5 Days: Saigon to Con Dao Island Extension

Why this extension exists

Most first-time visitors build their trip around Ho Chi Minh City itself, then add a single day trip toward Cu Chi or the delta. This itinerary is for the traveler who has an extra five days and wants something quieter and less visited at the end of the stay: a former penal colony turned national park, sitting alone in the sea roughly 230 km off the southern coast. It layers a short coastal stage at Vung Tau or the cruise-port area of Phu My onto a couple of days in the city, then breaks off toward the archipelago of Con Dao by air.

Two things this itinerary deliberately does not do. First, it does not try to also cover the Mekong Delta or Mui Ne — both sit in the opposite direction from Con Dao and have no shared road or boat connection with it, so bolting them on turns a calm island extension into a logistics puzzle.

If either of those interests you more, look at a dedicated seven-day Mekong and islands itinerary instead of trying to force everything into one loop. Second, this page does not rank beaches or dive sites on Con Dao in any detail — that comparison belongs to the dedicated Con Dao diving and snorkeling guide, which this itinerary simply points toward.

The one fact worth repeating before the day-by-day plan: Con Dao is reached only by air or by fast ferry from the coast. There is no road, no bridge, and no coastal drive that gets you there, unlike every other stop in this itinerary.

Day 1: Settling into Ho Chi Minh City

Start in District 1, the natural base for a short Saigon stay before heading to the coast. A first afternoon works well as an easy walking loop: Ben Thanh Market and its clock tower, the Reunification Palace, Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica (still under long-term restoration, so expect scaffolding rather than a fully open facade), and the Central Post Office nearby. If it is your first evening in the country, keep the pace unhurried — jet lag and Saigon’s heat both argue for stopping mid-afternoon rather than pushing through a full day of sightseeing.

In the evening, a guided introduction to the local food scene is a good way to get oriented without guesswork over where to eat. A private street food walking tour through the central lanes covers several dishes and stalls in one evening, which is a faster way into the city’s food culture than trying to identify good stalls alone on a first night.

For planning where to sleep across the stay, the neighborhood breakdown in the guide to where to stay in Saigon is worth a look before booking, and the District 1 neighborhood guide covers the central area in more depth.

Day 2: The coast at Vung Tau or Phu My

Day two moves to the coast, about two hours from central Saigon by road. Most travelers on this itinerary choose Vung Tau, a seaside city with a hilltop Christ statue and a genuinely different pace from Saigon’s traffic. It works well as a single long day trip out and back, or as an overnight if you would rather not double back to the city before flying onward. The Vung Tau day trip guide lays out the practical logistics for either version.

If your onward plan already has you passing through the deep-water port area, Phu My is the alternative anchor for the day, and the Phu My cruise port overview and Vung Tau coast from Phu My guide both cover how the two areas connect.

Either way, this is not a beach-holiday day in the resort sense — treat it as a change of scenery and a look at wartime and colonial-era sites along this stretch of coast, not as time on the sand. For travelers interested in that history, a tour built around the Nui Dat, Long Tan and Long Phuoc tunnel sites near Vung Tau covers ground that most short visits skip entirely.

Return to Saigon in the evening, since flights to Con Dao depart from Tan Son Nhat International Airport. If you would rather not retrace the drive, an overnight in Vung Tau followed by a transfer back the next morning also works, provided you build in enough margin before your flight.

Day 3: Fly to Con Dao and settle in

The third day is a transition day: a domestic flight from Saigon out to the archipelago, followed by an easy first afternoon on the island rather than an ambitious itinerary. This page does not quote flight schedules or a flight-time figure, since both change with the carrier and season — check current options when you book rather than relying on a fixed number here.

Con Dao’s pace is noticeably slower than the mainland, and the first afternoon is best spent simply arriving: check into your accommodation, walk the small town center, and get a first look at the coastline. If you have energy left after the flight, an easy introduction to the island’s forest trails is a gentle way to start, and the Con Dao archipelago guide is worth reading before you land, since it covers the island’s layout, its national park status, and its history as a former prison in more depth than fits here.

Day 4: A full day on Con Dao

This is the core day of the island stage, and it can go in a couple of directions depending on what you are after. Hikers gravitate toward the island’s forest trails: a route like the Bai Bang Dat Tham hike takes you through the national park’s cover away from the town, and the heritage Sao Den tree hiking route is a shorter alternative that still gets you into the forest without a full-day commitment.

