This was not my first time in Con Dao islands, in fact, I have been there in June 2019 and the weather sucked so that’s why I decided to visit this island once more. However, this time I chose a different route. Last time I went from Ho Chi Minh to Con Dao via Vung Tau, but there is another point on the mainland that has access to the archipelago. That place is Soc Trang. There are boats departing from Soc Trang to Con Dao on a daily basis and this was the route I have chosen this time.
Soc Trang is definitely closer to Con Dao islands than Vung Tau, even though it takes longer to reach by land because it is further from Saigon than Vung Tau. But, this way the ferry ticket is cheaper and the ferry journey faster, which is important because I would choose bus trips 1000 times over a longer boat ride. So, this was the route chosen from Ho Chi Minh to Con Dao.
Ho Chi Minh to Con Dao: Worst ferry rides ever
In case you don’t know let me tell you right ahead that ferries to access Vietnamese islands are some of the worst boat trips I have ever had to endure. I end up vomiting in almost all of them. I don’t know exactly why it is so different from Thailand, for instance, but the ferries are small. They bounce so much that it feels like a roller coaster, people shout and shake from side to side holding on to their seats as it feels like the boat is going to break in half several times. Crazy. I call it the vomit party as I have never in my life seen so many people puking at the same time. I can hear people vomiting all journey long. Some are louder than others… whatever. I thought there was no way to escape vomiting… but, I discovered a way not to.
So, on my way from Ho Chi Minh to Con Dao islands, I vomited 3 times in a row on the ferry and then it was all gone. On the way back to Soc Trang I thought I wouldn’t be able to escape the same fate. BUUUT, I decided to give a try to a technic. It wasn’t even 1 hour into the trip and I started to feel the symptoms. Very mild ones, but I know my body is preparing to vomit. I decided to try to breathe deeply sending signs to my body that everything was ok. I spent more than 1 hour counting my breath haha. YES, true fact. The first 30 min of the trip are just fine as well as the last 30 min. The boat journey lasts 2h30.
I spent almost all the time counting 4 deep breaths in and 4 out continuously. I didn’t stop counting, and I couldn’t, because the lady next to me kept on vomiting for 1h30. And if until this day I was lucky enough to not have a neighbor such as this one, this was the day I feared. She was super loud!!! OMG. I had to control myself big time, and counting my breaths was a miraculous solution. I kept 4 of the black plastic bags the staff handed to the passengers at the beginning of the ride because I was sure I would need them. She took all my 4 black plastic bags and the girls’ next to me. Insane the way she didn’t stop vomiting for so long OH MY. But I actually saw it coming because she was eating on the boat right before departure. I was thinking to myself: is she dumb or has an iron stomach that can deal with what is yet to come? Because everybody knows what happens on board these boats if they have made the same trip to access the Con Dao islands. Anyway, controlling my breath was much better than puking so yeah. On my next boat rides, I know the trick. Plus, there is nothing else that can be done on board. The boat shakes so much it is not possible to go outside or even walk, I wouldn’t dare risk it. Might as well “meditate” for a while… I was very proud of my accomplishment. I have no idea how some people don’t vomit on these boat trips to Vietnamese islands, but I found my way. Who’d tell that getting from Ho Chi Minh to Con Dao would be this tough… Oh and yes, I have taken pills for motion sickness and it didn’t work before so I didn’t try again. That trip was from Phan Thiet to Phu Quy, another vomit party haha.
From Ho Chi Minh to Soc Trang
So, how did I get from Ho Chi Minh to Con Dao Islands? Well, I have booked a bus from Ho Chi Minh to Soc Trang with Futa bus. The bus took approximately 5 hours to reach the destination and cost 195K. There are several buses daily. The journey is smooth as it is done on a sleeper bus, comfy. I always choose the window seat beforehand so I can enjoy the landscape outside that at parts is very beautiful.
The bus stops in the heart of Soc Trang city, the problem is that the city is far from the port. The port is about 1 hour away from Soc Trang city (30km) which is not convenient. There are also buses going directly from Ho Chi Minh to Soc De Port and most people choose this option. But I didn’t.
