Covering 20 hectares, Hang Duong War Cemetery is the resting place of 1,922 Vietnamese who died while imprisoned during the two resistance wars against the French colonialists and the American imperialists between 1862-1975.
Remains of prisoners have been found buried around the Con Dao Prison and brought to the cemetery. However, only 713 among the 1,922 graves have names of the late soldiers, while hundreds of others remain unidentified.
Some famous figures in the revolutionary war against the French including Le Hong Phong, Nguyen An Ninh, Cao Van Ngoc, and Vo Thi Sau have also been laid to rest at the cemetery.
Late Party General Secretary Le Hong Phong who died at the age of 40 in 1942 after months of torture by French colonialists, was buried at the cemetery. Teenage heroine Vo Thi Sau who was sentenced to death by the French colonialists for her revolutionary attacks and shot by firing squad on Con Dao in 1952, also rests there.
A monument with many reliefs featuring Vietnamese soldiers tortured by the French colonists during the time they were imprisoned in Con Dao. More than 20,000 Vietnamese prisoners died from torture during that time.
The cemetery has become a must-visit destination for many visitors to Con Dao Island, especially at Vietnamese War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27).
On July 19, State President Vo Van Thuong also came to offer incense at Hang Duong Cemetery in commemoration of the dead.
State President Vo Van Thuong came to offer incense at Hang Duong Cemetery in Con Dao in commemoration of the dead on July 19.
President Thuong was joined by former presidents Nguyen Minh Triet and Truong Tan Sang, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of its Commission for Popularisation and Education Nguyen Trong Nghia, and other officials representing ministries, agencies and localities.
The delegation and other visitors spent a moment of silence commemorating their predecessors, President Ho Chi Minh, the country's heroic war dead, revolutionary soldiers and compatriots who sacrificed their lives for national independence and freedom.
The cemetery is open to visitors from 7.30 am-11.30 am, and from 1.30 pm until midnight every day.
