Basic HTML Version
Con Dao
F
rom the airplane, Con Dao
showed up dimly under thin
clouds with islands which look ed
like huge green trays. My curios-
ity was stimulated and I kept wondering
what the trays hold.
After nearly one hour flying from
Ho Chi Minh City, we arrived at Con
Dao and I felt the sunshine, wind and
wildness surrounding the small airport.
We were lead to the hotel on a poetic
road among colourful flowers and lia-
nas. The land was hardly touched.
I have a habit of jogging alone to
set my thoughts free and I consider it as
a favorite activity. Therefore, during my
time in Con Dao, I always tried to get up
early to enjoy the pure dawn. How lovely
it was to walk around Con Son bay await-
ing the first day light from Mui Ca Map
(shark cape), then see the sun rise up
from Bay Canh Island, and watch it going
down behind Tinh Yeu Peak.
The immense, clean sea which is
deep blue and transparent to its floor
and with soft white sand spreading end-
lessly, may be the greatest treasure of
this island.
Several days were enough for us to
discover every little corner of Con Son
town: small old streets that date back to
the French war; the patchy, moss-cov-
ered walls of the prisons; and the tropi-
cal almond trees shading every street.
Some, with the biggest roots, have been
recognized as Vietnam Heritage Trees.
Con Dao includes 16 islands: Anh,
Em, Big Tai, Small Tai and many more,
each with its own beauty. Hon Cau
and Hon Bay Canh are two of the most
renowned. It is particularly interesting
to see the near-shore coral reefs in vari-
ous colours and shapes. There is such
strict control and protection over this
coral that even dead pieces that drift
to the shore cannot be removed. There
used to be a fresh water line streaming
through the island which killed some
coral and people had to spend a lot of
time growing them again.
Ong Dung wood and the Con Dao
National Forest, with its 6,000ha of
land and 14,000 ha of sea creates an
ecosystem for many kinds of animals
and trees.
Con Dao Island witnessed the most
devastating 113 years of war in Viet-
nam’s history. The prison system was
built in 1862 by the French and taken
over by Americans until the southern
region’s liberation in 1975. It was rec-
ognized as the biggest prison in Asia
and its group detention place, stocks,
barbed wire, cells and tiger cages have
all been preserved as evidence of war
crimes. Around 20,000 people died
from torture during the wars.
Hang Duong Cemetary is more se-
cluded and quiet. Tens of thousands of
timeout
20
ConDaois
the
SoutheastAsianislandof themoment.
NgocHoan
visited
and found a rich history that matches its natural beauty
tourism
travel
n
Update
n
hot deal
eaceful
P