Visitors to former prison camp bask in Con Dao”s rare beauty

Published: 19/11/2010 05:00

0

196 views




Lauded by The New York Times as “one of Southeast Asia’s most untouched and
breathtaking getaways”, Viet Nam’s Con Dao archipelago has begun to welcome a
growing number of tourists who wish to experience its pristine natural
landscape.

Golden
getaway
: A newly built coast road on Con Dao.
Despite the island’s ugly history, Con Dao now welcomes a growing number of
tourists who are drawn by the island’s pristine beauty.

The New York Times recently
featured a photo essay of the archipelago in its Travel section which followed a
previously published online article about the 16 islands on its website in May.

We took a 45-minute flight to
travel the 230km distance from HCM City to Con Dao Airport, located on the
archipelago’s largest island Con Son, which is commonly called Con Dao Island in
the southern province of Ba Ria- Vung Tau.

One of the guy’s in our group, who
has a fear of flying, quickly recovered after stepping off a Fokker aircraft and
taking a deep breath of fresh, ocean air.

Far away from noise, pollution and
crowds of the city, the islands offer an escape into the great outdoors – a
world of deserted beaches and peaceful seaside towns.

On the way from the airport to our
hotel, which offers seaside wooden bungalows, the kind driver told us about some
of the must-see spots on the island.

Although many say the best times to
travel to Con Dao are February, June and October, we had perfect weather during
our five-day vacation in August except for a bit of rain on our second day.
However, the shower brought a beautiful surprise along with it: a big bright
rainbow. I never knew that a rainbow could bring such joy! We jumped and yelled
like children in happiness.

I still remember how relaxed I felt
when I sat in a beach chair on my bungalow’s balcony, listening to the sound of
the waves crash onto the shore and watching black squirrels swing on tree
branches overhead.

Don’t expect to find a taxi on the
island. The only way to get around is to rent a motorbike, which will give you
access to every single corner of this little bit of paradise.

We started our journey of discovery
on motorbikes hired from the hotel.

Bai Nhat Beach, a white sand stretch surrounded
by a shark-shaped mountain range, was our first stop. Except for another group
of young people who were preparing seacooking BBQ the rocks, we had the beach to
ourselves. We made friends quickly and were invited to join their feast. All of
the seafood was fresh, purchased at the island’s only market.

Our seafood extravaganza didn’t
stop there! We had dinner at a nearby seafood restaurant, which was highly
recommended by our taxi driver. We were not disappointed, as it offers an
abundant menu featuring local seafood specialities at very reasonable prices.
Connoisseurs can have a look at the tanks filled with different kinds of live
seafood, some of which I’ve never seen in my life, to decide what looks good for
dinner.

The next day, we visited Dam Trau,
another pristine beach, which we were able to access after following a 2km
slushy and bumpy path. We were the only human presence in that dramatic
landscape, where blue sky and water meet in harmony.

Hell on earth:
Tourists to Con Dao visit the ruins of a notorious former French prison on the
island. (Photos: VNS)

“Maybe the feeling of being in
paradise is the exact same feeling we have when lying here on the smooth sand
beach,” said my friend, Duy Tung.

Our driver also recommended we
visit Ong Dung Beach. To get to the beach, you have to drive up a mountain, then
leave your motorbike and follow a trail through the jungle. You will be
impressed when you see the ocean so close to the jungle. However in my opinion,
Ong Dung is not an ideal place for swimming because there are many rough rocks
under the water.

If you want to learn more about the
wildlife, you can book a “Turtle Tour” at the national park office. You will
have to travel to another island for the tour, and you may even get to see a
turtle laying eggs. Any trip to Con Dao Island should include a visit to its
historical sites. It is infamous for a cruel prison network, which was first run
by French colonists. Due to its remoteness, the French used the main island to
jail anti-colonial protesters. During the American War, the US-backed Sai Gon
regime continued the tradition, sending revolutionaries and activists to the
more than 10 prisons on the island.

Nowadays, a visit to any of the
prisons, including the oldest Phu Hai Prison, which was built in 1862, most
people have a visceral response and actually feel the cruelty of “Hell on
Earth”. Examples of “tiger cages” and “cow cages”, the infamous cells and
punishment areas used to incarcerate several leading Vietnamese revolutionaries,
are on display.

About 200,000 prisoners were
incarcerated in the prisons and 20,000 died in atrocious conditions. The Hang
Duong Cemetery holds the remains of the many prisoners who perished here,
including heroine Vo Thi Sau. A revolutionary activist, Sau was caught by the
French and imprisoned in Con Dao Prison before being sentenced to death in 1952
at the age of 19.

For many years, the only way to get
to the island was either by boat from the coastal city of Vung Tau or a flight
from HCM City. The first-ever direct flight from Ha Noi to Con Dao recently
launched by the new airline Mekong Air, which is expected to contribute
significantly to the island’s development.

As tourism on the island has yet to
fully develop, you can count on your fingers the number of accommodation options
for tourists. The opening of the eco-luxury Six Senses resort from the
Bangkok-based company next month suggests that Con Dao might soon become part of
the international travel scene.

Every year, between 30,000 and
50,000 tourists visit Con Dao Island.


VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News

Provide by Vietnam Travel

Visitors to former prison camp bask in Con Dao”s rare beauty - Travel - News |  vietnam travel company

You can see more



enews & updates

Sign up to receive breaking news as well as receive other site updates!

Ads by Adonline