My family came to Con Dao during the most beautiful season of this place, which happened to be one of the interesting "events" of nature: sea turtle breeding season.
About the author
Ngo Tran Hai An, or Quỷ Cốc Tử, is one of the most experienced travel bloggers in Vietnam today. In addition to countless lands and countries he has visited, he is also the first person to explore new "backpacking" routes such as: border marker 79, the highest in Indochina, marker 42, the second highest in Indochina, Ta Chi Nhu mountain... However, appearing on Travellive this time, travel blogger Ngo Tran Hai An shares about a more "special" trip: a summer vacation with his family.
Travel blogger Ngo Tran Hai An (Quy Coc Tu)
peace in the ocean
After a long time traveling alone, this time I arranged a trip to Con Dao with my small family. The main reason I chose Con Dao is not only because of the wildness and peace of this place, but also because it is currently the sea turtle breeding season. It will be an opportunity for May U - my little princess, to explore, learn and appreciate nature more.
Landing in Con Dao, my family was greeted by a clear blue sky and incredibly fresh air. The road from the airport to the center of Con Dao town is beautiful with winding roads like a giant silk strip, in the distance you can see beautiful large and small islands scattered along the shore, embellishing the blue sea picture.
Most of the time on this trip we spent taking May U around the island, each day letting her explore and play at a few different places. Sometimes May walked on the wild grass at Nhat beach, sometimes she played at An Hai beach, sometimes I took May U through the Northwest circular road... It had been a long time since she had the opportunity to separate herself from the bustling city life and play in the cool sea water, enthusiastically exploring and splashing around until sunset.
my new friends
The most memorable and “successful” experience of this trip was letting May U participate in the sea turtle release activity at Hon Tre. From Con Dao, our family decided to travel by wooden boat, instead of the canoes that she was familiar with. At first, I was afraid that she would get seasick, but luckily everything went very smoothly.
As I expected, when May U first saw the turtles, she was extremely excited and observed very attentively. Through that, I realized that: when children have the opportunity to experience new things, in their thinking there will also be many new thoughts. My husband and I were very surprised and had to laugh at May's naive question: "Dad, why is the turtle swimming without wearing a life jacket?". After that question, I saw a very good sign about letting children explore the world around them.
However, participating in ecological activities is not the only way to help children learn about nature. One day, due to unfavorable weather, my family had to stay in town without visiting any places. So I decided to give May U an “exercise”: to explore the row of heritage trees right in the center of Con Dao town. There are 79 heritage trees here, hundreds of years old, each tree has a strange and special shape. May U was very focused on “diagnosing” the trees and enthusiastically looking at the row of giant trees; her excitement was no less than when she was looking at baby turtles in the sea. I suddenly understood that children can explore and learn anywhere in the surrounding environment, as long as we create that opportunity for them.
conclusion
Many parents still think that when children travel, they will not know much about the world around them and will waste money. But after many trips with my small family, I believe that children's thinking about the world around them is very unique and we should create conditions for them to develop that. Moreover, family trips not only help to connect members together, but we - adults with many stressful things, will also be transmitted a positive energy from our children.
More information
Vehicle:Currently, there are only 2 flights to Con Dao operated by VASCO, departing from Ho Chi Minh City or Can Tho. You can also choose to take a speedboat departing from Vung Tau or Soc Trang to Con Dao.
Time:From March to the end of September is the ideal time to travel to Con Dao, from October to February the sea in Con Dao often has big waves.
Accommodation:There are currently many hotels, resorts and homestays in Con Dao. This time my family stayed at Nicobar - the only "green" hotel with a small indoor forest (address: Duong Van Manh Street, Zone 6, Con Dao Town).
Some places to visit in Con Dao:Tau Be cape, Nhat beach, Vong beach, Dam wharf, Nui Mot pagoda, An Hai lotus lake, radar peak where you can see the whole view of Con Dao...
Some relics in Con Dao:Vo Thi Sau's tomb, Hang Duong cemetery, Con Dao Prison Relic, heritage trees, Phu Hai prison, Hang Keo cemetery...
Some good restaurants in Con Dao:
- Thu Ba Seafood Restaurant
- Snail Restaurant 16
- Hoang Quyen claypot rice restaurant specializes in Southern food
- Nguyen An restaurant specializes in Northern food
- Vermicelli, pho, and hu tieu dishes eaten at the shops in the market are cheap and delicious.
Note:In Con Dao, there is a type of insect called Bu Mat. When bitten by it, the contact point will swell and it will take about 10 days to recover. Unfortunately, little May U was bitten by Bu Mat and her eye was swollen, but after being treated by an experienced doctor here, she was completely cured after only 2 days.
Some experiences when traveling to Con Dao with children:
- Children should only swim in the sea in the morning and afternoon when the weather is cool. The hot sun at noon is not good for children.
- Should use anti-roll buoy to ensure safety for children when swimming
- Bring insect repellent and jellyfish allergy cream
