Photo exhibition captures life on Côn Đảo Islands

HA NOI — A photo exhibition featuring the past and present Con Dao Islands opened on June 11 in Long Ho District in southern Vinh Long Province.

Some 500 students and delegates attended the inauguration.

The exhibition is co-organised by Con Dao Museum and Vinh Long Province to introduce the Con Dao Islands and help local people better understand the islands.

Themed Con Dao -- Then and Now, the exhibition displays some 300 photographs that the museum has presented to the province.

Con Dao comprises 16 islands and is some 180km from the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

The exhibition offers visitors a chance to learn more about the islands during different periods.

A selection of photographs, under the theme "Con Dao Prison -- From 1862 to 1975", focuses on the island’s prison that was described as “Hell on Earth”. Built in 1861 by French colonists, the prison was used to hold political prisoners and others considered especially dangerous by the colonial government. During the American War, the prison was turned over to the Sai Gon regime, which continued to use it for the same purpose.

Another selection of photographs, themed Con Dao Islands during the Building and Development Process will offer visitors a panoramic view of the islands, which have emerged as a popular tourist destination with beautiful beaches. Dat Tham Beach on the island has been listed among the top 10 eco-friendly beaches in Southeast Asia by the United Kingdom’s The Independent newspaper in March, 2018.

Two former inmates of Con Dao prison, Trinh Van Lau and Nguyen Thi Ha, attended the exhibition’s opening ceremony to talk about their time in the prison.

The exhibition also celebrates the 106th birthday of Pham Hung, late Chairman of the Council of Ministers. He was born in Vinh Long Province and was one of the high-ranking Vietnamese leaders imprisoned in Con Dao from 1939 to 1945. — VNS