Tiger cages in Con Dao Prison (Photo: The Hung)

Built in 1862, Con Dao prison was used to detain revolutionary soldiers. It consisted of a number of camps, including Phu Hai, Phu Son, Phu Tho, and Phu Tuong. The most brutal conditions were in the “tiger cages”, where prisoners were stripped naked, sprinkled with lime, doused with cold water, starved, and beaten.

Yet even under such inhumane conditions, the revolutionary spirit was kept alive among the inmates. The prison forged unyielding willpower and fanned revolutionary fervor. 

Le Anh Tuyet, a guide at Con Dao prison, tells visitors, “Here’s why it’s called a ‘tiger cage’: the cell is no different from a cage for wild beasts. The torture here made prisoners feel the thin line between life and death. Repeatedly their torturers would revive them and demand that they choose: renounce their ideals and live – or defend them and die. There were many prisoners who chose to die for the revolution. But what was even harder was living and clinging to their ideals despite the enemy’s infliction of torment.”

The French colonial authorities choose Con Dao island to build a prison because it is far from the mainland, making escape impossible for prisoners. (Photo: The Hung/VOV5)

No one laughs or talks while looking at the tiger cages. Silence fills the air. Phan Thi Vinh, a visitor from Nghe An province, told VOV, “I read books and watched documentaries, but seeing the tiger cages and the dark cells with my own eyes made something tighten in my chest. I now better understand the value of independence and freedom, and feel deep gratitude to the heroes and martyrs who sacrificed their lives here.”

“I deeply admire the fighting spirit and courage of the soldiers detained here. Even under such miserable conditions, they still upheld their political conviction and unwavering will to fight for independence,” said Vu Thi Tham, a war veteran. 

Con Dao prison preserves brutal traces of colonial and imperial oppression and honors the indomitable spirit of the communist revolutionaries. Every iron bar is a witness. Every worn wall tells a story. You can read history in a book, but to feel history, you must stand here, in what was once called “hell on earth.”

“About 500 prisoners were held in the tiger cages. They were sprinkled with lime, doused with water, shackled, and beaten. Among them were the elderly, students, monks, women, and many others,” according to tour guide Le Anh Tuyet.

Con Dao Prison is now a historical relic site and a popular tourist attraction. (Photo: Luu Son/VOV-Ho Chi Minh City)

For many young people, visiting Con Dao Prison evokes indescribable emotions. Anh Vu from Hanoi said: “Coming here you can feel the immense sacrifices of our predecessors. Under the harshest, most inhumane torture, they maintained a strong, unyielding will to fight. I deeply admire them.”

Con Dao Prison was named a special national relic, not for its architecture, but for the memories it holds.

The Hung