Con Dao History 2026: French Prison, Tiger Cages and the War Legacy

Con Dao’s history is inseparable from its prison. For 113 years — from 1862 to 1975 — the islands served as a detention centre for political opponents of successive administrations: French colonial, South Vietnamese, and American-backed governments.

French colonial period (1862–1954)

The French established the prison colony in 1862, the same year they formally took Saigon. The name they used — Poulo Condore — comes from the Malay name for the island. The prison was intended for Vietnamese political opponents: Viet Minh organizers, anti-colonial activists, and convicted criminals.

The French-built infrastructure — the main prison buildings, walls, and administrative offices — is what’s preserved today. Construction used prisoner labour. The conditions were documented in French colonial records and later Vietnamese accounts as harsh; malnutrition, disease, and physical punishment were regular features.

Approximately 20,000 prisoners died on the island during the French period and are buried at Hang Duong Cemetery.

South Vietnamese period (1954–1975)

After Vietnamese independence and partition in 1954, the South Vietnamese government inherited the prison infrastructure and continued using it. The American involvement — financial and advisory — is documented: the US Agency for International Development (USAID) contracted Pacific Architects and Engineers to renovate the facilities in the 1960s.

The tiger cages (chuong cop) were built in this period: stone isolation cells measuring 1.5m x 2.7m, open to the sky, where prisoners — primarily political detainees, including suspected Viet Cong sympathizers — were held. Overcrowding was systematic: cells built for one or two people held up to five.

The tiger cages became internationally known in 1970 when US congressmen Tom Harkin and Don Edwards visited the island on a congressional delegation and photographed the conditions. Tom Harkin’s photographs were published in Life magazine, creating significant international attention.

Vo Thi Sau

The most famous individual associated with Con Dao. A Communist resistance fighter from the south (Dat Do district), she was arrested by French authorities at age 17 for acts of resistance and sentenced to death. She was executed by firing squad on Con Dao in January 1952, at 19 years old.

The French refused to allow the execution on the mainland for fear it would create a public martyr figure. The execution on Con Dao was meant to prevent this — instead, her grave at Hang Duong Cemetery became a pilgrimage site. She is recognised as a national martyr and heroine by the Vietnamese government.

Liberation (April 30, 1975)

When Saigon fell on April 30, 1975, the Con Dao prison held approximately 7,000 prisoners. The guards fled or surrendered; the prisoners were released by the arriving People’s Army units. Many had been held for years or decades.

The prison museum today

The Con Dao Prison Complex (also called Ba Lang An) is preserved across multiple buildings in Con Son town. The largest — Phu Hai — is the main visitor site. The tiger cage cells at Phu Tuong have been partially reconstructed for display (the originals were demolished after 1975; the reconstruction is based on documentation).

Entry: ₫30,000 ($1.20) per building, or a combined ticket. The museum uses the structures themselves — original walls, cells, and equipment — more than display cases. The effect is more direct than a conventional museum format.