Phu Quoc versus Con Dao. It's a debate that has long raged among expatriates looking to escape the hustle and bustle.
When I finished my maiden trip to Con Dao five years ago, I dreamt of having an opportunity to return to this beautiful island, and my dream came true last weekend.
Business Insider, a leading US business and entertainment website, has cited Viet Nam’s Con Dao Islands as one of top 25 remote islands tourists should visit in their lifetime.
Con Dao Island in the central province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau aims to become an international-standard spiritual and eco-tourism centre by 2030, according to a newly approved plan to develop the island.
Con Dao district in the southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau greeted nearly 80,000 tourist arrivals from the start of the year, a year-on-year rise of 14.98%, reported the managing board for tourism areas in Con Dao.
After the Lunar New Year (Tet holiday), the VASCO (Vietnam Service Air Company) airlines operated five or six daily flights on the Ho Chi Minh city – Con Dao route, said Ms Trinh Thi Phuong, head of the VASCO branch in Con Dao.
The southern island district of Con Dao received 19,000 foreign visitors in 2013, representing a year-on-year increase of 49% and making up 20% of the total number of visitors to the locality known as Poulo Condor.
Many people usually mistake bun sung (noodles cooked with water lily) of the coastal city of Vung Tau with noodle dishes found in the Mekong Delta provinces of Tra Vinh, Soc Trang and Ca Mau.