According to the Con Dao National Monuments Conservation Centre, Phu Hai Prison known as Camp 2 was built by the French colonialists in 1862 to detain prisoners who were officials of the Nguyen Dynasty.
The wax statues depicting prisoners at Phu Hai Prison.
The prison was then a place for imprisoning revolutionaries in the war against French colonialists and the American War.
After Reunification Day, April 30,1975, the prison system in Con Dao Island was transformed into a tourist destination and recognised as a historical site in 1979.
By 2012, the prime minister had signed a decision to list the system as a special national monument. The prisons were restored regularly due to their historical value.
The Phu Hai Prison restoration project will take 10 months.
Phu Hai Prison covers an area of over 12,000 square metres, including 10 collective cell blocks, one special prison room and 20 cells. It was also where many revolutionary soldiers who later became the country's leaders, including the late General Party Secretary Le Duan, former President Ton Duc Thang, and former Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, were detained.
