Motor boats take visitors to explore the small islands around Con Dao

The destinations were selected from more than 2,000 suggestions the paper received after asking its readers about spots that have delighted, inspired and comforted them in a dark year. It said these places remind us that the world still awaits.

Thang Dac Luong, a lawyer and a writer in Sydney, chose Con Dao as his place of significance, describing it as “a tropical paradise with a terrible past.” The author wrote about his father’s captivity on the island from 1961 – 1963 and his memorable trip to Con Dao.

“I spent three days on Con Dao. I visited a cemetery where relatives of people who died or suffered in the prison can bring offerings. There’s a marine conservatory, where baby turtles are being raised. On the last day, I was on the beach. As I swam out in the warm, turquoise water, I burst into tears. It’s important that we have these places where we can remember the people we’ve lost. Someday, I’d like to take my children there so they can learn more about their grandfather.”

Located around 230 kilometres southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, Con Dao island was once dubbed ‘Hell on Earth,’ home to a brutal prison where the French and American invaders jailed and tortured many Vietnamese freedom fighters during the 19th and 20th centuries.