Vung Tau and Con Dao Islands

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November 19th 2009

Published: November 19th 2009

Vung Tau and the Con Dao Islands If you are tired of the hot and sweaty HCMC and yearn for the beach, Vung Tau is the least expensive option. If you want to spend a little more money, Con Dao is a possible option. Going to the beach, dealing with the sand, salt water, never gets me too excited. Getting out of HCMC does. So, Trang and family rented a car and off to Vung Tau we went. Vung Tau is ... Read Full Entry

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Kent D. Converse

Governor

This is my 12 visit to Vietnam My current mission in Vietnam is going to the home villages of all my neices and nephews that have helped me in Vietnam In 2005 I biked from Hanoi to Saigon. Probably the greatest trip I ever experienced. I look forward to returning to Vietnam and enjoying the people and land of Vietnam. I will be staying with my former Rotary Exchange Student Trang and her husband Huan and daughter Sarah. I keep a bike at Trang's house and will be biking around Saigon on short trips. The cover photo is me biking the Red River Islands near Hanoi.... full info

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19th November 2009

Ray
non-member comment

beaches & prisons
Found your visits to the Vietnanese beachs and prisons very interesting. Also enjoyed the pictures of Trang and Sarah. Thanks, Ray

19th November 2009

Anita Graves
non-member comment

Vung Tau
Thanks for the update on your trip...beach scenes are neat, and I especially enjoy seeing Huan, Trang, and Sarah. They're taking good care of her!

19th November 2009

Anita Graves
non-member comment

prisons
This prison appears to show more than Hoa Loa...more ugly details.....

20th November 2009

theRedRiver
Hanoi_girl

Thank you
Thank you for this interesting blog. I visited Vung Tau beach in 1993 so things have changed now. I also plan to visit Con Dao islands next year, so your information and photos are much helpful to me.

20th November 2009

Kristine McCarroll
non-member comment

A good teaser!
Hi Kent, Now that I live 20 meters away from Bondi beach in Sydney Australia, probably one of the most famous surf beach in the world, I find it really hard to get excited about other beaches. However I am longing to return to Vietnam but by the look of it, this is not going to happen before 2011, if it happens... How are you working around the new 3 months visa rules? Take care, Cheers Kristine

20th November 2009

Chuck Searcy
non-member comment

Con Dao
Kent, I was in Con Dao last Tet, my second visit to the island, and it remains one of my favorite getaways. I think it's Vietnam's largest national park, including the vast marine sanctuary. There are animal and plant species there that have not been found anywhere else in the world. Next time I'll explore some of the outlying islands, which I have not done yet. The prisons are pretty grim but stark reminders of our human capacity to do each other harm, in the most torturous and vile ways, and those practices continue even today. Thanks for the blog update and the photos.

20th November 2009

Geri Appel
non-member comment

Great Reading
Kent, thanks so much for sharing this. Ken has spoken of Vung Tau often and I know he will enjoy reading this and seeing your photos. It's good to see you, Sarah and Trang, too!

31st October 2010

Susan Fried
non-member comment

Vung Tau beach
It's good that for whatever reason the beach at Vung Tau was not polluted when you were there, but in my experience in 2002, the beach and the water were pretty obviously polluted due to oil. I wondered if it was healthy for people to be swimming and fishing in these waters.

9th March 2013

Peter Raymant
non-member comment

Vung Tau
Was last there with my son Nov 2012, originally there 70-71 out at the airfield. This time we spent a bit of time in Saigon/HCM city, flew up to Hue spent a few days looking at the area, out to Khe Sanh, down to Da Nang etc. Then flew back down Sth and got the ferry down to Vung Tau (Vungers as we called it). Vung Tau now looks like the Gold Coast to me here in Australia. Was last there at Vungers back in 95, and it has certainly changed since then. We did two climbs one up Marble mountain at Da Nang and then up to see the Jesus statue at Vungers. There is no indication at all of where the Australians were at 1ALSG, at Back Beach, or the Air Force out at the airfield. Very little left of where the Australians were at Nui Dat, North of Baria.

23rd March 2013

Governor
Kent D. Converse

Thanks Peter
I enjoyed your input. Hope you had a good time. Kent

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Vung Tau and Con Dao Islands

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