48 years of national reunification: Building Phu Quoc pearl island into a high-class tourism and service center

Exactly 48 years since the Great Spring Victory in 1975, unifying the country, rising from the devastation of war, Phu Quoc has increasingly become a precious "gem" - a beautiful pearl island that has changed completely, rising up to develop strongly.

Phu Quoc Pearl Island is in the process of being built to become a regional and world high-class tourism and service center.

Photo caption — Former prisoners of the Vietnam Communist Prisoner of War Camp - Phu Quoc revisit the prison site of the Phu Quoc Prison National Special Relic Site.

Memories of 50 years of "Victory Return" Phu Quoc is the first island city in the country with a particularly important position in terms of economy, politics , national defense, security...; located in the Southwest sea of the Fatherland with a natural area of over 593 km². Before 1975, during the resistance war to repel invaders, like many other localities in the land of "Southern citadel", Phu Quoc island was soaked in blood, tears and sacrifices, losses of many generations of fathers and brothers who fought bravely for independence and freedom for the Fatherland. On the pearl island of Phu Quoc, the revolutionary soldiers "Communist Prisoners" could never forget the cruel and barbaric prison regime of the colonialists and imperialists; haunted by the Coconut Tree Prison Camp, the Coconut Tree Correctional Camp, the Vietnamese Communist Prisoners - Phu Quoc Prison Camp known as "Hell on Earth". On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the “Victory Return”, many revolutionary soldiers who were former prisoners of war returned to visit Phu Quoc Island with many emotions. Mr. Dinh Duy Diep, member of the Liaison Committee of Revolutionary Soldiers Captured and Imprisoned by the Enemy in Vietnam, Head of the Liaison Committee of Revolutionary Soldiers Captured and Imprisoned by the Enemy in Ninh Binh Province, emotionally shared that in March 1973 of the last century, the Paris Agreement was signed, the two sides returned prisoners of war; including prisoners of the Vietnam Communist Prisoner of War Camp - Phu Quoc located on Phu Quoc Island. This was also the time when the existence of “Hell on Earth” ended. Escaping from prison, many former prisoners of war continued to enter a new battle, following the march, contributing to the Great Victory of Spring 1975, completely liberating the South, and unifying the country. The Vietnamese Communist Prisoner of War Camp - Phu Quoc was the largest prison of the US - puppet regime in South Vietnam, holding more than 40,000 prisoners of war, including patriotic soldiers and civilians captured during battles and raids in all provinces and cities of the South. With 7 years of operation (1967 - 1973), applying more than 40 forms of brutal torture to prisoners, this place killed more than 4,000 people. Most of those who returned alive were disabled for life, sick from the after-effects of brutal beatings in prison. Mr. Duong Minh Phu, (a former prisoner of the Vietnamese Communist Prisoner of War Camp - Phu Quoc from Phu Tho province) recalled that the enemy exiled him to Phu Quoc island and imprisoned him for 2 years in this prison. Here, he was locked up in a tiger cage for 7 days because he and his comrades went on a hunger strike to resist the repression of the military police. Today, looking back at the old detention area of Division 2 that imprisoned and tortured communist soldiers more than 50 years ago, he could not hold back his tears. The Vietnam Communist Prisoner of War - Phu Quoc is evidence of the brutal crimes of the colonialists, imperialists and their lackeys. Here, in the darkness of "Hell on Earth", the bright red of the patriotic flame, the example of the steadfast and indomitable struggle of the revolutionary soldiers and the people, shines brightly. These are examples of revolutionary heroes and Vietnamese spirit, contributing to adding more color to the glorious history of the struggle for national liberation and national reunification. Coming from the land of the Hung Kings (Phu Tho), Mr. Xuan Dien (a former prisoner of the Vietnam Communist Prisoner of War - Phu Quoc) emotionally recounted that 19 days after joining the Party, he was captured by the enemy and taken to Phu Quoc prison. Here for 2 years, he was assigned by the Party organization to dig a hole to bury a 5-liter plastic can of roasted rice in case of hunger strike to eat to survive. Here, he witnessed and mourned his comrades and teammates being tortured and beaten to death by the enemy. This haunts him to this day. Since being returned in March 1973, this is the 5th time he has returned to Phu Quoc and every time he cries. Modern Phu Quoc Pearl Island

Kien Giang Provincial Party Secretary Do Thanh Binh expressed that in the two resistance wars against French colonialism and American imperialism, more than 15,000 cadres, soldiers, and patriotic compatriots in the province died forever, and tens of thousands of wounded soldiers, sick soldiers, and people with revolutionary contributions left part of their bodies on the battlefield, suffering lifelong disabilities. The Party Committee, army, and people of Kien Giang respectfully expressed their deep gratitude and always remembered the great contributions and noble sacrifices of cadres, soldiers, patriotic compatriots, former political prisoners, and prisoners of the Vietnam Communist Prisoner Camp - Phu Quoc across the country, contributing to writing glorious pages in the revolutionary cause of national liberation, creating the historic Great Spring Victory of 1975, completely liberating the South, and unifying the country. The Government and Kien Giang province determined to build Phu Quoc island to develop sustainably; harmonizing economic development with the preservation of historical and cultural relics and environmental protection; ensure regional and national security and defense. Gradually build Phu Quoc into an island city, a high-end tourism and service center; a science and technology center of the country and Southeast Asia; following the model of a special economic zone to become the driving force for the development of the province and the whole country. From a deserted island after the end of the war in 1975, Phu Quoc pearl island today is a beautiful coastal city, a type 2 urban area with a population of nearly 150,000 people. The economy is developing rapidly, infrastructure is increasingly invested synchronously such as: Phu Quoc International Airport, Phu Quoc International Seaport, the main traffic route South - North with a basically synchronous bridge and road system on the island, the Ha Tien - Phu Quoc submarine cable and the Kien Binh - Phu Quoc sea grid bringing national electricity to the pearl island, new modern urban areas... This place has attracted many large corporations, enterprises with strong financial potential, investment experience such as: Vingroup , Sungroup, CEO, BIM... creating an impression, the attractiveness of pearl island tourism for domestic and foreign tourists. Chairman of Phu Quoc City People's Committee Huynh Quang Hung said that Phu Quoc currently has 338 investment projects; of which, 52 projects are in operation, 78 projects are being implemented; the total registered investment capital is nearly 340,000 billion VND, of which nearly 15,000 billion VND has been disbursed. In 2022, the total social investment capital reached 23,125 billion VND, the budget revenue was 6,000 billion VND, accounting for over 50% of the total budget revenue of the province. The living standards and income of the people increased. The poverty rate was 0.25%. Education and health care were focused on and invested by the locality. The locality strives to reach the standards of a class 1 urban city of the province before 2025. During the historic days of April, the Party Committee, government and people of Phu Quoc city continued to promote the tradition of ardent patriotism, the indomitable will of revolutionary soldiers, continued to participate in building a clean and strong Party and government, and educating the tradition of patriotism and revolution for the younger generation. Thereby, motivating the younger generation to strive to study, work, and continue the fine traditions of their predecessors, arousing the aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country and a rich and beautiful Kien Giang homeland. Phu Quoc with its historical prison relic that was once the "Hell on Earth" imprisoning revolutionary soldiers is transforming day by day into a dynamic and developing pearl island of the Southwest of the Fatherland.

Article and photos: Le Huy Hai (Vietnam News Agency)