Con Dao National Park is centered on an archipelago of 14 islands, the largest of which is Con Son. The topography of Con Son Island is mountainous and dominated by a granite ridge which runs from south-west to north-east, sheltering the bays on both sides of the island from strong winds. The highest points on the island are the summits of Mount Thanh Gia and Mount Chua, at 577 and 515 m respectively. The smaller islands reach a maximum elevation of 200 m.
Con Dao National Park is working with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Vietnam to further protection in the marine areas, with programs to establish a Marine Protected Area that protects coral reefs, seagrass beds and species, while also developing sustainable nature-based ecotourism. The island's management is strongly geared towards sustainable use, hoping to learn from previous experiences in Vietnam and the region to balance development with conservation.
Con Dao has various marine ecosystems with 285 species of hard coral, 84 species of sea weed, 202 species of fish, 153 species of mollusc, etc. What is more, aquiherbosa ecosystem, geophytes in sea estimate about 200ha, comprising of 9 species among 16 ones in the world. Con Dao’s sea is a home of tortoise-shell, turtle, black whale, and especially dugong, one of the extremely rare species in the world.
The World Wide Fund for Nature has been active in protecting sea turtles and dugong. in Con Dao National Park. Since 1995, more than 300,000 baby turtles have been released to the sea and nearly 1,000 mature turtles have been tagged.
Con Dao National Park is now considered one of the best examples of marine conservation in Vietnam with regulations to limit fishing activities and prohibit destructive fishing. There are plans for eco-friendly development within the park’s boundaries.
The Con Dao archipelago has already been developed for tourism which is now one of the most important sectors of the islands' economy. Coming to Con Dao, tourists are sure to have comfortable and relaxing holidays deeply sunk in wild nature and experience rare species in the world surviving in Con Dao National Park. The Con Dao archipelago has historical significance as the site of several prisons used by the French colonial and South Vietnamese regime. Many famous revolutionaries were imprisoned on the island prior to 1975, and the site is considered a national memorial. A 30 ha site incorporating the prisons have been formally recognized as a national heritage site. There is great potential to further develop ecotourism at the national park, in the form of hiking, bird watching, snorkeling, diving and watching nesting turtles.
