Major city · Vietnam
Con DaoCôn Đảo
Fly to Côn Đảo for three or four quiet nights of beaches, diving, turtle nesting (May–October) and the prison history; flights are small and bag limits strict.
Best months
Mar–Jun (calm sea), turtles May–Oct
Avoid
Oct–Jan (rough sea, flight cancellations)
Nights
3–4
Airport
VCS
Côn Đảo
Rules in force · 5Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…
- Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
- Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
- Vietnam ↗Apply for the e-visa only on the official government portal; lookalike sites charge extra.
- Vietnam ↗Crossing streets: walk slowly and steadily; motorbikes flow around you — do not stop or run.
- Vietnam ↗Carry Vietnamese đồng in small notes; many stalls and taxis are cash-only.
Côn Đảo is an archipelago 230 km off the Mekong coast, mostly national park. The French and later the South Vietnamese government ran notorious prisons here; the cells and the Hàng Dương cemetery draw Vietnamese pilgrims. For visitors it offers clear water, turtle nesting beaches and very little development. Administratively it is now part of Ho Chi Minh City (check).
Understand
At a glance
- Airports
- VCS Côn Đảo (Small planes from Saigon (and some from Hanoi, Cần Thơ); strict baggage limits)
- Phrases
- Vietnamese phrasebook
Plan
Weather, what a day costs, where to sleep and how to move
Weather and climate
Con Dao: next 7 days
Loading forecast…
Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.
Air quality
Loading…
Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.
Jan
28°
24°
5 rd
Feb
29°
24°
2 rd
Mar
30°
25°
2 rd
Apr
32°
26°
4 rd
May
32°
27°
13 rd
Jun
31°
27°
17 rd
Jul
30°
26°
17 rd
Aug
30°
26°
18 rd
Sep
30°
26°
18 rd
Oct
30°
25°
18 rd
Nov
29°
25°
14 rd
Dec
28°
24°
9 rd
High / low °C · rd = rain days
Cost per day
- Mid
- ₫1,000,000–2,000,000 (≈ US$40–80) excl. bed
- High
- ₫3,000,000 (≈ US$120)+ excl. bed
Trip budget
| Hotel double room1 × 3 nights × ₫1,500,000 | ₫4,500,000 |
| Food, local transport, entries2 × 3 days × ₫1,800,000 | ₫10,800,000 |
| Two-dive trip2 × ₫2,500,000 · check | ₫5,000,000 |
| Scooter per day2 × ₫200,000 | ₫400,000 |
| Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge | ₫2,070,000 |
| Trip total≈ ₫3,795,000 per person per day, bed included | ₫22,770,000≈ US$900 |
2026 estimate in đồng; flights and tours excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.
Prices of common things
| Prison museum ticket | about ₫50,000 (≈ US$2) (check) |
| Two dives | ₫2,000,000–3,000,000 (≈ US$80–120) |
| Scooter per day | ₫150,000–250,000 (≈ US$6–10) |
2026 estimate; check locally.
Where to sleep
Côn Sơn town
Guesthouses, restaurants, prison sites on foot.
Resort coves
Luxury resorts on isolated bays.
Getting around
Scooters and taxis; boats to the smaller islands with park permits.
On the ground
Day-trips
Bảy Cạnh island turtle night
goDoor to door: Overnight
Boat with park rangers
May–Oct; permits (check).
Snorkel and dive sites
goDoor to door: Half or full day
Boat
Watch out
Safety
- Flights are small and weather-sensitive: keep a buffer day before international flights.
- National park rules: turtle-watching only with rangers and permits.
- Respect the cemetery: it is a pilgrimage site.
Emergency numbers
- Police
- 113
- Fire
- 114
- Ambulance
- 115
Pocket card
Fill in, then print or save as PDF
Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.
Con DaoCôn Đảo
Pocket card · Voykit
My bed tonight
—
—
—
Cho tôi đến địa chỉ nàyPlease take me to this address
Emergency
- Police113
- Fire114
- Ambulance115
Embassy
Consulates are in Ho Chi Minh City.
My embassy: —
Fare anchors (2026 estimate)
- VCS → Côn Sơn town, car: ₫150,000–250,000 (≈ US$6–10), 20 min
Say or show
- Xin chào — Hello (sin chow)
- Cảm ơn — Thank you (gahm un)
- Bao nhiêu tiền? — How much is this? (bow nyew tee-en)
- Không cay — Not spicy, please (khom kai)
- Tính tiền — The bill, please (ting tee-en)
- Dừng ở đây — Stop here, please (yung uh day)
Show the address in Vietnamese with street and house number.
Deep dive
What this guide covers so far, and its sources
Not a trip line yet
This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Con Dao. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.
What we know, and what is coming
On this page
- Best months: Mar–Jun (calm sea), turtles May–Oct · avoid Oct–Jan (rough sea, flight cancellations)
- 1 airport and 2 areas to sleep in
- Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
- Cost per day in 2 bands
- 2 day-trips, door to door
- 3 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers
Coming as the guide grows
- Turtle-nesting overnight with rangers
Sources
- officialVietnam National Authority of Tourism
- secondaryWikivoyage — Con Dao