WISH YOU WERE HERE
98 TRAVEL+LEISURE | APRIL / MAY 2020
A CHILL DAY AT THE BEACH is something we could all use every now and again—just
ask this fashionable sand lover on the shores of Con Son. In the distance is Bay Canh
Island, a prime turtle-nesting area in the Con Dao chain of islands off the south coast of
Vietnam. Some of the country’s most diverse marine life is found in these waters, where
protected rainforest meets a string of vibrant reefs. Besides sea turtles, you might find
yourself swimming with manta rays, dolphins and the occasional whale shark. Such
natural freedom one would never have equated with this place for a century: until 1975,
Con Son was synonymous with its brutal prison complex run by the French then South
Vietnamese. Ghosts may linger, but these are happier shores today. — LEIGH GRIFFITHS