Two main routes carry foreigners to Con Dao by sea in 2026, plus a direct boat from Ho Chi Minh City. The Vung Tau boat belongs to Phu Quoc Express and is sold as Con Dao Express, and the shorter Tran De crossing from Soc Trang is run by Superdong and Phu Quoc Express. The Vung Tau economy seat costs $30 (790,000 VND) from Monday to Thursday and $36 (950,000 VND) from Friday to Sunday. Tran De costs about $12 to $17 depending on the operator and takes 2 to 2.5 hours.
I did not ride either boat for this guide, so every figure comes from a March 2026 Tuoi Tre report, an independent travel guide and ticket resellers, including one that is an official partner of Phu Quoc Express, and I mark the numbers where sources disagree. The boarding checks are the part that can cost you a whole fare, so they get their own section.
How often does the Vung Tau ferry run?
Boats leave Vung Tau at 07:30 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The return sails from Con Dao at 13:00 on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and Monday has no sailing. The Thang Long catamaran seats 1,017 passengers, and the crossing takes about 3.5 to 4 hours depending on the sea.
From 15 April to 15 June 2026 the same ship ran 12 trips a week with promotional fares, and that extra frequency has ended. A reseller timetable dated 2 October 2026 still shows three weekly departures from Vung Tau, which is the best current signal I found. The boat leaves from Cau Da port on Vung Tau’s Front Beach, and the Con Dao Express ticket office sits inside the main entrance. Treat the Sunday return as the last safe one for anything you must do on the mainland on Monday, since a missed Sunday boat leaves the next return on Wednesday.
How much does the Con Dao ferry cost?
An adult economy seat on the Vung Tau boat costs $30 (790,000 VND) from Monday to Thursday and $36 (950,000 VND) on Fridays, weekends and public holidays. VIP seats on the lower deck run roughly $38 to $46 depending on the source.
| Route and seat | Monday to Thursday | Friday to Sunday and holidays |
|---|---|---|
| Vung Tau, economy adult | $30 (790,000 VND) | $36 (950,000 VND) |
| Vung Tau, child 6 to 11 | $24 (630,000 VND) | $29 (760,000 VND) |
| Tran De, economy, Phu Quoc Express | $15 (390,000 VND) | $17 (450,000 VND) |
| Tran De, economy, Superdong | $12 to $14 (310,000 to 370,000 VND) | No weekend split found |
Add the Ben Dam port fee of about $0.70 (18,000 VND) per person per trip, which the ticket does not include. Phu Quoc Express also sells a Tran De VIP seat at about $22.
Prices drift between sources: one ferry-booking site lists Tran De lower than the table, and the Vung Tau VIP seat appears at several different amounts. Confirm the final price on the Phu Quoc Express booking portal or the Superdong portal before you pay.
Is the Tran De crossing from Soc Trang cheaper?
Yes. Economy seats cost $15 to $17 on Phu Quoc Express and about $12 to $14 on Superdong, and the sea leg takes 2 to 2.5 hours depending on the vessel. Both operators sail from their own terminals at Tran De port, roughly 35 km east of Soc Trang city. Check which operator’s terminal your ticket names before the taxi leaves Soc Trang city, because a driver who drops you at the other company’s gate costs you time you do not have.
Superdong sails in the morning, at about 08:00 to 08:30, and returns from Con Dao at about 13:00 on its 306-seat monohull. Phu Quoc Express times differ between sources, so I do not quote one. An older independent guide describes at least one sailing a day from April to September and a few a week from October to March, which fits the weather pattern below. A Superdong shuttle bus from its Soc Trang city office takes about 40 minutes and costs roughly $1.50 to $1.90.
What does a foreigner need to board the Con Dao ferry?
A foreigner needs the original passport with a valid visa or visa exemption, and the name on the ticket must match it. Staff check the passport at boarding, so a photo on your phone is not enough. Arrive at least 45 minutes before departure, because the gate usually closes 15 minutes before the boat leaves.
