The Hoi An Centre for Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation in Quang Nam Province launched the “Hoi An Prison” gallery on December 21 to introduce visitors to the prison relic in combination with educating younger generations on the nation’s traditions.
At the launch ceremony for the gallery
Hoi An Prison, commonly known as Xom Moi Prison or Quang Nam Correctional Centre, was built by the US imperialists in 1960 to detain Vietnamese cadres, soldiers and compatriots in Quang Nam and other provinces during the national revolution.
The maximum capacity of the cells totals about 500 people, but the actual number of prisoners was more than 1,000 people, consisting of many different groups and ages, including the elderly and children.
This relic was recognised by the People's Committee of Quang Nam Province as a provincial relic on February 8, 2007.
The restoration project commenced in 2012 on the basis of thousands of pages of collected documents and hundreds of opinion votes.
“Hoi An Prison” gallery received 62 artifacts from former prisoners, 3,390 resumes and many other art works. This place will be a space to display documents and artifacts, contributing to enriching the forms of tourism in Hoi An.