U.S. magazine Vogue has named the 16-island archipelago Con Dao a hidden and dreamy destination to explore. The magazine has also included the place in a list of nine best paradise islands in the world to escape to this year.

The archipelago was once dubbed “Hell on Earth”, home to a brutal prison during the 19th and 20th centuries. Decades after those wars, a peaceful Con Dao is a Vietnamese island heaven, Vogue says.

It says Con Dao has pristine beauty, mostly unspoiled beaches, forests and turquoise waters, and a strictly-protected national park, home to intact ecosystem.

This is not the first time that Vietnam’s prison island has been highlighted by prestigious publications.

In 2017, CNN praised it as one of 12 paradise islands in Asia, while the U.S. magazine Time included Con Dao on a list of the 13 places around the world where travelers will be amazed by the blueness of the water.-VNA