For travelers who would rather be on the water than on foot, a boat trip out to the smaller islands in the archipelago is the other main option for the day. A Ba Island boat trip combined with the Love Peak trek pairs time on the water with a shorter hike, which works well if you want a mix rather than a full day of either.

Whichever you choose, this itinerary deliberately stops short of ranking specific beaches or diving and snorkeling sites — the Con Dao diving and snorkeling guide and the broader guide to choosing a beach near Saigon both cover that ground with the detail it deserves.

Con Dao’s national park also carries real historical weight — the former prison here held political detainees for decades, including the site known for its “tiger cages.” If the hiking or boat day leaves you with a free afternoon, a slower walk through the town’s historic sites rounds out the day without adding another booked activity.

Day 5: Return to the mainland

The final day is another transition: a flight back to Ho Chi Minh City, timed loosely around your onward travel or international departure. Build in a buffer rather than scheduling a tight connection — island flight schedules on this route are not dense, and a delay is easier to absorb with a spare evening in Saigon than with a same-day international flight booked right behind it.

Back in the city, a low-key final evening works better than trying to squeeze in more sightseeing. A rooftop bar in the central districts is an easy way to close out the trip while looking back over the city you started in five days earlier — see the Saigon rooftop bars guide for options. If you have an early flight out the next morning, plan your airport transfer the night before rather than the morning of; the airport transfer guide covers the options from central Saigon.

Planning notes for this extension

A few practical points that shape how well this itinerary fits your trip:

Stage	Nights	How you get there
Ho Chi Minh City	1–2	Arrival city
---	---	---
Vung Tau or Phu My	0–1	By road, roughly two hours from Saigon
---	---	---
Con Dao	2	By air from Tan Son Nhat, or by fast ferry from the coast
---	---	---
Back in Ho Chi Minh City	0–1	By air from Con Dao

This extension assumes you are adding it onto an existing Saigon stay rather than building your whole trip around it. If you are still deciding how many days to allocate overall, the guide to how many days in southern Vietnam and the shorter two-day Saigon and Vung Tau coast itinerary are useful references, and the one-day Ho Chi Minh City highlights itinerary is a good template for a compressed first day if you are short on time before flying out to the island.

Weather is worth checking before you lock in dates: the dry season, roughly December to April, is generally the more reliable window for both the coastal stage and time on the water at Con Dao, while the wet season’s afternoon downpours are usually short rather than day-long. Neither season rules out this itinerary, but the dry months make the boat and hiking days easier to plan around.

FAQ: planning a Con Dao island extension from Saigon

Can I reach Con Dao by road from Vung Tau or Saigon?

No. Con Dao is an offshore archipelago with no bridge or road connection to the mainland. It is reached only by air from Ho Chi Minh City or by fast ferry from the coast, unlike Vung Tau and Phu My, which are ordinary road trips from Saigon.

Can I combine this extension with the Mekong Delta or Mui Ne?

Not comfortably in the same trip. Both the delta and Mui Ne sit in different directions from Con Dao with no shared transport link, so combining them turns a calm island add-on into a lot of backtracking. Treat them as separate itineraries and choose the one that matches what you want more.

Should I stop in Vung Tau or go straight through Phu My?

Either works as the coastal stage before flying out. Vung Tau suits travelers who want a night by the sea and some wartime history sites; Phu My suits those already routed through the cruise port area. Both return you to Saigon in time for the Con Dao flight.

Do I need more than two days on Con Dao for diving or beach time?

This itinerary allows one full day on the island plus arrival and departure afternoons, which suits hiking or a boat trip well. If diving or extended beach time is your main goal, allow extra nights — the dedicated diving and snorkeling guide covers what a longer stay adds.

How difficult is this five-day extension?

It is rated moderate rather than easy, mainly because of the hiking options on Con Dao and the transitions between road travel, a domestic flight, and island logistics. None of the individual days are physically demanding on their own.

Is a short Con Dao extension actually worth the flight?

For travelers who want a genuinely different pace after a few busy days in Saigon and on the coast, yes — the island’s national park, its quiet beaches, and its history as a former prison are unlike anything else on this itinerary. Travelers tight on time may prefer to stay on the mainland and add a Mekong Delta or Mui Ne itinerary instead.