Exploring Con Dao

Diving to explore the beauty and diversity of wildlife in Con Dao

Ecstatic beauty  and completely isolated, this used to be one of the best kept secrets in the world. Before 1975, this place is known as the  hell on the earth, or a Vietnam’s valuable island. Later, they discovered the natural beauty here and the travel magazines called here the tourist paradise, diving and exploring the wild nature. Can you guess where I am? Con Dao. These are completely accurate information  about Con Dao, this is the word of the foreign visitors coming and feeling the island. I am in Con Dao to start my most anticipated trip in Vietnam. I am Rodwell Chigome, invite you to discover the Vietnam program.

Nature in Con Dao brings peaceful beauty.

After a 40-minute flight, away from the bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh City, I went to Con Son, the main island in the archipelago of 16 islands of Con Dao. Surrounding me is the sound of the waves and the silence. Unlike anywhere I've visited in Vietnam, located in a prime area, the intersection of sea routes connecting Asia and Europe, Con Dao has been known Westerner very early. They said that in 1294 the explorer Macro Polo on his way back home from China has encountered a major storm and visited the island. From then until the sixteenth century, many tourists and traders from Europe have arrived in the archipelago. Early nineteenth century, a king of Vietnam, known as Gia Long Emperor, built the first prison in Con Dao. 

An Son Temple was built to worship Lady Hoang Phi Yen, a wife of Gia Long King. This temple was reconstructed in 1958 after the original temple was destroyed by French troops. For some people, Ms. Phi Yen is considered to be the first prisoners on the island. They said that she was locked in a completely isolated place in Con Dao and neglected to death by her husband, Gia Long King. However, she has survived with the help of the legendary creatures of a monkey and a tiger, but then she suicided to protect her virtue. An Son Temple is the place to commemorate the tragedy and honor resigning and Phi Yen’s peace love. It is a place you must go if you want to know more about the history of the island. On the way back to town, I stopped at a tranquil lotus pond. A friendly local who took me for a walk and tell me beautiful and fragrant lotus flower and this is a symbol of lady Phi Yen. Her virtues as flowers which always elegant and graceful in the sun and wind, despite the loneliness of the island.

Blooming season of lotus on An Hai Lake, Con Dao.

The remoteness of Con Dao has been fully exploited by French. French built a big prison here to imprison the most important Vietnamese political prisoners in 1862. From then until 1975, in 113 years, Con Dao becomes "the hell on the earth". To this day, relics of the prison remains intact and tourists can visit. Phu Hai camp, built in 1862, is the oldest prison on the main island. Culminating of its existence is the place of detention of  22,000 prisoners in the terrible conditions. They were often chained in rows and tortured brutally.