Vietnam travel destination 16: Con Dao island

The Côn Đảo Islands (Vietnamese: Côn Đảo) are an archipelago of Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province, in southeasternVietnam, and a district of this province.
Situated at about 185 km (115 m) from Vũng Tàu and 230 km  from Hồ Chí Minh City, the group includes 16 mountainous islands and islets. The total land area reaches 75.15 km² and the local population is about 5,000.
The island group is served by Cỏ Ống Airport.
On June 16, 1702, the English East India Company founded a settlement on the island of Pulo Condor (Poulo Condore) off the south coast of southern Vietnam, and on March 2, 1705, the garrison and settlement were destroyed.
The largest island is Côn Sơn Island (also known as Con Lon Island), famous for its prison built by the French colonial government.
Many of the islands were given protected status in 1984. In 1984, they became a national park, Côn Đảo National Park, which was subsequently enlarged in 1998. Endangered species protected within the park include the hawksbill turtle, the green turtle and the dugong. Ecosystems represented in the park include sea -grass meadow, mangrove and coral reefs.

Côn Đảo National Park is working with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Vietnam to further protection in the marine areas, with programs to establish a Marine Protected Area that protects coral reefs, sea-grass beds and species, while also developing sustainable nature-based ecotourism. The island's management is strongly geared towards sustainable use, hoping to learn from previous experiences in Vietnam and the region to balance development with conservation.
Population in Con Dao was 6,000 persons in 2010. Con Dao people are very kindly, genuine and hospitality.
There are VASCO with flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Con Dao and from Can Tho – Con Dao . In 2011, Air Mekong was participated to this route: Ho Chi Minh City – Con Dao.

Nowadays, Condao has been an attractive tourism destination in Vietnam because of historical values as well as the beauty of landscape.

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