Top 12 beautiful and meaningful tourist destinations in Con Dao for your 2025 trip - Part 1

With its wild beauty and heroic historical stories, Con Dao is a destination that fascinates many people. Those who love to explore will find countless attractive tourist destinations in Con Dao - from emotional historical relics to peaceful spiritual areas that bring peace to the soul. The journey here is not only a vacation but also a profound experience of culture and beautiful nature.

Not noisy, not flashy. Con Dao quietly touches the emotions of visitors in a very unique way, deep, quiet but impressive. Let's explore the experiences that are typical of Con Dao - where the past and present intersect with every step.

1. The heroic relics in Con Dao - Where memories never fade

1.1. Con Dao Museum

Each artifact at Con Dao Museum is a living witness to an unforgettable past. (Photo: Collected)

Located right in the center of town, Con Dao Museum is not only an ideal starting point for any historical journey, but also a place that contains the deepest layers of national pain and pride.

With more than 2,000 artifacts, images, and original documents displayed in a modern space, the museum tells the most authentic story of the brutal historical period from the French colonial period to the day the country was completely liberated. Each pair of shackles, each worn-out prisoner’s clothes, each handwritten document page... all carry the silent sound of time.

Many visitors were stunned by the photos of tortured prisoners, or the touching memoirs of revolutionary soldiers who were imprisoned here. If you are a history lover, or simply want to understand more about the price of peace , then the Con Dao Museum is definitely a place not to be missed.

1.2. Island Lord's Palace

Lord Island Palace – A historical structure in the heart of town, where power and brutality once reigned, now a living lesson of history. (Photo: Collected)

The Island Lord’s Palace is not just an ancient building with a mossy tiled roof. This was once the workplace and residence of 53 generations of Island Lords – the people who held supreme power in Con Dao during the colonial period and the old regime (1862–1975).

Passing through the heavy wooden gate, visitors seem to be lost in an old world , where every wall, window frame, desk… is kept almost as original. It feels like time has never passed here, just temporarily sleeping so that the next person has a chance to touch the past.

This place is also one of the historical relics in Con Dao with valuable documentary value, clearly reflecting the ruling apparatus and harsh repressive policies that once existed.

1.3. Phu Hai Camp

Phu Hai Prison – The oldest and harshest prison in Con Dao, where stories of extraordinary willpower and endurance are recorded. (Photo: Collected)

Located not far from the town center, Phu Hai Prison used to be one of the largest and oldest prisons in the Con Dao prison system . The space here still retains the old architecture with thick stone walls, cold cells and long corridors that make visitors shudder when imagining the prison life of revolutionary soldiers.

Wax figure at Phu Hai Prison. (Photo: Hai Minh)

Phu Hai Camp is known as a symbol of resilience and indomitable will. Every corner of the wall, every brick here is a witness to countless physical and mental pains, but it is also the place that has fueled the fire of struggle, maintaining faith in the future of the nation.

Visiting the camp, you will feel the brutality that the prisoners had to endure, and also gain a deeper understanding of the glorious history of Con Dao - an indispensable part of the journey to the past.

1.4. French-style tiger cage (Phu Tuong Camp)

Phu Tuong Camp – The dark maze of history. (Photo: Collected)

Built during the French colonial period, the French Tiger Cages are a system of prison cells designed in a maze-like manner, preventing communication between prisoners and making escape almost impossible. The thick walls, iron doors and tangled corridors give the space a cold and mysterious feel.

French Tiger Cage relic. (Photo: Collected)

Visitors entering here often feel suffocated and cramped, as if history is compressed in each brick. The small, dimly lit rooms are where patriotic soldiers were imprisoned and tortured in extremely harsh conditions.

Visiting the French Tiger Cages, you will not only learn about history, but also feel the indomitability and bravery of the people who fought and sacrificed for independence and freedom.

1.5. American-style tiger cages (Phu Binh Camp)

Phu Binh Camp – Where the pain remains and historical traces cannot be forgotten. (Photo: Collected)

Unlike the French-style architecture, the American-style Tiger Cages were built in 1971 with small, damp, dark cells for detention and mental torture. This place witnessed many cruel forms of mental torture to subdue the will of prisoners.

Notably, this was also the first place to receive news that Saigon had been liberated in 1975, marking the end of the long war.

Stepping into Phu Binh Camp, you can clearly imagine the brutality but also the loyalty and indomitability of the revolutionary soldiers. This is also a vivid proof of a bloody but proud part of Con Dao's history.

Con Dao not only has historical sites, but also has beautiful beaches and sacred places that every tourist must visit at least once. Do you know what those places are? Click to continue to Part 2 now!

Source: https://www.vietravel.com/vn/am-thuc-kham-pha/dia-diem-du-lich-con-dao-2025-phan-1-v17418.aspx