Con Dao Island, off the coast of southern Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, is set to become a world-class site for marine, cultural, historic and spiritual tourism, according to a revised plan for Con Dao development by 2045 newly approved by Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh.
A pristine beach on Con Dao Island. (Photo: VNA)
The plan has been revised in an effort to better boost tourism in the island, protect and promote its historic relics and preserve the ecosystem of Con Dao National Park.
The island’s population is expected to reach a maximum of 15,000 by 2030 and 25,000 by 2045.
The 16-island archipelago of Con Dao is located 180km from Vung Tau city, and about 230km southeast of Ho Chi Minh City. It has a land area of nearly 6,000ha and a water surface of 14,000ha.
It is well known for beaches with white sand, deep blue water and colorful coral reefs. French colonialists and the Americans turned the island into a prison to jail Vietnamese revolutionary soldiers in wartime. The facility has attracted many local and foreign visitors in recent years.
The national park is home to 1,077 species of vascular plants and 155 species of fauna. Many bird species in Con Dao cannot be found anywhere else in Vietnam, such as the red-billed tropicbird, masked booby, and pied imperial pigeon.
Con Dao National Park, a Ramsar site of wetlands of international importance, has more than 340 species of corals and is one of the richest and most diverse coral reefs in the country.