Phu Loi Prison is one of the largest prisons of the Mỹ-Diệm regime in the South, established in 1957 to imprison and torture revolutionary soldiers and patriots at that time, dubbed as "hell on earth." However, the harshness of the prison could not subdue the communists. Phu Loi Prison has become a place where revolutionary soldiers demonstrate their steadfastness, iron spirit, and readiness to sacrifice for national independence and unification. Today, Phu Loi Prison has become a redflag address for educating the younger generations the revolutionary tradition.
Today Phu Loi Prison has become a redflag address to educate younger generations people’s tradition and pride
Solid evidence
In 8 years of its existence (1957-1964), Phu Loi Prison had elegant names of Phu Loi Reform Center, Care Center among others, but it was actually dubbed hell on earth with various brutal tortures intended to break the will of communist prisoners. They fed the inmates meagerly with rotten rice and spoiled fish, fish sauce with maggots. All prisoners had to live in dark, filthy spaces, confined in solitary cells or cages, without receiving medical treatment when needed.
Talking about Phu Loi Prison, Mrs. Le Thi Viet Lan, Head of the Liaison Committee of Revolutionary Soldiers captured and imprisoned by the enemy in the province, stated that Phu Loi Prison is solid evidence proving the crimes of the US - Puppet regime in southern Vietnam. Each piece of evidence at Phu Loi Prison reflected the indomitable patriotic spirit of the revolutionary fighters and the patriots.
In the new conditions of the ongoing war, by 1964, Phu Loi Prison no longer existed. From then on, the prison system was transformed into an American-supported military base until the complete liberation of the South on April 30, 1975.
| The lines of ‘Thu muon doi muon kiep khong tan’ (The continuant hatred through aeons of time) composed by poet To Huu in 1959 is a reminder of the massarce by poison on the inmates of Phu Loi Prison on December 1, 1958. Hundreds were poisoned to their death. By December 2 and 3, the poisoned victims were rising with death. Some were buried onsite; some of severe poisoning conditions were taken away without coming back. |
The redflag address
The Phu Loi Prison, which was harsh in the past, has now become a national revolutionary historical site (awarded status on July 10, 1980). Every year, this historical site welcomes many visitors from both domestic and international locations to learn about the history of the struggles of the Vietnamese revolutionary fighters. Many schools, agencies, and units have organized field trips, youth development ceremonies, CPV branch meetings, and various other activities at the site.
Nguyen Hoang Lan, a student at Thu Dau Mot University, shared: “Visiting Phu Loi Prison, we felt chills at the extremely harsh imprisonment conditions of the prison. The prisoners had their feet shackled, their backs couldn’t sit straight because there were barbed wires overhead, and they endured severe hardship in eating. Through this, we can see the steadfastness and resilience of the previous generation. To give us peace and the learning environment we have today, our precedants paid by their lives.”
Deputy Colonel Vuong Trung Tien, Political Officer of the Military Command of Thu Dau Mot City, stated that Phu Loi Prison is one of the destinations of the Military Command of Thu Dau Mot City in implementing the model "One historical site per month." Through these historical relics, the city's Military Command aims to promote and educate to raise awareness among officials and soldiers about the origins and history of the nation, expressing gratitude to the previous generations and educating the revolutionary traditions for the officials and soldiers of the city's armed forces, contributing to enhancing and beautifying the patriotic tradition and love for the homeland of Binh Duong in general and the heroic city of Thu Dau Mot in particular.
66 years have passed, but Phu Loi Prison and the Day of Phu Loi hatred (December 1, 1958) always remind future generations that to regain independence, freedom, and happiness today, our precedants had to sacrifice their lives.
Reported by Thu Thao – Translated by Vi Bao
