Special group of tourists to Con Dao reenact torture scenes with pestles and machetes

Remember the past to see today is so happy

From May to November, Con Dao is in the rainy season, with temperatures ranging from 21 to 30 degrees Celsius, ideal for tourists to explore the beautiful island with golden sunshine and white sand.

On May 29, a special group of tourists from Ho Chi Minh City also set foot on this island, but not just for tourism . They came to Con Dao to revisit the relics that marked their heroic and tragic days.

The delegation included 60 delegates who were revolutionary veterans, meritorious people, resistance fighters, international duty soldiers... who had been captured and imprisoned by the enemy.

60 delegates from Ho Chi Minh City visited heroic Con Dao (Photo: Contributor).

During the trip, the delegation offered incense to commemorate the heroic martyrs at Hang Duong cemetery, Hang Keo cemetery; visited Con Dao prison, Phu Son and Phu Hai prisons...

Watching each scene recreated in the old prison cell, old lady Nguyen Minh Phuong (living in District 10, Ho Chi Minh City) shed tears remembering the days of imprisonment, facing enemy interrogation, enduring whips, pestles, machetes, submarines, electric shocks... The fear and terror were still evident on her face.

Mrs. Nguyen Minh Phuong shared that until now, she is still haunted, her heart aches, her heart aches every time she hears someone mention words like former political prisoner, prisoner of war...

She felt lucky that she and many of her comrades overcame physical pain, steadfastly fighting against interrogators to maintain their revolutionary spirit.

Mr. Phuong felt lucky to have survived until the day the country was reunified, to enjoy the fruits of the revolution, and to live peacefully in the days of peace. 20,000 other comrades were not as lucky as him, remaining on this land in the middle of the ocean...

A group of former prisoners visited Hang Duong cemetery to pay their respects to fallen comrades (Photo: Contributor).

Remembering the painful past, he cherishes his current peaceful life even more. Mr. Phuong shared: "The city we live in is changing and developing every day, life is gradually stabilizing, people are being taken care of attentively. Policy beneficiaries like us mostly have an average to above average standard of living."

After 49 years of national reunification, most of the former prisoners of Con Dao have reached a rare age, but they are still enthusiastically participating in the journey across the sea to visit the old "battlefield", where they competed with the enemy and struggled with physical pain.

Many former prisoners participating in this journey to the source have had the opportunity to return to Con Dao for decades. At the gratitude exchange night, the veteran revolutionaries could not contain their emotions when they returned to the old place without having to bear the status of prisoners, and were able to light incense sticks in memory of their comrades who died in prison...

Mr. Phuong confided: "We, former prisoners of Con Dao, have devoted everything to protect the country, exchanging our lives, families, loves and our own dreams. Physical pain is nothing compared to our comrades who sacrificed themselves in the arduous battles to regain independence, freedom and happiness for future generations."

Efforts to care for the lives of meritorious people

The representative of the unit organizing this journey to the source, Ms. Huynh Le Nhu Trang, Deputy Director of the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City, said: "Deeply engrave the thousand-year-old fine traditional morality of the Vietnamese people, drinking water remember the source, eating fruit remember the person who planted the tree, Ho Chi Minh City has implemented many movements to show gratitude, take care of families of war invalids, martyrs and people with meritorious services...".

Ms. Huynh Le Nhu Trang visits the health of former prisoners after a long journey to the island (Photo: Contributor).

According to Ms. Nhu Trang, Ho Chi Minh City has mobilized to build a Gratitude Fund with more than 188.8 billion VND, contributing to improving the lives of families with meritorious services; ensuring that 100% of surviving Vietnamese heroic mothers are taken care of by units; and 100% of communes and wards do a good job in the work of war invalids and martyrs.

"The movement of gratitude has received the attention of the whole society, becoming a beautiful feature in cultural life, contributing significantly to consolidating and strengthening the great national unity bloc, enhancing patriotism, social responsibility, arousing and fostering the humane values ​​of the people of Ho Chi Minh City in particular and every Vietnamese person in general", said the Deputy Director of the City Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is managing nearly 280,000 files of meritorious people and their relatives, a very large number. Therefore, the City is constantly researching, proposing amendments and supplements to perfect the policy system for war invalids, martyrs and people with meritorious services to the revolution...

Former prisoners emotionally shared their stories at the gratitude night (Photo: CTV).

In addition to the preferential regimes prescribed by the Central Government, the City always allocates additional funding from the local budget. During holidays, the City visits and gives gifts to meritorious people and their relatives.

On the occasion of the recent Giap Thin Lunar New Year, Ho Chi Minh City organized care for 119,363 meritorious people and their relatives with a total cost of more than 112 billion VND.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu victory (May 7, 1954 - May 7, 2024) and the 49th anniversary of National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2024), the City organized a visit and presented gifts to 151 soldiers, youth volunteers, and frontline laborers who directly participated in the Dien Bien Phu campaign and are living in the City...

Ms. Huynh Le Nhu Trang emphasized: "The Party Committee, government and people of the city always pay attention to and do a good job of repaying gratitude. Thereby showing respect and gratitude to those who sacrificed and contributed for the independence, freedom and unification of the country, for the happiness of the people".

Many people have had the opportunity to visit the old "battlefield" for decades (Photo: Contributor).

From May 29-31, the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City advised the City to organize a trip back to the source to visit the heroic Con Dao.

Joining the journey were Mr. Pham Minh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City; Mr. Cao Thanh Binh, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Committee of the City People's Council; Mr. Vo Ai Dan, Deputy Head of the Liaison Committee for Former Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War of the City; Ms. Huynh Le Nhu Trang, Deputy Director of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of the City...

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/an-sinh/doan-khach-dac-biet-ve-con-dao-tai-hien-nhung-man-tra-tan-chay-vo-ma-trac-20240531133148494.htm