You wish to experience the new feelings for the local life at southwest Vietnam; Con Son Islet in Can Tho is the perfect destination for your experience and enjoyment. Let spend time to discover the wild beauties and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere on weekends.
History of Con Son Islet’s name
At the beginning, Con Son has a lot of “Son tree – cây sơn” called gardenia trees. The name of Son Islet was named as this reason. These trees are collected from the sap used to paint wooden furniture called “sơn son thiếp vàng”. The original traditional handicraft was to exploit trees’ sap and make wood. Gradually, this career disappeared and local people began to grow fruits trees and raise fish.
How to travel to Con Son Islet?
From Can Tho City centre, you follow National Highway 91, travel to Co Bac Pier of Binh Thuy Ward, Binh Thuy District to take boat to Con Son Islet. It is about 8km from Can Tho city.
The islet is about five to ten minutes by boat from the mainland. There are many boats travel through the river which serves for local people and tourists. The boat is around 10 to 15 people and price is 15,000 VND/per person/per way.
If you travel to Con Son Islet by motorbike, you can get on the bigger boat from the beginning of the islet. However, it will be very far for you to move to the end of the islet.
As the experience of previous tourist, the motorbike travel to the islet is difficult because the road is small and narrow. Therefore, the best way to travel Can Tho to the islet is by boat.
What are specialties in Con Son Islet?
Con Son Islet has the area 70 hecta with the rich soil for growing fruits plus friendly people which attract tourists to discover.
The specialty is that you can visit stork garden and see by your eyes the hundreds of white and black storks. They fly in flocks at the beginning of Con Son islet in the afternoon. It is wonderful to admire the tranquil scenery and comfortable time to relax among the peaceful scenery.
The place containing the culture of the Southern
To reach the islet, people must travel by boat. The boat will lead you to fish raft close here. And then you will follow village road to reach the islet. The special of the islet is the shade of trees, fruits trees in different types. Furthermore, you taste local foods of south people and learn how to cook it.
The village and neighborhood combine to make tourism together
The special of Con Son islet is the community tourism. This is the way of tourism which all citizens on the islet and families to make tourism together. All people combine together to grow trees and make tourism base on the village’s love. They support together the finance; work or simple is the working spirit. Therefore, you travel and visit this islet and village, each family has its own specialty. This family has the fruit garden, other has fish raft or others have handicraft career. Each has its own work and function. All make a community and support each other for the development of Con Son Tourism.
What are activities in Con Son Islet?
The local people here have the different lifestyle and activities from the bustling life of people in Can Tho city. Infact, they are very affectionate, friendly and create a comfortable atmosphere for tourists once visiting the islet. It is very different from other places, local people will not force tourist and follow and ask them to buy some products and goods.
Moreover, tourist can get the experience of a local farmer such as fishing, catching crab, snail, etc. This is a fanciful activity and have chance to taste local foods such as fry fish by raw, snail, etc.
Check in full fruits’ gardens and peaceful countryside roads.
Con Son islet’s landscape is poetic. Sometimes, you can see a jackfruit tree with dozens of jackfruits on branches. Or you can see a poetic landscape of areca lines along streets. The tranquil scenery and simple life is the special of this islet.
Thanks for the fertile soil and cool climate, so the orchards in Con Son Islet have fruits all year round. There are famous tropical fruits such as rambutan, pomelo, star apple, jackfruit, etc. Tourists will have chance to hand-picked right on the garden and eat them freshly. You will enjoy the full delicious and fresh taste.
Most people on the islet combine to grow tropical fruits and tourism few years, recently. The entrance fee at the garden is around 15,000 VND/per person (0.7 USD) and tourist can buy fresh fruits at the garden directly.
Travel to Con Son Islet will have the opportunity to experience and harmony in the local life and activities. It is an ideal place for relaxing to escape the busy life in cities.
Experience to make local cakes
Con Son Islet covers all gardens and trees surrounding. When travel to the islet, you can have chance to try to make famous local cuisines of southwest people such as bánh khọt, bánh kẹp nướng (dry cake), bánh in, Bánh lá mít (jackfruit leaf cake), bánh xèo (pancake)etc. and learn how to prepare and cook it to taste special foods. You can start from the beginning process such as prepare ingredients, dough, and make delicious cakes. You will be a cook to make it and then enjoy it with the interesting feeling.
Visit Con Son fish raft village
Travel to islet, visitors will have chance to see thousands of strange fish and with different colors on the water. The local people raise many fish such as Pangasius (Cá tra), strabismus fish (cá lác), etc. Especially, colorful Koi fish is nice to visit. There are some fish are just to see, not for eat like foods such as Ho fish with the length of 50 cemtimeter.
Feeding fish by rice
This is the strange experience and only at Song Khanh Garden. Travel here, you will have chance to feed rice for cat fish and Basa fish. When reaching the eating time, local people will make sound to collect fish and make attention with fish in lake. To have chance to enjoy this activity, you should pre-contact with Song Khanh Garden to make an arrangement.
Check in lotus field and monkey bridge
Con Son Islet has a lotus field with spacious scenery on summer. With the monkey bridge to pass through, it makes you wonderful scenery for selfie as well as enjoy the peaceful scenery here. It is the ideal spot for shooting photos of lotus field.
Watch flying snakehead fish
Thanks for the cool climate all year round and especially at Con Son Islet, you can enjoy new experience is to see flying snakehead fish. This is the wonderful performance and requires the trainer has the well skill after many years.
Fishing and sing karaoke at the garden
You will have the experience of fishing right on the garden. You will pleasure your interest of fishing and these fish will be used for your lunch or dinner. Also, the garden has karaoke which you can sing a song while enjoy the comfortable atmosphere among the garden.
Lying in a Hammock and Drinking Lotus Tea Or Iced Tea
People think that drinking tea is an art. If travelling to Con Son islet, you must experience the feeling to lie on the hammock and enjoy a smell cup of lotus tea. Swing on the cool wind among the fruit gardens and release your soul to the wind and enjoy the fresh feeling. It is a very simple but very enjoyment.
The Typical tourism model for the whole city to follow
From Five “No” into Five “Yes”
Before developing tourism, Con Son Islet is the land for fruit gardens and rafts, they are typical farmers with the farming all year round. This place was famous a five “No” Islet including No electricity, no water, no road, no school, and no Wi-Fi. And now, the islet has all Five Yes: electricity, water, road, Wi-Fi and has foreign tourist, although the islet still not have school yet. Thanks for the Eco tourism development; the islet’s life is becoming more comfortable than.
The typical tourism model for other places follow
After developing tourism three years, the results from tourism bring to the islet to become typical model for other places to follow. From the beginning to make tourism, it had 40 tourists; there are more than 500,000 visitors each year now.
Con Son Islet is developing rapidly but still retains the rustic and countryside’s spirit. The local administration brings it into the standard model to replicate for the development of Can Tho tourism.
Hoping that Can Tho tourism will develop strongly as a Con Son Islet has been and is developing now.
The best time to visit Con Son Islet
Belong to southwest Vietnam; therefore, Con Son Islet has the cool climate all year round. Con Son islet has its own beauties in each season. Normally, the tourism season in Con Son islet is from March till June as Lunar Calendar (Around April to July or August) when the gardens are full of fruits such as rambutan, mango, longan, guava, jackfruit, etc.
Entrance fee ticket: 15,000 VND/per person
Local boat share: 15,000 VND/per person
Note that: the ticket can increase year by year
