Con Dao Prison – Phu Hai Camp
Trại Phú Hải, Nhà tù Côn Đảo
A complex of prisons known as 'hell on earth', built by French colonists in 1862. Phu Hai Camp is the largest and earliest of them.
Con Dao Prison was established in 1862 and used for over a century, first by French colonial authorities and later by the South Vietnamese regime. It held large numbers of Vietnamese revolutionaries and came to be called 'hell on earth'. Phu Hai is the earliest and largest camp. Here you can see communal cells, solitary confinement cells, the labour yard and wax-figure reconstructions of scenes. Together with the Tiger Cages, Phi Yen Camp and the Governor's Residence, it forms the prison ruins complex. Tickets are sold per site, at tens of thousands of Vietnamese dong. It is advisable to hire a guide or rent an audio guide, as the scenes are rather sombre.
Opening hours
Approx. 07:00–11:30, 13:30–17:00
Nearby sights
- Con Dao Market
- Governor's Mansion
- Pier 914
- Con Dao Museum
- Tiger Cages
- Hang Duong Cemetery
- Van Son Pagoda (Nui Mot Pagoda)
- An Hai & Lo Voi Beaches