Con Son town and the island’s prison history

Walk the quiet seafront of Con Dao’s only town, then visit former colonial prisons and the Hang Duong cemetery, where the island’s heavy past is remembered every night.

Area

Con Dao

Start from

Con Son town, Con Dao

Distance

walking distance in town, plus a few km by bicycle

Time needed

1 day

Best season

All year; calmest seas March – July

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

On foot or by bicycle; short taxi or scooter rides

Tickets & rules

Combined ticket for the prison sites; modest dress

Why go

Con Son is the only real town on Con Dao, a few streets of low yellow colonial buildings, almond trees and a seafront promenade facing a wide, calm bay. Mornings are slow, with people exercising by the water and fishermen returning, and evenings are slower still. It is one of the most peaceful towns I know in Vietnam.

But it is impossible to understand the island without its history. For more than a century, Con Dao was a penal colony, and the old prisons, cell blocks and cemetery are now preserved as memorial sites. Many Vietnamese visitors come specifically to pay respects.

Spending a day here, quietly and with an open mind, gives the rest of your stay on the island its proper weight.

The story

The French colonial administration established a prison on Con Son in 1862, and for the next century and more the remote islands were used to hold prisoners, many of them political. After 1954 the prisons were used by the government of the Republic of Vietnam, until they were closed in 1975. Today the sites are national memorials.

Phú Hải, the oldest prison complex, sits right in town, with long cell blocks around courtyards. Elsewhere are the so-called tiger cages, rows of cells with iron bars in the roof, through which guards could watch prisoners from above. Displays describe the harsh conditions, hard labour and the many deaths, from the perspective of Vietnam today.

Hàng Dương cemetery, on the edge of town, holds the graves of thousands of people who died on the islands, many unidentified. Its most visited grave is that of Võ Thị Sáu, a young woman executed here in 1952 who is honoured across Vietnam. A local tradition sees people visit her grave late at night with offerings of flowers, fruit and combs.

Many former prisoners later became prominent figures, and families from all over the country have links to the island. That is why the atmosphere at the memorials is serious and respectful, and why visitors are asked to dress and behave accordingly.

Getting there

Con Dao is reached by air from Ho Chi Minh City, about an hour’s flight, and sometimes from Can Tho, or by ferries from the mainland ports; the faster boats take a few hours and can be cancelled in rough weather. Check current schedules carefully.

The airport is around 15 km from town; taxis and hotel shuttles meet flights. In town, everything is within walking or cycling distance. Bicycles and scooters can be rented from guesthouses.

A suggested plan

1. 6:00Walk the seafront promenade as the town wakes up; coffee and bánh mì at a street stall.
2. 8:00Phú Hải prison and the museum in the old governor’s house, before the heat.
3. 10:00The tiger cages and other prison sites with the combined ticket; read the signs slowly.
4. 12:00Lunch and a long rest; Con Son shuts down in the midday heat.
5. 16:00Hàng Dương cemetery in the softer afternoon light.
6. 19:00Seafood dinner by the bay; if you wish, return to the cemetery at night to see the vigil.

Where to stay

Stay in Con Son town, where most guesthouses and small hotels are; everything is close and the seafront is lovely at both ends of the day. A few resorts lie along beaches outside town.

Good to know

• Wear clothes that cover shoulders and knees at all memorial sites.
• Buy flowers or incense at the cemetery gate if you’d like to pay respects; it is appreciated.
• Hire a bicycle for the day; the town is flat and traffic light.