For 113 years, the island housed Vietnam's cruelest prison system, built by France in 1862 and then ruled by the U.S. military until the reunification of Vietnam in 1975 and the prison has been closed ever since. The prison system in Con Dao includes: Phu Hai Camp, Phu Son Camp, Phu Tho Camp, Phu Tuong Camp, Tiger Cage Isolation Area, Cow Barn, Phu An Camp, Phu Phong Camp and Phu Hung Camp with 127 cells, 44 cells and 504 isolated cells.
Today, the prisons have become historical relics, which are the main attractions of tourists when visiting Con Dao. .
Phu Hai Camp It is the oldest prison consisting of 33 cells divided into two rows facing each other. In addition, at Phu Hai camp, there is also an infirmary, cafeteria, kitchen built to cover up the crimes of the invading colonialists. When visiting Phu Hai prison, you better understand the resilient will and national pride of our ancestors in ancient times. At first, Phu Hai prison was designed with 3 ranges, later expanded with 2 female rooms to supplement prisoners when overcrowded. The rooftops at Phu Hai camp have rows of barbed wire that make it impossible for prisoners to escape.
Located next to Phu Hai camp is Phu Son Detention Center built on a larger scale and more fortified with more forms of cruel torture.
Phu Tuong Camp is the tiger enclosure that the French colonialists built to fill our patriotic soldiers. With an area of 1,475m2 camp including 120 isolated cells with extremely brutal and brutal torture scenes reproduced.
Cowshed with 9 separate cells, 2 enclosures, cow dung storage area, pig storage. At this prison, there are brutal forms of torture such as starving thirst, shackling the legs, bracing bamboo sticks to the legs, immersing in the underground drain of cow dung to die slowly.
Tiger Cage Isolated Area, also known as Phu Binh camp includes 40 barns for each separate zone. This is a place where female prisoners are kept with extremely barbaric and cruel forms of torture such as making loud sounds that make prisoners have headaches and get sick.
Today, Con Dao has become a major Revolutionary historical site, where revolutionary traditions are educated for present and future generations. They always come here to listen to the heroic history of this land.
Photo: Vietnam Net
Article: Diep Huang