2-Night Con Dao Island Tour from Ho Chi Minh City: History, Temples and Beaches

Day 1: Ho Chi Minh - Con Dao

Take a morning flight from Tan Son Nhat Airport to Con Dao. Upon arrival, we will pick you up and take you to your hotel for check in. You will have a short rest before starting your journey in Con Dao. Our first stop is Con Dao Museum, to learn about the island’s history. We will continue the day with visiting Phu Hai Prison Complex, Tiger Cages, Hang Duong Cemetery, Vo Thi Sau Tomb and Phi Yen Temple, where you will begin to understand about the heroic history of the Vietnamese. Then, spend the rest of the day at your leisure swimming, kayaking or boating.

Day 2: Con Dao

After enjoying a delicious breakfast at our hotel, we will depart for Dam Trau Beach with its long, smooth sandy shores and shapeless cliffs. If you like, you will have the chance to visit Prince Cai Temple en route. You will be free for a half day of swimming and snorkelling at Dam Trau Beach. In the afternoon, we will visit Ben Dam Wharf, the Shark Cap and go shopping for specialty items at Con Dao Market.

Day 3: Con Dao - Ho Chi Minh City

After breakfast, you will be free to do as you please until transferring to Co Ong Airport for the afternoon flight back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City – Con Dao Island (L, D)After your morning flight from Ho Chi Minh City (own expense), arrive at Con Dao Airport, where you will be greeted and then transferred to your hotel. Enjoy a short rest before taking a guided tour of Con Son, the main island of the Con Dao archipelago.
Start with a visit to the Con Dao Museum, once the home of island governors and converted into a museum after 1975, when Viet Cong troops liberated the island’s prisons. The museum explores the area’s brutal history through displays about the incarceration and torture of Con Dao prisoners. Learn about French and US policies toward prisoners, as well as armed resistance against their jailers.
Continue on to several nearby sites to better understand the heroic history of the Vietnamese. First, tour the Phu Hai Prison Complex, built in 1862 to contain Vietnam’s anti-colonial agitators. More than 5,000 men were held here, with 80 to 100 shackled together in large common cells. See chilling exhibits showcasing lifelike mannequins, arranged in contorted positions to expose the horrific conditions suffered by those incarcerated here.
Next, visit Con Son’s ‘tiger cages,’ located a short distance from the main prison complex, where prisoners were kept in open pits and cages from 1940 to 1955. Learn about the US delegate who, after visiting in 1970, published photos in LIFE magazine, which led to the release of 500 detainees and the prison’s closure.
You’ll also see where victims of the prison complex lie buried at Hang Duong Cemetery. Of the 20,000 who died, only 700 have marked graves. Note the prominent Vo Thi Sau Tomb and hear about the teenage heroine who was executed by the French for her revolutionary activities.
Your final stop is at Lady Phi Yen Temple, built to honor Lady Phi Yen, the wife of Nguyen Emperor Gia Long. Listen to her tragic tale as you explore the small temple, a remake of the 19th-century original.
For the rest of the day, you can take a breather from this disturbing look at part of Vietnam’s grim past. Spend time at your leisure, swimming, kayaking or rowing a boat.
Overnight: 3-star Con Dao Resort in Con Dao
Day 2: Con Dao Island (B, L, D)After enjoying a delicious breakfast at your hotel, depart for Dam Trau Beach, stopping to visit Prince Cai Temple en route if you’d like. You have a free half day of swimming and snorkeling at Dam Trau Beach, where a pristine shoreline with smooth sand extends under white cliffs.
In the afternoon, visit Ben Dam Wharf and Shark Cape, which follows a coastline of soft sand beach, bordered by endless sea and vertical cliffs. Before returning to your hotel, you can shop at Con Dao Market, featuring a selection of fresh produce, local specialty foods and garments.
Overnight: 3-star Con Dao Resort in Con Dao

Day 3: Con Dao Island – Ho Chi Minh City (B, L)After breakfast, you’re free to do as you please until it’s time to transfer to Con Dao Airport for the afternoon flight back to Ho Chi Minh City.