I had the opportunity to travel to Côn Đảo Islands in April of 2016, to Côn Sơn Island (the largest in the Con Dao Islands Archipelago of Vietnam) with Saigon-based travel writer Dave Fox (http://www.globejotting.com). The result of our initial travel to Côn Đảo is Part One of this mini-documentary. We learned that Côn Đảo is much more than a tropical island destination; it is a place of both great horror and unique beauty. Since leaving Con Dao, we have spoken with several people intimately involved with this story. We will be telling their stories soon as well.
As Dave Fox writes,
“We didn’t understand the full scope of the story we were seeking until we arrived.
On our last day on Côn Sơn, Jeff and I walked to the end of a short pier known as Pier 914, so named because 914 political prisoners died there, worked to death while constructing it. Jeff did a short interview with me about our time there and has produced this short video about what we experienced.
This video does not tell the whole story of Côn Đảo. We will return later this year to dig deeper into this serene place in the South China Sea (or the East Sea, as Vietnam calls it), which on one level reeks of humanity at its worst, but which also shows how society can bounce back from its horrors and once again find beauty.”
Visit Dave’s website to read the three-part series on this fascinating island: http://www.globejotting.com
Shot with:
Sony a7Sii
Sony Zeiss 55mm f1.8
Sony 18-200mm f3.5
Pentax Super-Takumar 55mm f2
Rokinon 14mm
LE Stills under the credits:
Canon 60D
Underwater footage:
GoPro Hero 4
Ikelite 2601 tray with Phantom LED torches
…and I think there’s one shot from an iPhone 5s.
Special thanks to:
Truong Ai Van, Con Dao Travel
Larry Bernier, Dive! Dive! Dive! Con Dao
http://www.dive-condao.com
Music:
“Lady Saigon” by Darren Leigh Purkiss
© Audio Network PLC, Used with permission
“Lightless Dawn” and “Eastern Thought”
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/…)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-…
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
“Coasting” by Numsi
Provided by Pond5.com, Used with permission
