Vietnam Day 6. Con Dao Island Prison
Con Dao Island Prison, Vietnam. Copyright www.thomaspickard.com
This is what the NY Times has to say about the prison on Con Dao Island:
For 113 years, this island was home to one of the country’s harshest prison systems, established by French colonists in 1862 and later ruled by South Vietnamese and American forces until Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese in 1975, at which point the prisons were closed.
These days, officials on government-sponsored group tours make pilgrimages to the crumbling stone prisons, which have been turned into museums that depict the suffering endured by their comrades.
Visiting the prison complex was a real highlight of our trip to the Con Dao Islands. Despite the few white tourists who visit, we still managed to be escorted around the prison by a prison museum translator, which was superb. It is hard to believe that such hardship and misery existed for so long, given how beautiful a setting the Con Dao Islands are.
Related Posts:
Vietnam Day 5. Con Dao Island Tea Stop.
Vietnam Day 4. Con Dao Islands
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