'Mysterious' Vietnamese island a paradise tourists haven't ruined yet

By Minh Nga   March 15, 2018 | 12:22 am PT
Con Dao has avoided the tourist trap and retained its pristine, untouched beauty, say global media outlets.

Now is the best time of the year to head to the beach in Vietnam, with the rain long gone and the shining down on crystal blue waters - if you know where to look.

Vietnam is facing the same problems as its Southeast Asian peers when it comes to beach tourism: “overcrowding, coral damage and waste,” as pointed out by U.K. newspaper the Independent.

Countries across the region have adopted a number of different measures to protect their coastlines, such as running clean-up campaigns, upgrading facilities to raise public awareness, fining people who litter, and even closing off beaches completely to visitors.

Yet luckily enough, there are still several beaches left that are pristine, unpopulated and underdeveloped, as named in the Independent’s list of “10 Eco-Friendly Beaches In Southeast Asia That Tourists Haven’t Ruined Yet.”

Among them is Dat Tham Beach on Con Dao, an island off the southern coast of Vietnam that was dubbed one of the 20 most mysterious islands on Earth by Travel and Leisure last year.

With the likes of Da Nang, Nha Trang and Mui Ne now packed with tourists, Dat Tham Beach, protected by Con Dao National Park, is one of the few undeveloped stretches of sand left in Vietnam.

To get to the beach, visitors have to register at the park office before beginning a four-mile hike.

“Once you reach the shore, however, you are met with a beautiful (and most likely completely secluded) crescent-shaped bay,” said the Independent.

But apart from what the Independent has to say, Con Dao has much more to offer.

Just last year, CNN praised it as one of 12 paradise islands in Asia, while Time included Con Dao on a list of the 13 places around the world where travelers will be amazed by the blueness of the water.

Con Son, the only inhabited and largest island in the 16-island Con Dao Archipelago, once a notorious prison island, is described by Time as an unspoiled island with granite cliffs outlining the crystalline water, where “beaches are lined with golden sand and gorgeous blue water.”

 
 
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