Hanoi and HCM to Con Dao
Hanoi and HCM to Con Dao
VietJet has launched two new domestic routes to Con Dao, a small archipelago about 240 kilometres due south of Ho Chi Minh City. The main island, Con Son Island once housed a notorious prison camp known as the Tiger Cages where political prisoners were kept in appalling conditions under the French colonial government and later the Republic of Vietnam. The prison closed after the Fall of Saigon in 1975.
Today the islands are peaceful, surrounded by coral reefs with diverse marine life making it a haven for diving and snorkelling. From late March endangered green sea turtles come ashore, on Hon Ba island, to lay eggs in the sand. They start to hatch around two months later and the babies make their way to the sea.
The islands boast some of the country’s most unspoiled beaches and a coastal road offers a wide range of vistas to enjoy.
The flights
There are two flights a day from both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
The early flight from Hanoi, flight number VJ101, departs from Noi Bai Airport at 06:45 and lands at Con Dao Airport at 08:55. The return journey, flight number VJ102, leaves Con Dao at 11.35 and arrives back in Hanoi at 13:50.
Flight Number VJ103 departs from Hanoi at 09:15 and arrives at Con Dao at 11:25. It returns as flight number VJ104 departing at 14:05 and landing at
16:20
The flight duration is around two hours and fifteen minutes and will be served by COMAC C909 aircraft.
The Ho Chi Minh City route originates in Con Dao with flight number VJ114 departing at 09:20 and arriving at Ho Chi Minh’s Tan Son Nhat Airport at 10:05. It returns as flight number VJ115, taking off from Ho Chi Minh at 10:30 and arriving back in Con Dao at 11:10.
The later trip, flight number VJ116, departs from Con Dao at 11:50 and touches down in Ho Chi Minh at 12:35. It resumes its journey as flight number VJ117, leaving Ho Chi Minh at 13:00 and landing again in Con Dao at 13:40.
The fight time is 40 minutes and a COMAC C909 aircraft will also be deployed.
Picture: Con Dao national park, Con Son Island via Wikimedia Commons
Hotel suggestions
Six Senses, Con Dao