Côn Đảo Prison
Côn Đảo Prison (Vietnamese: Nhà tù Côn Đảo), also Côn Sơn Prison, is a prison on Côn Sơn Island (also known as Côn Lôn) the largest island of the Côn Đảo archipelago in southern Vietnam (today it is in Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province. The prison was built in 1861 by the French colonists to jail those considered especially dangerous to the colonial government. Many of the high-ranking leaders of Vietnam were detained here. It is ranked a special historical relic of national importance by the government of Vietnam. The most famous site in this prison are the "tiger cages" (chuồng cọp). The French tiger cages cover an area of 5.475 m2, within which each cell occupies 1.408 m2, solariums occupy 1.873 m2, and other spaces occupy 2.194 m2. The prison includes 120 cells. The prison was closed after the end of the Vietnam War and opened for visitors soon after.
History
French era
In 1861, the French colonial government established a prison on the island to house prisoners who had committed especially severe crimes. After the turn of the century, the prison held an increasingly larger population of
Võ Thị Sáu was executed at the prison in 1952 (though she was imprisoned at the police post outside of the prison).[4] Not far from the prison is Hàng Dương Cemetery, where some of the prisoners who died between 1941 and 1975 were buried.
Vietnam War
During the
Tiger Cage
Tiger Cage is the name of the prison constructed by the French. The Republic of Vietnam took control of the cage in order to detain Viet Minh political prisoners, the Liberation Army of South Vietnam and people who fought against France and America during the war era.
French-made Tiger Cage
- Construction year: 1940
- Total area: 5.475 m2
- Each cell's area: 1.408 m2
- "Sunbathe" cell's area: 1.873 m2
- Empty space: 2.194 m²
- This cage consists of: 120 solitary confinement room (Divided into 2 regions, each regions has 60 cells)
- Basic characteristic: The top of each cells installed an iron grid and has a border between two regions which is a road for wardens.
- Besides, 60 cells have no ceiling, and are called "sunbathe" cells which are used to torture prisoners by making them "sunbathe" themselves.
Notes
- Citations
- ^ "Turning prison to school". baoquangnam.vn. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ Kelley, p 5-116
- ^ Nguyễn An Ninh (Version anglaise) https://www.vietnammonpaysnatal.fr/nguyen-ninh-version-anglaise/
- ISBN 9786045803295.
- ^ "The Tiger Cages of Con Son". LIFE Magazine. 17 July 1970.
- References used
- Kelley, Michael P. (2002). Where We Were in Vietnam. Hellgate Press, Central Point, Oregon. ISBN 978-1-55571-625-7.
External links
- Trang tin tức Côn Đảo - Du lịch Côn Đảo - Lịch sử Côn Đảo
- Giới thiệu Côn Đảo
- Di tích lịch sử - Nhà tù Côn Đảo
- Khái quát địa lý nhân văn Côn Đảo
- Kì 1 Archived 1 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine: Bất khuất
- Kì 2 Archived 26 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine: Một người đổ máu, trăm người rơi nước mắt
- Kì 3 Archived 26 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine: Những cuộc đào thoát
- Kì 4 Archived 26 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine: Ngày giải phóng
- Kì 5 Archived 27 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine: Ở lại với Côn Đảo
- The Tiger Cages of Con Son