Prime
Minister Phan Van Khai has approved southern Ba Ria-Vung
Tau province's plan to turn Con Dao island, once a notorious
prison for opponents of Frenh colonialism and the US-backed
Saigon regime in the south of Viet Nam, into an economic-tourist-service
zone by 2020.
In the plan, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province outlined the targets
to increase the population to 50,000 people by 2020
who will have an average income of 1,800-2,000 USD each.
Agreeing with the plan, the Prime Minister has also
directed Ba Ria-Vung Tau to draw up a long-term vision
for the development of Con Dao while making a breakthrough
right at the begining, in order to fully exploit the
island's available potential in close association with
the southern region's development plan.
Con Dao island is set to develop its high-quality seafood
processing for both local and foreign markets and will
also provide repair services for vessels, transport
means and construction machinery.
The preservation of revolutionary sites, such as the
Con Dao prison and Hang Duong cemetery, and the Con
Dao National Park is also a highlight in the island's
2020 socio-economic development plan.
The work will include the establishment of a branch
of the Ha Noi-based Viet Nam History Museum with showrooms
displaying objects, photos and models of prisons for
revolutionaries during the wars of resistance against
the French and Americans on the Con Dao prison's campus.
The remote Con Dao island, which is more than 180 km
from Vung Tau, makes up of a group of 16 islands with
a total population of around 4,000 people.
It is one of a few places in Viet Nam that is home to
sea turtles, dolphins, and the rare dugong (popularly
known as sea cows). It also boasts large and diverse
coral reefs comparable to the most famous ecotourism
spots in Southeast Asia.
With a cool weather all year round, the island is home
to pristine beaches, such as Dam Trau, Dat Doc, Bai
Canh and Hon Tre, giving visitors from far and wide
a haven to relax.
Besides its natural beauty, Con Dao island, once known
as "Poulo Condor" and long considered as a
hell on earth, is a historical site. Many patriots and
revolutionaries during the wars of resistance against
the French and Americans were imprisoned on the island.
The Con Dao prison complex was established by the French
colonial authority in 1861. From then until 1975, the
French colonial administration, and then the US-backed
Saigon regime, incarcerated Vietnamese revolutionaries
in brutal conditions, often in tiny underground boxes
known as "tiger cages" or"rice mills".
Con Dao is accessible by international sea routes from
the north Asian countries of Japan, the Republic of
Korea and China, and Southeast Asian countries of Singapore,
Indonesia and Thailand.
It is now accessible by plane with the recent inauguration
of the Co Ong airport, which has helped attract more
holidaymakers to the island. |