Illustrative image (Photo: hoalo.vn) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - A new exhibition to be held on Con Dao Island from July 17will look at the horrible conditions Vietnamese patriots faced whenthey were captured during the resistance wars against the French and theUS.
Organised by Hoa Lo prison monuments management board and Con Dao NationalMonument Conservation Centre, the Wordsof Gratitude exhibition aims to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of theWar Invalids and Martyrs Day that falls on July 27.
According to the organisation board, each document, artefact andimage displayed in the exhibition will help viewers understand moreabout such “hells on earth” and the noble sacrifices of the patriots who diedfor national independence and freedom.
Words of Gratitude is divided into two main parts, the first ofwhich includes stories about special “battlefields” – the system of prisons ofthe enemies. Though there was not much gunfire on this battlefield,it was where the bodies and lives of so many Vietnamese patriots were claimedduring the wars to protect the nation.
At Hoa Lo Prison, built during the colonial time right in the heart of Hanoi,the lives of revolutionary fighters were constant struggles against theharsh imprisonment conditions for basic survival needs like water, food, matsor blankets.
Meanwhile, Son La Prison in the northern province of Son La is widely knownamong generations of Vietnamese due to its brutal conditions amidst the deepforest, with dark rooms of solid bricks and stones and three-metre-undergroundcells.
When the wooden door closed, each cell turned into a closed box in which theprisoners had to lie down and could not tell apart day and night. The solitaryconfinement used to house patriots like To Hieu, Nguyen Luong Bang and Tran HuyLieu who significantly contributed to the revolution.
One of the most hated government buildings in colonial Saigon, the MaisonCentrale de Saigon (Kham Lon Sai Gon) or Saigon Central Prison, includedsolitary confinement areas, cells for prisoners waiting to be executed, aguillotine room and execution area. It was the largest prison in Cochinchina,one of the symbols for the French colonial ruling system in the region at thetime.
The exhibition will also feature Con Dao prison, dubbed “hell on earth” farfrom the mainland, where Vietnamese patriots had to deal with sophisticated andbrutal imprisonment apparatus and starvation in the so-called tiger cages.
Other notorious addresses such as Phu Quoc prison, Tan Hiep prison and Chi Hoaprison will also be introduced.
The organising board will also exhibit many quotations and inspiringmessages of revolutionary fighters before being executed like Nguyen Duc Canh,Nguyen Van Cu and Ha Huy Tap.
Part of the exhibition will be dedicated to famous prison breaks inVietnamese history.
The most outstanding break was that of Con Dao prisoners on December 1952. Hugewaves and fierce winds submerged the rudimentary boats made by the prisoners.Discovering the break, the enemies launched a fierce chase, arresting 117revolutionary soldiers and claiming 81 lives.
The second part of the exhibition, also entitled Wordsof Gratitude, features post-war stories, told via images of thousands ofno-name tombs in national Truong Son and Vi Xuyen war martyrs cemeteries.
The exhibition will run until July 31./.
Organised by Hoa Lo prison monuments management board and Con Dao NationalMonument Conservation Centre, the Wordsof Gratitude exhibition aims to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of theWar Invalids and Martyrs Day that falls on July 27.
According to the organisation board, each document, artefact andimage displayed in the exhibition will help viewers understand moreabout such “hells on earth” and the noble sacrifices of the patriots who diedfor national independence and freedom.
Words of Gratitude is divided into two main parts, the first ofwhich includes stories about special “battlefields” – the system of prisons ofthe enemies. Though there was not much gunfire on this battlefield,it was where the bodies and lives of so many Vietnamese patriots were claimedduring the wars to protect the nation.
At Hoa Lo Prison, built during the colonial time right in the heart of Hanoi,the lives of revolutionary fighters were constant struggles against theharsh imprisonment conditions for basic survival needs like water, food, matsor blankets.
Meanwhile, Son La Prison in the northern province of Son La is widely knownamong generations of Vietnamese due to its brutal conditions amidst the deepforest, with dark rooms of solid bricks and stones and three-metre-undergroundcells.
When the wooden door closed, each cell turned into a closed box in which theprisoners had to lie down and could not tell apart day and night. The solitaryconfinement used to house patriots like To Hieu, Nguyen Luong Bang and Tran HuyLieu who significantly contributed to the revolution.
One of the most hated government buildings in colonial Saigon, the MaisonCentrale de Saigon (Kham Lon Sai Gon) or Saigon Central Prison, includedsolitary confinement areas, cells for prisoners waiting to be executed, aguillotine room and execution area. It was the largest prison in Cochinchina,one of the symbols for the French colonial ruling system in the region at thetime.
The exhibition will also feature Con Dao prison, dubbed “hell on earth” farfrom the mainland, where Vietnamese patriots had to deal with sophisticated andbrutal imprisonment apparatus and starvation in the so-called tiger cages.
Other notorious addresses such as Phu Quoc prison, Tan Hiep prison and Chi Hoaprison will also be introduced.
The organising board will also exhibit many quotations and inspiringmessages of revolutionary fighters before being executed like Nguyen Duc Canh,Nguyen Van Cu and Ha Huy Tap.
Part of the exhibition will be dedicated to famous prison breaks inVietnamese history.
The most outstanding break was that of Con Dao prisoners on December 1952. Hugewaves and fierce winds submerged the rudimentary boats made by the prisoners.Discovering the break, the enemies launched a fierce chase, arresting 117revolutionary soldiers and claiming 81 lives.
The second part of the exhibition, also entitled Wordsof Gratitude, features post-war stories, told via images of thousands ofno-name tombs in national Truong Son and Vi Xuyen war martyrs cemeteries.
The exhibition will run until July 31./.
VNA