The Con Dao Special Zone—an island district of Ho Chi Minh City—is home to the sacred resting place of nearly 20,000 revolutionary soldiers and patriots. Beyond its administrative status, Con Dao has long been regarded as a spiritual sanctuary, a place of national remembrance where generations come to honor the heroes who sacrificed their lives for Vietnam. Every July, tens of thousands of visitors travel to the island to pay tribute, making the concept of a dedicated “Con Dao Day” increasingly meaningful and realistic.
Each July, demand for travel to Con Dao rises sharply, leading airlines and ferry operators to increase their schedules. Government agencies, youth unions, schools, and military units organize trips for commemoration and tradition-building activities. Most journeys lead to the Hàng Dương Cemetery—one of the nation’s most sacred historical sites—along with the former prison complexes, the Con Dao Temple, the memorial of Vo Thi Sau, and the graves of many notable revolutionaries such as Nguyễn An Ninh, Lê Hồng Phong, and Cao Văn Ngọc.
During more than a century of operation, the Con Dao prison system claimed the lives of around 20,000 detainees, most of whom were resistance fighters. Among them, Vo Thi Sau, a young guerrilla fighter from Ba Ria–Vung Tau, became an immortal symbol of courage and youthful patriotism. Islanders believe her spirit remains on Con Dao, eternally protecting this sacred land.
For decades, former Con Dao prisoners expressed the wish to establish a common memorial day for all martyrs—an idea born from the painful reality that countless individuals died nameless, their remains lost to the earth, the sea, or the harsh prison labor. Beyond Hàng Dương Cemetery with its organized rows of graves, the former Hàng Keo Cemetery and the 914 Pier area remain collective resting places for thousands whose identities were never recovered. These scars have made Con Dao known worldwide as an island of sacrifice and remembrance.
What is especially moving today is the devotion of the island’s residents—people who live peacefully on what was once “hell on earth.” They proudly consider themselves guardians of the martyrs’ spirits. Many families maintain altars dedicated to Vo Thi Sau, and each year they hold memorial services for revolutionaries such as Vo Thi Sau, Nguyen An Ninh, and Le Van Viet. Since 2012, former political prisoners have designated the 20th day of the sixth lunar month as the annual Common Memorial Day for all Con Dao martyrs.
This date aligns closely with Vietnam’s War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27), giving it even deeper national significance. It also forms a natural foundation for establishing a broader, more official “Con Dao Day”—a day for the entire country to look toward the island with gratitude and remembrance.
Spiritual tourism has grown rapidly in recent years. A unique feature of Con Dao is that most visitors, on their very first night, head to Hàng Dương Cemetery at midnight—when candles glow softly and incense smoke fills the air. What began as a local practice has become a powerful cultural identity of the island, adding to its emotional appeal.
From these living traditions, the idea of “Con Dao Day” emerges naturally. Young people, civil servants, soldiers, and citizens alike wish to travel to Con Dao each July to honor the fallen. For many, this journey is not merely tourism but a heartfelt pilgrimage of remembrance—one that strengthens national pride and the spirit of “drinking water, remembering the source.”
