Con Dao Island Specialty
Con Dao is one of the few places in Vietnam that is home to rare dugong, sea turtles, and dolphins, and to varieties of orchids found nowhere else in the country. In addition, the island has large and diverse coral reefs comparable to the most famous ecotourism spots in the region. Visitors will arrive there to enjoy themselves in an intact natural environment and have a good time with dugong, sea turtles and dolphins playing freely around the island paradise.
Con Dao Island Climate and Condition
Tropical monsoonal climate with a pronounced maritime influence. The average annual rainfall is 2,200 mm (range 1,340-2,730 mm). Over 87% of the precipitation occurs during the rainy season from May to November, the rainfall reaching its peak in October. The dry season lasts from December to April. The mean annual temperature is 26°C; May has the maximum mean monthly temperature (28.3°C) and January the minimum (25.3°C). The absolute maximum and minimum temperatures recorded are 36.0°C and 18.4°C, respectively. The average humidity is 80%; the humidity remains high throughout the year, the minimum mean monthly humidity being 78% in January. The prevailing winds are westerly during the rainy season and easterly or east-northeasterly during the dry season. Strong winds are frequent in January and February. The mean annual evaporation is 1,033 mm.
Con Dao Island Economic and Social Value
The waters around Con Dao islands support an important fishery, producing finfish, shrimps and molluscs not only for local people but also for the markets in Vung Tai and Ho Chi Minh City. With their spectacular scenery and diverse fauna and flora, the islands have considerable potential for both domestic and international tourism. The development of tourism should be given high priority, since it would generate income to improve the standard of living of the government employees on the islands and thereby reduce the need for exploitation of the islands' limited natural resources.
Con Dao Island Principal Vegetation
Some 361 species of plants have been recorded in the archipelago. The vegetation of the Con Dao islands is similar in composition to that of comparable areas on the mainland. However, because of the great diversity in topography and micro-climate, the islands possess a wide range of forest types in a very small area. These include mangrove forest with species of Avicennia and Rhizophora on the coast, Melaleuca forest on sulphate soils in sand dune areas behind the mangrove forest, lowland moist tropical forest with species of Dipterocarpus and many other plant species typical of south and central Vietnam, and a forest type dominated by Chukrasia tabutalis, which otherwise occurs only in the north-central and northern parts of the country. On sheltered slopes with a deep layer of humus, the forest grows to a considerable height and often contains two or three strata, whereas on exposed slopes, the trees are stunted and the canopy is very dense and even. As a result of 100 years of exploitation, the forests are now much degraded. Recent figures give the total area of forest as 6,324 ha, representing 87.8% of the whole area of the archipelago. This includes 2,096 ha of poor forest, 916 ha of secondary forest, 675 ha of montane forest, 2,331 ha of shrubs and young trees, 161 ha of forestry plantations and 17 ha of mangrove and Melaleuca forest. |
