Con Dao Island

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Con Dao
vietnam
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A
rriving on a Vietnamese Airlines flight to Con Dao or Grande-Condore as it was known during
the times of French Indochina. Marco Polo mentioned the island in the description of his 1292
voyage from China to India under the name Sondur and Condur. In 1702, the English East India
Company founded a settlement on this island and called it Pulou Condore.
every picture tells a story
every picture tells a story

S
ituated about 185 km from Vũng Tàu
and 230 km from Ho Chi Minh City, the
group includes 16 mountainous islands and
islets. The total land area reaches 75.15
km2 and the local population is about
5,000.
every picture tells a story
every picture tells a story

V
o Thi Sau (1935-1952), real name Nguyen Thi
Sau, was a 17 year old heroine and patriot
executed by French firing squad, March 13, 1952,
just seven years after metropolitan France had
been liberated from Nazi occupation. She was
arrested in 1950, aged 15 years, for throwing a
hand grenade in the market at Dat Do which killed
three French soldiers. She was sent to Con Dao
Prison island where she was executed by the
occupying forces. Vo Thi Sau was posthumously
awarded the title Hero of the People’s Armed
Forces. 60 years later, her immortal patriotism
and glorious sacrifice still shine in the heart of
every Vietnamese person, particularly those who
live on Con Dao island, once called “hell on the
earth”.
every picture tells a story
every picture tells a story

P
hu Hai Prison, ‘Under the French era, Phu Hai prison was originally called Bagne (Prison) 1,
which was built in 1863. It was the largest and oldest prison, including 10 collective rooms, 20
cells, one chapel and a house for torture.’
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C
ôn Sơn is the location of a former prison complex established in 1862 by the French colonisers who used it as a brutal labour camp
and political prison. The prisons include the infamous “Tiger Cages” where some of Vietnam’s current leaders were held captive until
the fall of South Vietnam in 1975. The French ruled Con Dao for 92 years (1862-1954). Then, they handed over Con Dao Prison to Saigon
in 1955. Thousands of patriotic and communist soldiers were tortured until 1970, when this ‘hell on earth’ was revealed and shocked the
world with its gruesome tortures.
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Sunset along the waterfront in Con Son, the main town on Con Dao island
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every picture tells a story

Con Dao coastline
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every picture tells a story

Fishing boats at Ben Dam
Fishing boats at Ben Dam wharf
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every picture tells a story

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every picture tells a story

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every picture tells a story

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every picture tells a story

Con Son market and mainstreet activity with a coffee brewing
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every picture tells a story

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VAN SON TU PAGODA
name means Cloudy Hill Palace, and it’s an interesting place to visit, not so much for the temple, even though it is quite beautiful but for the
view it offers of Con Dao Town, An Hai Lake, and Con Son Bay below. The temple was built in 1964 for the prison officers and government officials
stationed on Con Dao and is now a memorial to the matyrs who died during Vietnam’s fight for independence
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T
he

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