Viet
Nam’s Con Dao Island has been named as one of the top ten romantic destinations
in the world for 2011 by the UK’s Lonely Planet magazine.

Photo: Internet

Other islands on the list were
Yemen’s Socotra in Yemen, Australia’s Torres Strait Islands, Japan’s Yacyana,
French Guiana’s Iles du Salut, the Republic of Korea’s Ulleungdo, Panama’s San
Blas archipelago, Chinese Taipei’s Penghu, the Bay archipelago and Hog island
off the coast of Honduras and Uganda’s Ssese.

Con Dao Island has a strong
political and cultural history. Under the French, Con Dao was used as a major
prison for opponents of French colonialism.

Con Dao National Park, one of the
country’s top six biodiversity hotspots for both land and sea, contains
thousands of plant and animal species, and provides a range of eco-tourism
options.

The island is home to playful black
and brown squirrels, many species of native and migratory birds, and even
endangered marine animals like the sea cow, green turtle and hawk’s bill turtle.

According to the Sai Gon Travel
Service Company (Saigontourist), in the wedding season this year Con Dao was one
of the most popular honeymoon destinations for young couples.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News