About the route from Hanoi to Con Dao
Hanoi lies in the north and Con Dao far to the south, a small archipelago out in the sea beyond the Mekong Delta. Because Con Dao is an island with only a small airport and no road link, the only ways onto it are a flight or a ferry, and its airport connects to just a couple of mainland cities. That is why the trip from Hanoi to Con Dao usually needs a connection rather than one flight. There are three ways to do it: a direct flight when one is running, a connection through Ho Chi Minh City, or a flight into the Mekong Delta followed by a boat. Hanoi, where the journey starts, is the busy capital of the north, and our Hanoi travel guide covers it if you are still shaping your days there.
Con Dao is one of the quietest and most beautiful corners of the country, a group of islands ringed by empty beaches and clear water, with a national park of forest and reefs and a heavy history as a former prison colony. It is a place to slow right down, dive or swim, and take in the war-era sites, worlds away from the pace of Hanoi. It sees far fewer visitors than the mainland beaches, which is much of its appeal. Our Con Dao travel guide covers what is worth doing once you arrive.
Option 1: Direct flights from Hanoi to Con Dao
When one is running, a direct flight is easily the best way to reach the island. VietJet Air has flown non-stop between Hanoi and Con Dao, a trip of around 2 hours 15 minutes, at times up to twice a day. The key word is seasonal: these flights are published for certain stretches of the year and then disappear from the schedule, so a direct flight may or may not be bookable for your dates. It is worth checking VietJet first, before you assume you have to connect, because a non-stop saves hours over any other route. If nothing shows up for your travel dates, the two options below will get you there.
Option 2: Connecting through Ho Chi Minh City
With no direct flight, the standard way south is to fly to Ho Chi Minh City and continue from there. Flights from Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi to Tan Son Nhat Airport in Saigon leave almost every hour and take about two hours, on one of the busiest routes in the country. Once you land in Saigon, there are two ways to make the final leg out to Con Dao.
Onward by air
The simplest finish is a second flight, the short hop from Saigon down to Con Dao, which runs many times a day and takes about an hour. Booked as a single through-ticket with one airline, your bags go all the way and the transfer is easy. Booked separately, which is often cheaper, it is a self-transfer: you collect your bags in Saigon, check in again, and should leave a few hours’ gap, more so as Tan Son Nhat’s domestic flights are now split across terminals, including the new Terminal 3, so you may need to move between them.
Onward by ferry
The other option from Saigon is to reach the island by boat. High-speed ferries run to Con Dao from Vung Tau, about two hours from the city by road, and from the Mekong Delta further south. It is slower and more weather-dependent than the second flight, so most travelers only choose it if they would rather not fly the last leg, or want to see a stretch of the southern coast on the way. Our guide to the Hanoi to Con Dao ferry connections covers the crossings and ports.
Option 3: Via Can Tho and the Mekong Delta
If you want to see more of the south on the way, you can fly into the Mekong Delta and finish by boat, turning the trip into a journey in itself. It is far slower than flying straight through, but for anyone with the delta on their list, it is a rewarding way to arrive on the island.
Step 1: Fly to Can Tho
Start with a flight from Hanoi to Can Tho Airport, the main city of the Mekong Delta. This leg is a normal domestic flight of around two hours, and Can Tho airport sits close to the city, so you are quickly into the delta.
Step 2: Explore the Mekong Delta (optional)
If you have the time, Can Tho is worth a day or two before you carry on. From here you can catch the Cai Rang floating market at dawn, cycle the quiet lanes between the rice paddies, take a boat through the narrow canals, and stop at the fruit orchards along the water. It is the easy, rewarding side of the delta, and the main reason to route this way rather than fly direct.
Step 3: Continue to Con Dao
From the delta, a high-speed ferry runs out to Con Dao from Tran De near Soc Trang, a short drive from Can Tho, covered in our guide on the Con Dao ferry from Soc Trang. If you would rather not take the boat, Can Tho also has occasional direct flights to Con Dao, though these are limited, so the ferry is usually the more reliable finish.
Conclusion: what is the best option for Hanoi to Con Dao
Reaching Con Dao always comes down to flying at least part of the way, but the best route for Hanoi to Con Dao depends on your dates and plans.
Check for a direct flight first. VietJet runs seasonal non-stops between Hanoi and Con Dao, and when one is available it is by far the quickest way, at around 2 hours 15 minutes.
Otherwise connect through Ho Chi Minh City. Fly to Saigon and finish with either a short second flight to the island or, if you prefer, a high-speed ferry from the coast nearby.
Or go via Can Tho and the Mekong Delta. Fly into the delta, spend a couple of days there, and take the ferry across to Con Dao, well worth it if you want to see the south on the way.
For most travelers the answer is simple: look for a direct flight, and connect through Saigon by a second flight if there isn’t one.