I slept 1 night in Soc Trang and the next morning I had to go to Soc De Port as I already had a ferry ticket with Superdong for 363.273 dongs 1 way. I didn’t know how would I get from Soc Trang to Soc De Port so I asked for help at my hotel but their English was 0. All they could suggest was a taxi but I’m solo and I wouldn’t pay for a 1h taxi drive anywhere!!! I think they don’t get it.
From Soc Trang to Soc De Port
When I bought the boat ticket at Superdong, I asked them if they had a shuttle bus from Soc Trang to the port, so at least I knew I had this option, I would just have to wake up very early.
In the morning, I went to the Superdong office in Soc Trang City which opens at 6 am. At 6 am I was already there, I couldn’t face the chance of missing this shuttle bus trip haha. The bus departs from the Superdong office at 6.20 am and not at 6 am as I was told before. It’s ok.
I was lucky to find a man at the hotel leaving at the same time as me who offered me a ride to go to the Superdong office which was still 5 min away by car. It was pure luck to find this man. I shouldn’t have booked a room this far from the bus station… Otherwise, I could have simply walked to the Superdong office. Anyway, luck after luck I was on my way to Soc De Port on board this bus where I was the only passenger, and cost me 60K dong. I was very surprised to be the only person using this service… maybe because it is a week day? Not sure but this is definitely not profitable for the company. The bus ride was beautiful though. The bus crosses countless rice fields, a huge area of rice fields till the eye can see no more, lined with some occasional coconut trees. What a beautiful street to ride on. At Soc De Port, I boarded the ferry to Con Dao at 8 am.
From Con Dao to Soc Trang
To come back from Con Dao to Soc Trang I had information already gathered just in case. I asked the Superdong staff if there was the same shuttle bus running and they said yes. Ok. Noted.
But, things were different once I came back from Con Dao islands. I went to the Superdong office at Soc De Port to buy my bus ticket and surprisingly they told me there were no more buses!!! What do you mean there are no more buses are you kidding me??? The last bus departed at 3.30 pm he said- dude are you trying to convince me that a bus left here without the passengers that arrived on the only ferry that will be coming here today? Bullshit. I’m sure they don’t have any clients buying their bus tickets so they simply don’t run it. I was so pissed. There is nothing at the port!!! How am I supposed to go back to Soc Trang??? TAXI- their solution is always a taxi… don’t you see I’m alone! That’d cost a fortune!!! NO WAY!!
I headed up to the crowd as I couldn’t be left behind I needed to find a solution among all the passengers that just arrived. No one seems very willing to help. I asked a few people. Taxi was always the answer. C’mon, there must be some of these vans or even a bus going to Soc Trang besides the bus going directly from Ho Chi Minh to Con Dao… Where are all these people going to??
I was, again, lucky to find a helping soul. There was this Vietnamese guy who spoke good English and helped me to find a solution. If not him, I don’t know how would have I managed this situation…
There was this bus going from the Soc De Port to Ho Chi Minh directly, but they would pass in Soc Trang along the way. I wouldn’t mind sitting on the floor for 1 hour as long as I have a means of transport I don’t care! We headed to Minh Duy’s office just near the port to buy a ticket to Soc Trang that cost 70K. I was the only one who would stay in Soc Trang and everybody else seemed very confused about it.
It was a sleeper bus heading to Ho Chi Minh and I said I didn’t mind sitting on the floor really, but still, one of the guys was willing to offer me his seat until my destination. How generous, but I refused, my problem I face the consequences, you don’t have to be uncomfortable because I came in last minute. But it wasn’t necessary. There was actually a spare seat and I could enjoy a comfy ride back to Soc Trang. Thank GOD. The direct bus from Ho Chi Minh to Con Dao Island should be a better option. You sleep on board and in the morning you are at Soc De Port.
Not sure if going to Soc Trang is the best option for a solo traveler to go from Ho Chi Minh to Con Dao islands, honestly. You might face some trouble like I did, but as you just read, there is always a solution… what a journey haha. Going directly from Ho Chi Minh to Soc De Port might be the best option. I went to Soc Trang because I wanted to explore the city for 1 day.
The ferry departs from Soc De Port at 8 am and reaches Con Dao at about 10.30 am, not that far from the busy center. There is another company called Phu Quoc Ferry that docks way further from the city so Superdong was more convenient. It is also cheaper than Phu Quoc Ferry. And this is how to get from Ho Chi Minh to Con Dao.
