Originally known as the Coconut Tree Prison, it came to be known as “hell on earth”.  

Today, the prison is a popular tourist destination where visitors can learn about the country’s struggle for liberation. 

Spanning an area of 40 hectares, the prison is surrounded by dense barbed wire fences.

Between each layer is a corridor for guards and sniffer dogs to patrol 24/7.

The barbed wire here is razor wire, much more dangerous than conventional barbed wire.

Armed soldier at guard tower.

Entrance to the prison.

Each detention room is 5 meters wide, 20 meters long. 

Prisoners’ room. They lie on the wood planks along the cell.

This is the infamous ‘Tiger’s cage’ at Phu Quoc prison. It is one of the most savage inventions ever, used to torture revolutionaries imprisoned here.

The guards invent brutal forms of punishment using tiger cages – like pouring cold water on prisoners at night, pouring salt water into or lighting fires near tiger cages during hot days. 

This container is known as savage solitary confinement B2. Ten to 15 people are packed like sardines inside.

The cage is made of iron that looks like a container. It is closed all the time, making it dark and extremely hot in the morning while extremely cold at night.

Guards use 45 differing torturing methods, including chiselling teeth, striking with ray-skin whips and pressing with planks.

They also use radiating high pressure lamp into the eyes to blast the pupil, putting prisoners in sacks and dropping the sack into boiling water or chiselling the knee.

Nailing prisoner body, clamping prisoner under a plank and using hammer to beat the plank, and burning prisoners with fire are also some alternate methods.

Burning the lower part of the abdomen, hanging prisoners on the ceiling to beat them, choking the prisoner with soapy water are still other methods of torture.

Sometimes, prisoners resist their enemies.

Some of them die in the fight.

To escape the hell on earth, prisoners in Phu Quoc dug tunnels.

There are at least four successful exits. 

There are also dozens of other escape routes. There are two escape routes from the kitchen.