This is where trips fall apart. The ferry is a domestic trip, so it does not reset your permitted stay, and a visa that ends while you are on the island gives staff grounds to refuse boarding on the way back. Cancelling at least 24 hours ahead costs 30% of the fare and anything later refunds nothing, so a visa problem at the pier loses the whole fare. If your 90-day e‑visa ends within days of the trip, you can apply for a new one yourself on evisa.gov.vn, although a new e‑visa only starts from your next entry and the portal rejects many foreign cards at the payment step. At BestBus Vietnam I pay the government fee with a card the portal accepts and set the entry point for your route, so a lapsed visa does not decide your sailing. Message me on WhatsApp with the date your stay ends and I will tell you what fits around the sailing.
Book online through the operator portals, through a reseller, or at the ticket offices in Cau Da, Tran De and Con Son. Reserve a few days to a week ahead, and earlier around holidays, when seats can sell out. Each passenger carries 20 kg of baggage free, and excess weight is charged at the pier.
How do you get from Ho Chi Minh City to the ferry port?
The road from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau takes about 2 hours, but the boat leaves at 07:30, so most travellers sleep in Vung Tau the night before. I treat that hotel night as part of the ticket price when comparing the boat with a flight, because it narrows the gap more than the fare table suggests. The only same-day option is leaving Saigon around 04:30. For Tran De, a sleeper bus from Mien Tay bus station to Soc Trang city takes about 6 hours and costs about $7 to $8.
Plan a night in Soc Trang or Tran De unless you catch an early bus. Two direct boats also start in Ho Chi Minh City. One reseller lists a direct boat from Hiep Phuoc port in Nha Be at 07:00 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, taking about 5 hours from $33, so check the live schedule. Phu Quy Express runs from Nha Rong port in District 4 in 6 to 7 hours, at a reported $38 to $41 for a seat in 2025.
Where does the ferry land on Con Dao?
Every mainland ferry docks at Ben Dam port in the south-west of Con Son island, about 12 to 15 km from Con Son town. The Vung Tau boat does not use the newer Ben Tau Khach port in town. A taxi, motorbike taxi or buggy into town costs roughly $4 to $11 (100,000 to 300,000 VND) according to one source, so agree the price before you get in.
When is the sea too rough for the Con Dao ferry?
The sea is roughest from October or November to February or March, when the northeast monsoon pushes waves into the route, and calmest from April to September. In the rough months ferries change their times or cancel for days or weeks, and reports say the Vung Tau boat often does not sail at all.
I found no published winter timetable for 2026 to 2027, so I would not book a non-refundable onward flight for the day after a rough-season crossing. Refund rules differ. One booking site promises a full refund or a free transfer when weather cancels a Tran De sailing, while the reseller pages I read state only the 30% change fee, so ask before you pay. Phu Quoc sits on a different sea with its own cancellation pattern, which I cover in Phu Quoc ferry cancellations.
Is flying to Con Dao worth the extra cost?
Mostly in the rough months or when time matters: one reseller puts fares at about $68 to $95 one way, and they move with the date, against the Vung Tau boat fare. The flight takes about 1 hour 15 minutes from Tan Son Nhat Airport on VASCO, the Vietnam Airlines group carrier, with 10 to 22 flights a day. Con Dao airport is 13 km from town, 20 to 30 minutes by road.
I could not confirm Vietjet or Bamboo Airways on this route in 2026, so check Vietnam Airlines before planning around anyone else. Flights also sell out on weekends and holidays, the same days the boat charges its higher fare.
Which Con Dao ferry should you book?
Pick the Tran De crossing from April to September if you can reach Soc Trang the day before, since it is the cheapest and shortest way over. Take the Vung Tau boat when you start from Ho Chi Minh City and can live with the 07:30 departure, or the direct boat from Nha Be if you want no hotel night. Fly in the rough months from October to March.
Whatever you choose, carry your original passport and a visa that outlasts the trip. You can book every ferry above yourself with the operator portals and a passport scan. If you would rather not track visa dates around a sailing that refunds nothing late, send me your trip dates and the route you want and I will price the options for your dates.
