president Barack Obama in 2016 pushed this dish of noodles, leafy greens, pork rind and meatballs into the international limelight. For 30,000 VND, you can be following in the footsteps of America’s widely loved president, and kicking off the afternoon of your one day in Hanoi with one of the city’s most delicious meals.Jump into a taxi or onto the back of a Grab bike after lunch to check out Hanoi’s attractions that lie outside the Old Quarter. Around Ba Dinh Square, you will find a whole host of history-soaked sites, as well as the large open square itself where Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independent country, following over 60 years of rule by the French. Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house is located just behind here, and his body lies in the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in the middle of the square (closed in the afternoons). Take the time to check out the One-Pillar Pagoda before taking a cursory look at the bright yellow building used by the French Governor-General of Indochina, the Presidential Palace.Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Ba Dinh SquareWalking north from here for about 5 minutes, you will reach Thanh Nien, the beautiful tree-lined road that snakes in between the twin lakes of Tay Ho and Truc Bach. Grab a cheap Bo Bia (coconut roll) as a belated dessert from one of the roadside vendors and take a stroll around the quiet shores of Truc Bach Lake, where John McCain crash-landed and was captured after being shot out of the sky. The views across Tay Ho Lake are of the city’s skyline, and this makes the perfect westerly-facing platform to enjoy sunset, which is one of the most naturally beautiful things to see in Hanoi. Explore the lakeside outcrop of the beautiful Tran Quoc Pagoda to learn more about the city’s Buddhist history.In the last daytime hours of your Hanoi one-day itinerary, take a motorbike taxi to the Temple of Literature, just south of Ba Dinh Square. Van Mieu, as it is known in Vietnamese, is the country’s oldest university, specializing in the teaching of Confucian principles for the incredibly small collection of gifted students who passed the entry tests. The names of successful graduates are engraved on steles atop statues of tortoises, surrounded by beautiful gardens, temples, and areas of study.Money SpentDistance TravelledLunch: 50,000 VNDOld Quarter to Ba Dinh Square: 3kmHo Chi Minh’s Stilt House: 40,000 VNDBa Dinh Square to Truc Bach: 1kmTemple of Literature entrance fee: 10,000 VNDTruc Bach to the Temple of Literature: 2.5kmMotorbike taxi: ~70,000 VNDTemple of Literature to Old Quarter: 2.5kmTotal: ~170,000 VNDTotal: 9km3. Evening in HanoiReturn to the Old Quarter to enjoy an evening of either relaxation or nightlife. Start the whole thing with some My Xao Bo (fried instant noodles with beef) or, if you’re slightly bored of noodles by this point, Com Rang Dua Bo (fried rice with beef and pickled vegetables) for around 40,000 VND. If you’re looking for what to do in one day in Hanoi during the weekend, then head to the city’s night market, which runs the length of Hang Dao Street from Hoan Kiem Lake to Dong Xuan Market. You can find great deals on clothes, electronics, and food here, as well as having the opportunity to practice your haggling skills with the vendors.You may want to return to your hotel or retire to a café for some relaxation, but if you’re feeling more social, you can head to Hanoi’s famous Bia Hoi Corner to drink some of the cheapest beer in the world. Bia Hoi is brewed daily and is a very light, but refreshing beer, and the swarms of people that crowd the blue plastic stools of the Bia Hoi Corner can attest to this. This is one of the best spots in the city for cultural exchange; you can learn a lot more about Vietnam from the friendly locals here.Have "Bia Hoi" in the Old QuarterIf, afterward, you don’t feel like drawing your one day in Hanoi to a close, walk up one of the adjacent roads of the Bia Hoi Corner to find a plethora of nightclubs, most famously amongst the twinkling lights of Ta Hien Street. This narrow alleyway is flanked by bars and clubs, where patrons spill out onto the pavement – a nightly communal atmosphere is a given. Just around the corner lies Hang Buom and Ma May, two streets where the party continues until the police shut it down (or try to, at least).Money SpentDistance TravelledDinner: 700,000 VNDNight Market to Bia Hoi Corner: 400mNight MarketBia Hoi Corner to Ta Hien Street: 5mBia Hoi: 7000 – 10000 VND per glassNightclubTotal: Depends on your shopping and drinking habits!Total: 405mOf course, all of the above is just a suggestion, though it guarantees you the best of Vietnam’s capital in a short timeframe. Ideally, you would stay for at least three days to get the most out of the city, but with time or budget pressures, this is a comprehensive suggestion on how to spend one day in Hanoi. 