Our Lady's Grotto

A small rock grotto on Chua Mountain, Con Dao, holding a statue of the Virgin Mary, on a trekking trail through primeval forest

Hang Duc Me (Our Lady's Grotto) is a small rock grotto on Chua Mountain, in the forest of Con Dao National Park, about 3 km west of the town centre. The French found the grotto and chose it as the place to set up a statue of the Virgin Mary, coming here to pray during their years on the island. The walk to the grotto is the most rewarding part of the experience. From central Con Dao, follow Vo Thi Sau Street, then turn onto a small path to start climbing through the forest. Along the way you can stop to learn about the Ma Thien Lanh Bridge relic; from there, follow the signs for about 15 minutes up stone steps under the cool forest canopy to reach the grotto. If you can, set off before sunrise to hear the forest birds as day breaks. From the grotto there are two onward routes. One crosses the tropical rainforest for about 30 minutes to Ong Dung Beach, a small cove on Con Son Island; along the way are interpretive signs on the forest's biodiversity. The other follows stone steps for about 20 minutes to Dat Tham – Bai Bang beach. Our Lady's Grotto lies on two of Con Dao's eco-tourism routes: Ma Thien Lanh – Hang Duc Me – Ong Dung and Ma Thien Lanh – Hang Duc Me – Dat Tham – Bai Bang. In front of the grotto there is still a marker engraved in French, "Grotte de N.D.L.". The grotto belongs to Con Dao National Park and is not covered by the relic-sites ticket; the scenic-site entrance fee is paid at the Park's management office.

English text: machine translation from the Localis platform — proper names kept in Vietnamese.