Con Dao Museum

Recreating 113 years of Con Dao prison history through more than 2,000 documents and artifacts

Gallery from the Localis platform

01. History and development Construction began on 6 December 2009, was completed in 2010, and the museum officially opened to visitors on 6 September 2013. It is managed by the Con Dao National Relic Conservation Centre and stands on grounds of more than 20,000 sq m. The museum is part of the Con Dao Prison Historical Relic Site, which marks the 113 years of the prison system's existence (1862-1975). The site was classified as a national relic in 1979 and as a special national relic in 2012. 02. Collection & displays The museum preserves around 2,000 documents, photographs and artifacts on the nature, the people and the history of Con Dao. The displays comprise a ceremonial hall and four themes: Con Dao - Nature and people; Con Dao - Hell on earth; Con Dao - Battlefront and school; Con Dao today. The narrative traces the formation of Con Dao, its history of struggle and its transformations, and above all the history of the prison system across 113 years. 03. Highlights - A ceremonial hall with a 6 m statue group: an arm raised high breaking its chains, combined with the symbol of the dove, expressing the aspiration for freedom and peace. - Displays arranged along the flow of history: from the nature and people of Con Dao to the prison era and the development of the locality. - Connected to the wider relic complex: the entrance ticket is valid for the museum and for the sites belonging to the Con Dao Prison Relic Site. 04. Good to know - The museum lies within the Con Dao Prison Historical Relic Site, so it is best to combine a visit to the museum with the prison sites for a fuller picture of the history of Con Dao. - Visitors should keep quiet, follow the instructions given and not touch the exhibits. - Guided programmes are available for a deeper understanding of the history and of the displays. 05. Visitor information - Reference ticket price: 50,000 VND per person, valid for 5 sites: Con Dao Museum, the Island Governor's House, Phu Hai Camp, the American Tiger Cages and the French Tiger Cages. - Ticketing: buy tickets on site or book e-tickets online before your visit.

English text: machine translation from the Localis platform — proper names kept in Vietnamese.