Life in a cosmopolitan city like Ho Chi Minh City passes before you can blink your eyes. Life is fast, sometimes unforgiving, and there is always something waiting for your attention.
Perhaps that is why, every now and then, we start looking for a calm and peaceful place where we can have some time for ourselves, far away from the chaos and mystery of everyday life.
And luckily, Vietnam has plenty of such places.
Just around a 40-minute flight from Ho Chi Minh City, there is an island that takes you a little closer to nature, the sound of waves, and perhaps, yourself.
Yes. You are right.
I am talking about one of the few pristine islands in Vietnam that hasn’t been completely commercialised like Phú Quốc, and isn’t quite as difficult to reach as Phú Quý.
You guessed it without any doubt — Côn Đảo.
The same island that was once used by the French and later the Americans for prison camps. Today, the Vietnamese Government has taken significant steps to preserve and develop the island, and Côn Đảo has slowly transformed into something that feels almost like heaven just off the mainland.
My main story on Côn Đảo is scheduled for 30 August 2026.
But before that, I wanted to talk about the place where my fiancée and I stayed for one night.
Because honestly, one night wasn’t enough. It deserved at least three.
Orson Hotel & Resort Côn Đảo
Orson Resort is a little away from everything.
And I mean that in the best possible way.
It is around 25 kilometres from the airport and approximately 10 kilometres from the town centre. So no, you don’t exactly step outside the resort and find yourself surrounded by restaurants, cafés and shops.
But then again, that’s not why you come to Côn Đảo.
You come here to get away from all of that.
The property itself is pristine, peaceful and, in my opinion, one of the nicest places to stay on the island.
The staff are more than courteous. They are warm, attentive and genuinely pleasant to interact with.
The food is amazing.
The pool is lively.
And the surroundings are exactly what you would expect from an island where the biggest attraction is simply being there.
But the real story begins around 6 PM.
That’s when the resort’s BBQ evening starts.
You can have some fantastic grilled meat, sit back, enjoy the evening and, once you’re done eating, simply walk towards the resort’s private beach.
No rush.
No traffic.
No notifications demanding your attention.
Just the sea, the waves and a little bit of peace.
And perhaps that’s what I liked most about Orson.
It doesn’t try to turn Côn Đảo into something it isn’t.
It lets the island remain the star.
We stayed there for only one night, but by the time we left, I was already thinking:
“Why didn’t we book three?”
So, if you’re planning a trip to Côn Đảo and looking for a place where you can genuinely slow down, Orson deserves a place on your list.
Not because it is the biggest resort.
Not because it is the most luxurious.
But because sometimes, the best thing a resort can offer is simply the chance to stop for a while.
And Orson does that rather well.