While Phu Quoc draws package tourists and Hoi An fills with selfie crowds, two of Vietnam's most extraordinary islands remain largely untouched. Con Dao, a UNESCO-protected national park archipelago 230 kilometres south of Ho Chi Minh City, has earned a place on Vogue's 2026 global honeymoon list for its combination of world-class luxury resorts, pristine coral reefs, and nesting sea turtles. Phu Quy, a volcanic island 120 kilometres off the Binh Thuan coast with no airport and no mega-resorts, was named among Southeast Asia's top 10 destinations for 2026 for precisely the thing most destinations are losing: silence. This guide covers everything you need to plan a trip to either island or both.

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Con Dao is an archipelago of 16 islands where roughly 80 percent of the land and surrounding sea falls within a national park. The result is an island that genuinely cannot be overdeveloped: no high-rise resorts, no jet ski operators, no nightclub strips. What it has instead is some of the clearest water in Southeast Asia, the most important sea turtle nesting ground in Vietnam, and a handful of exceptionally well-designed luxury properties built to complement rather than overwhelm the landscape.

The only practical way to reach Con Dao is by air. Flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Con Son Airport (the main island) take approximately one hour and run daily. From Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok, the standard route is to fly into Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat) and connect to Con Dao on the same day or the following morning. Booking connecting flights with enough layover time is important, as Con Dao services operate on a limited daily schedule.

The best time to visit Con Dao is between March and September. Sea conditions are calm, visibility for snorkelling and diving is at its best, and this is also the peak of the turtle nesting season, which runs from May through November. The national park rangers run structured turtle monitoring programmes during this period, and guests at several resorts can join guided evening beach walks to observe nesting. Outside this window, from October to February, the northeast monsoon can bring rougher seas and periodic heavy rain, though the island remains accessible.

Con Dao National Park covers the majority of the archipelago and offers a network of hiking trails through dense tropical forest, as well as protected snorkelling and diving sites in the surrounding marine park. The coral reefs around Con Dao rank among the most biodiverse in Vietnam, and the underwater visibility during the dry season regularly exceeds 15 metres. Turtle conservation is the island's most distinctive experience: between May and November, green sea turtles and hawksbill turtles nest on the protected beaches, and the national park organises monitored night walks that allow visitors to observe nesting and, in some cases, hatchling releases.

The island also carries a significant history. During both French colonial rule and the Vietnam War, Con Dao housed one of Southeast Asia's most notorious prison complexes. The preserved cells, Tiger Cages, and the Hang Duong Cemetery are now a place of remembrance and pilgrimage, and visiting them adds a layer of historical understanding that makes Con Dao feel unlike any other beach destination in the region.

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Con Dao's accommodation is intentionally limited in scale, which keeps the island uncrowded and the experience exclusive. Find and compare hotels on Con Dao across every price point on Traveloka.

Phu Quy does not have an airport. There are no international hotel brands. The island's 27,000 residents are primarily fishing families who have shaped a quiet, working coastal culture over generations. What draws travellers to Phu Quy in 2026 is precisely this: a Vietnamese island that has not yet been packaged for tourists, where the beaches are empty on weekday mornings, where you eat whatever the boats brought in that morning, and where the volcanic black rock formations along the coastline create a landscape that looks unlike anywhere else in the country.

Getting to Phu Quy requires flying into Ho Chi Minh City, then travelling overland or by domestic flight to Phan Thiet, the coastal city on Binh Thuan Province. From Phan Thiet port, high-speed ferry services make the crossing to Phu Quy island in approximately 2.5 to 4 hours depending on sea conditions and the service chosen. The ferry journey itself, crossing open South China Sea water with the island gradually coming into view, is part of the experience. Fares range from around 350,000 to 580,000 VND depending on the class of service. Most travellers choose to spend at least two nights on the island given the travel time involved, and three to four nights is the recommended minimum to explore it properly.

The best time to visit Phu Quy is between December and June when seas are calm, skies are clear, and conditions for snorkelling and beach swimming are at their best. The island's marine life is most accessible during this window, and the fishing culture is fully active in the early mornings. Between July and November, the southwest monsoon brings stronger swells that can delay or cancel ferry crossings, so travel during this period requires flexibility.

Phu Quy's coastline alternates between long sandy beaches and dramatic volcanic rock formations, giving it a visual range that most Vietnamese beach islands lack. Bai Nho and Trieu Duong Bay are the island's most celebrated swimming beaches, with calm, clear water and a near-total absence of commercial infrastructure. For snorkelling, the coral reefs on the eastern and southern sides of the island are easily accessible and offer excellent visibility during the dry season. Most snorkelling trips are arranged through local fishermen, which keeps the experience authentic and puts money directly into the community.

Beyond the beaches, the Van An Thanh Temple dedicated to the Whale God is a living example of the island's deep fishing heritage and an important cultural site for the local community. The volcanic interior of the island rewards exploration by motorbike, with elevated viewpoints, crater formations, and quiet villages that give a genuine sense of how islanders live away from the tourist trail. Motorbike hire is widely available and is the best way to cover the island's roads at your own pace.

Book a car rental for the mainland legs of your Vietnam journey on Traveloka, covering the transfer between Ho Chi Minh City and Phan Thiet at your own schedule.

Citizens of most ASEAN nations, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, enter Vietnam visa-free for stays of up to 45 days. Citizens of many other countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, and South Korea, are also visa-exempt. Check the current policy for your passport through the official Vietnam Immigration portal before travelling, as the list of eligible nationalities is updated periodically.

From April 15, 2026, travellers arriving at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City are required to complete a Vietnam Digital Arrival Card before boarding. The card is completed online before departure and is currently applicable to Tan Son Nhat arrivals only — not yet to Noi Bai (Hanoi) or Da Nang. Allow time to complete this before your flight.

Pre-booking an airport transfer from Tan Son Nhat to your Ho Chi Minh City hotel or onward connection point on Traveloka means one fewer logistical decision on arrival day.

Traveloka is Southeast Asia's leading travel platform, trusted by over 100 million users across Asia and beyond. Whether you are flying from Singapore for a long weekend on Con Dao or building a two-week Vietnam itinerary with Phu Quy at one end and Hanoi at the other, Traveloka brings your entire trip into one app: flights, hotels, activities, airport transfers, and car rental for mainland travel, all stored and accessible from a single account.

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