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Special administrative region in Southeast Vietnam
Photo: Lam Tr Th, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Côn Đảo is an archipelago off the southern coast of Vietnam. Con Dao is also an island of immense natural beauty with forested hills, deserted sandy beaches and extensive coral reefs making for some excellent diving.
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Daily dive and snorkelling trips from a 15-m custom-built dive boat or 5-m speedboat. Opened in 2010 and affiliated with SSI, owned by an American. Having completed more than 1,000 dives on the islands, there is simply nobody who knows the diving better. They are the only full-time resident expats and the only fully Western-owned and operated business on the island. Turtle trips in season. Bicycles, snorkelling gear, and camping gear for rent. Buy today, dive tomorrow diving and medical insurance available. Stop in for tourist information. Also they are a good resource for bookings for all of the new budget accommodations opening on the islands, from US$15 a night double.
PADI dive centre operating out of the Six Senses Resort on Dat Doc Beach. They offer daily dive trips.
The turtle tour can be booked at the national park office. You may see a turtle laying eggs. Turtle season is only from Jun-early September. Turtles are likely only nesting in Jul-Aug with a few hatchlings still coming out in September. The park will happily sell you tickets out of season and promise turtles. The trip is not cheap. Be aware and do not fall for this. Do not book a turtle tour outside of this time as it is very likely you will not see any. The national park will thoughtfully refund you 10% if this does happen. Overnight stays can be arranged. This office will also provide very detailed information about possible treks and walking opportunities, but be aware the island has plenty of no-go areas due to the large military presence there.
Con Dao Dive Center is a PADI Dive Center located on Con Dao Island, Vietnam.
The center provides scuba diving, snorkeling, freediving, and PADI certification courses, operating with certified PADI instructors and regularly maintained equipment in accordance with PADI standards and local marine park regulations.
The center also supports marine conservation initiatives, including sea turtle protection programs in Con Dao National Park.
For lunchtime, you can also find some local restaurants that serve good noodle soups for 15,000 dong. This is one of them.
Popular with the tourist crowd. Atmosphere needs some work, but the food is good and it is reasonably priced. Very popular for lunch.
Offers tasty, fresh seafood at reasonable prices, and has an English menu available, although offerings are relatively sparse.
Near the market, and associated with Senses diving, serves decent Western food, cocktails and good breakfasts.
Slightly overpriced compared to the other hotels but the food is good.
Bungalows right on the beach at the end of town. Government-owned. Lacking in character, but is clean and has a nice swimming pool. The restaurant has views of both the ocean and the old Con Dao Prison Museum. A good variety of food, and excellent Vietnamese coffee. English menu available.
Bungalows right on the beach at the end of town, where the beach is quiet and nice, although sometimes littered. Sea Travel is a bit of a dump, with reports of rats in the rooms, but the large bungalows open right onto the beach and offer some of the best views and locations for Con Dao, especially on a budget. The manager knows some English and is helpful with relocating unsatisfied customers to the Con Dao Resort, which is further from the beach but offers more standard, less "rustic" rooms, as well as a pool.Has an open-air lobby that doubles as a restaurant, and offers outside seating with views of the ocean. Food is pricey (for Vietnam), but that is the case with most hotel restaurants. English menu available, however, some of the better foods, such as their beef and veggie pho, are not listed and usually best ordered by simply asking the waitstaff directly. Western-style breakfast omelette is excellent.
Resort and spa. The beach is more private and cleaner than the larger stretch of beach shared by the other hotels, and the resort is arranged as private bungalows, with each bungalow having unobstructed views of the water. The resort is much more expensive than the other hotel options, but also offers visitors amenities not available at the other hotels. Airport transfer is US$20 per person. Has upscale dining options. If they are busy, they will turn you away even if the restaurant is empty.
By motorbike
Motorbikes can be easily rented from main hotels and there is relatively little traffic. There has been an enormous increase in the number of motorbikes for rent.
By taxi
You maybe able to arrange for your hotel to take you places for a fee, usually about US$70 a day for car and driver, without hotel markup.
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Con Dao · Regional · VCS
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