Located on Con Son Island, the Con Dao prison was built in 1861 by the French colonialists of Vietnam to imprison those that the regime believed were a threat to their establishment. The prison continued to serve its purpose once the French left, holding captive the many political prisoners of the South Vietnamese government. . Visit the infamous ‘Tiger Cages’ - a venue that derives its name from the cages that housed captive tigers - where many prisoners were abused, tortured and mutilated. It is interesting to take note that much of the atrocities committed in these ‘cages’ were kept under wraps and was only revealed when American congressional representatives made a visit to the island. Now that the prison is not serving its original purpose and is open to visitors, plastic mannequins have been set-up to re-enact the plight of prisoners that were in captivity here. While the prison serves as dark reminder of Vietnam’s past, it remains important as a historical relic and is a site not to be missed.