The Côn Đảo ("Côn Island") are an archipelago of Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province, in the Southeast region of Vietnam, and also a district () of this province. Geography Situated about from Vũng Tàu and from Ho Chi Minh City, the group includes 16 mountainous islands and islets. The total land area reaches and the local population is about 5,000. The islands are composed of magmatic rocks of different ages. Hòn Bảy Cạnh, Hòn Cau and Hòn Bông Lang are composed of cretaceous microgranite rocks. The northern part of Côn Đảo Island is composed of quartz diorite and granite - granodiorite of late mesozoic- early cenozoic age, and is partially covered by quaternary marine sediments. The southern part of this island and Hòn Bà island are composed of the rhyolite and intrusive formations of unknown age. On the western slope of Côn Đảo Island, there exist groups of outcrops of diorite and microgranite penetrated by big quartz bands . The island group is served by Côn Đảo airport situated on the largest island in the archipelago, Côn Sơn Island. Côn Sơn airport has IATA airport code is VCS. Total size of Côn Đảo Airport is 3.792 square meter, with 1 runway has 1.830 meter. It can handle 400.000 passengers per year. Currently, Vietnam Airlines (Operated by VASCO), Bamboo Airways and Southern Service Flight Company are three airlines operating flights to the island. History On June 16, 1702, the English East India Company founded a settlement on Pulo Condore as an entrepôt for ships plying between India and China. Three years later, on 2 March 1705, the Bugis mercenaries hired by the Englishmen muntinied and murdered the agents, destroyed the factory, and expelled the remaining settlers. During the internecine wars for the Court of Huế, the Nguyen Prince Nguyễn Phúc Ánh ceded the islands to France in the Treaty of Versailles (1787) in return for military assistance. The treaty however was abrogated as France failed to provide the aid. It was only under conquest that the islands came under French control in 1861. During the French colonial era Côn Sơn Island was made infamous for its penal facilities and the notorious "tiger cages". Vietnamese and Cambodian nationalists and revolutionaries were sent here to serve their sentence for anti-French activities. Many Vietnamese Communist leaders were "schooled" on Côn Đảo Island as well. The French Indochinese government named the group of islands Poulo-Condore Islands,