What is great about living in Ho Chi Minh City, is that visiting Con Dao is easy with a little bit of planning.
What is the easiest way to get from Ho Chi Minh to Con Dao? There are several options to take depending on your budget and your preferred transportation method.
Dam Trau Beach has a unique view where you can see planes from Ho Chi Minh City land in Con Dao
1. Take a flight on Vietnam Airlines directly to Con Dao Airport. Bamboo Airlines and VASCO, partnering with Vietnam Airlines, are two airlines that have nonstop flights to Con Dao (airport code: VCS) from Ho Chi Minh City (airport code: SGN). It also has flights from Can Tho (airport code: VCA). The flight from HCMC is convenient and quick as it’s a one-hour flight, yet it’s one of the most expensive options. Flights from Hanoi to Con Dao are also available on Bamboo Airlines and VASCO. Bamboo Airlines from Hanoi (airport code: HAN) has a direct flight to Con Dao. The direct flight is 2 hours and 20 minutes. Cost: $155-$275 round trip depending on your time of visit
2. Take the speedboat that departs from Vung Tau or Can Tho. A new speedboat route started from Vung Tau to Con Dao in February 2019. The other speedboat route is from Soc Trang, south of Can Tho, which is still running.
Vung Tau is located 2 hours south of Ho Chi Minh City, so you’ll first need to take a bus or a minivan to get from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau.
Bus Option: We love taking bus rides from Futa Bus as the buses are comfortable. The earliest departure from Ho Chi Minh to Vung Tau is at 6:00 am, and the last departure is at 7:00 pm. Therefore, you’ll need to arrive in Vung Tau the night before in order to catch the speedboat on time.
Cost: 115,000 VND ($5.00) one way Address: 272 Đường Đề Thám, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, District 1, Ho Chi Minh
Minivan Option: Another option is to take the 16-seater minivan option that departs at 4:30 am from Ho Chi Minh. We used Hoa Mai transportation in District 1. You can prepay and reserve a seat on vexere.com. Or, show up before 4:30 am, pay cash directly to the driver, and tell the driver that you need to go to Con Dao. The driver will drop you off in front of the speedboat dock.
Cost: 120,000 VND ($5.10) one way Address: 44 Nguyễn Thái Bình, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bìn, District 1, Ho Chi Minh
Speedboat We’re finally taking the speedboat! Phu Quoc Express is a large boat that transports 600 people between Vung Tau and Con Dao’s Con Son Island daily. Enjoy a comfortable and smooth 4-hour ride each way with spacious legroom and the ability to recline your seat. It’s also a cheaper way to travel to Con Son Island.
The daily speedboat ride departs Vung Tau at 8:00 am and arrives in Con Son at 11:50 am. The boat returns to Vung Tau at 1:00 pm and arrives in Vung Tau at 5:00 pm.
All guests must have their ticket scanned prior to boarding the boat and will receive a small bottle of water and a wet napkin. Free wifi is available on the boat but only works when closer to the mainland. Otherwise, guests can relax and watch the movies shown on TV screens.
We reserved seats over 1 month prior to departure as we also traveled during a holiday time frame so seats WILL SELL OUT. Cost: 790,000 VND ($33.80) for Monday – Thursday travels; 950,000 VND ($40.60) one way for Friday – Sunday travels and holidays Address: 9 Hạ Long, Tp. Vũng Tàu, Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu 78000
If you’re coming from Can Tho, there is a new speedboat via Mai Linh Express line. The Can Tho route departs at 7:30 am and arrives at Con Son at 12:00pm. To return to Con Dao, the boat departs Con Son at 13:00 pm and arrives at 5:30 pm. It takes about 4.5 hours one way. Cost: 750,000 VND ($32) for Monday – Thursday travels; 850,000 VND ($36.30) one way for Friday – Sunday travels Address: 83 Lý Thái Tổ, Hưng Phú, Cái Răng, Cần Thơ
In conclusion, the combination of taking a bus from HCMC to Vung Tau and speedboat will save you money depending on which days you travel.
