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The Con Dao Islands are an archipelago of 15 islands situated in the South China Sea, around 250 kilometres, or a 45-minute flight, from Ho Chi Minh City. The island is famed for its grizzly past: a prison for patriots and revolutionists during the French and American resistance, Con Dao Island sheltered brave revolutionary spirits of the Vietnamese people.

Con Son is largely mountainous and covered in forest, with ample opportunity for hiking through the jungle and looking for wildlife. The island is also home to a coastline of steep, rocky hills and long sweeping coves, boasting some excellent spots for swimming and snorkelling. The best source of information is the National Park Headquarters, located about five minutes' drive from Con Son town. From here you can organise trips to other islands in the archipelago, hire a guide for trekking (required) and get permits to enter certain parts of the forest. Three tourist hotels are available on Con Son which follows the beach and the harbour around Con Son town.

The Con Dao archipelago became a national park in 1993 and five years later the park was expanded significantly into the surrounding waters. Because of this protective status, the waters escaped some of the destructive fishing practices that have marred many other marine areas in Vietnam. Partly as a result of this protected state, the island is very popular with divers with over 1,000 hectares of coral reefs and over 1,300 marine species so far identified. Rainbow Divers is the only dive-shop on the island.

Despite these considerable assets and its proximity to the mainland, the islands are still largely untouched by mass tourism. The government plan to turn Con Dao into a “high quality and economic tourist area by 2020”. So now may be the time to experience this destination in its still undiscovered state.