Five decades ago, in March 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed. One of the terms of the agreement was the return of prisoners of war between the signatories.
The return of soldiers detained in Phu Quoc Prison put an end to what was known as “Hell on Earth”.
Returning to the scene, former prisoners could not help but recall years full of hardship, where they endured all kinds of torture. Tears rolled down their faces as they commemorated comrades, who sacrificed their lives for the nation.
Phu Quoc Prison opened in 1967. It was the largest US prison in South Vietnam and detained more than 40,000 people, most of them patriotic soldiers.
In its nearly 7 years of operations, the prison applied some 45 forms of cruel and brutal torture. More than 4,000 prisoners died. Those who made it out carried wounds both physical and psychological.
Prisoners, who eventually reunited with their families after years of detention, were indeed fortunate. They now hope the younger generation of today will continue to promote the country’s revolutionary traditions, and build a prosperous and happy nation./.
