Coming to Quang Tri is the land of historical relics – proof of a painful and heroic war period of the nation. Lao Bao Prison is one of the important relics of the province and is also a famous tourist destination.
increasingly developed and become the destination of many tourists near and far. It has not only natural landscapes but also relics of great historical significance. One of them is the relic of Lao Bao prison , where the patriotic revolutionary soldiers are kept together with the extreme brutality that this place is called “hell on earth”.
Visit Lao Bao Prison
Lao Bao Prison is one of the largest prisons in Indochina, where many revolutionary soldiers and high-ranking leaders of our government were detained in the past. On January 25, 1991, Lao Bao prison was recognized as a national historical and cultural relic.
Lao Bao Prison is one of the largest prisons in Indochina
This prison is located at the end of Le The Tiet street of Lao Bao town, Huong Hoa district. This place is only about 2km from National Highway 9, the prison was built in the middle of a valley, only about 80km from Dong Ha, more than 20km from Khe Sanh. This place was formerly considered a sacred forest of poisoned water, in the north was Tran Cao fortress worshiping the Nguyen Dynasty, in the west was the Se Pon river, and in the east was the towering mountain direction.
This prison is located at the end of Le The Tiet street of Lao Bao town, Huong Hoa district
A dark period at Lao Bao prison
Under the Nguyen Dynasty, this place was a fortress to guard and protect a part of the western territory of Dai Nam. By 1908, Lao Bao prison was built about 10 hectares and completely isolated from other residential areas. At that time, this place was mainly used to detain common criminals along with anti-French patriots of the Can Vuong movement.
A Dark Age at Lao Bao Prison!
From 1929 to 1930, Lao Bao prison was further expanded to hold communist prisoners. The French colonialists used this place to imprison communists operating in Quang Tri such as Le The Tiet, Tran Huu Duc, Tran Cong Ai, Le The Hieu, Doan Lan,… or even soldiers operating in Central regions such as To Huu, Nguyen Chi Thanh,… and even the Lao people.
In the 60s of the last century, the South Vietnamese Liberation Front turned this place into a revolutionary base in the sugar campaign – Khe Sanh. To smash this stronghold, the US imperialists used the air force to bomb Lao Bao prison and almost erased the entire relic.
The US imperialists used the air force to bomb Lao Bao prison and almost erased this entire monument
When it was first built, this place was just 2 rows of wooden houses with tiled roofs, divided into 2 areas Lao A and Lao B. Each row of houses is only about 5 meters wide, 15 meters long, 2 meters high. Each of these houses can hold up to 60 prisoners. Later, this place was expanded with many small houses such as kitchen, water filter tower, 5 prisons, toilets. Each prison is more than 6 meters wide and 30 meters long can hold up to 180 prisoners. In particular, the solitary confinement area has 13 rooms, each room is 1 meter wide and 2 meters high. All these works are secured by a system of solid walls 3.5 meters high and many blockhouses in the corners. If detained here, the prisoner can only see the sky from the window above, in addition, nothing around.
Later, this place was expanded with many small houses such as: kitchen, water filter tower, 5 prisons, toilets.
Besides the prisons, Lao Bao prison also has other extremely cruel detention places such as the mortuary, the torture house, the interrogation house, etc. located in the southeast corner of the prison or the steel wire house. carpentry workshops, barracks,… The punishments and brutal tortures of the French colonialists such as chains, shackles, … extremely cruel to suppress and kill our patriotic forces .
Up to 1945, at Lao Bao prison, more than 350 political prisoners were detained. There were many Communist Party members who died because they couldn’t stand the brutal tortures that tortured the human body, otherwise it was also due to the harsh climate, forest mosquitoes, flash floods,… that turned this place into a place. earthly prison with people from the revolution.
Looking back at a time of bloody war!
For more than 40 years of existence, Lao Bao prison has been destroyed by time, but many works have been repaired and preserved by the Quang Tri government to this day. Some buildings that you can visit when coming to the prison such as galleries, monuments, beer houses, …
Some buildings that you can visit when coming to the prison such as galleries, monuments, beer houses, …
Visiting here, you will clearly feel the brutality of the French colonial period, but more clearly the indomitable spirit, the indomitable struggle of the revolutionary soldiers of our people at that time. Despite the hardships and difficulties, they still have one heart towards their homeland, towards the Fatherland to fulfill their ideals! It is a lesson for us – future generations can live in peace, reminding us of a time of bloody war, wartime heroes fell to protect independence and freedom. of the Fatherland like!
Lao Bao Prison has so far welcomed many tourists from all over the world
Lao Bao Prison has so far welcomed many tourists from all over the world. Along with other historical relic clusters such as Quang Tri Ancient Citadel, and the gentle banks of Luong – Ben Hai River, … have become one of the destinations that tourists cannot ignore when coming to Quang Tri. !
Source: Collected internet.