The Isolated Cow Shed Area (Khu biệt lập Chuồng Bò) was established in 1876, alongside other facilities serving the colonial prison apparatus such as the soldiers’ barracks, medical zone, fishing-net workshop, construction camp, and the pier.
Throughout its history, this place has been known by several names:
“Sở Củi – Chuồng Bò,” “Sở Rẫy – Chuồng Bò,” and “Vocational Department.”
From Livestock Farm to Place of Confinement
According to historical records, in the late 19th century, the Cow Shed was originally a farming area where cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, and pigeons were raised.
Under French colonial rule, the Cow Shed contained nine detention rooms used to temporarily confine prisoners assigned to work here. Nearby were 24 pig enclosures, along with two cattle sheds and a waste pit receiving sewage from the livestock area.
The Darkest Years Under the U.S.–Backed Regime
By late 1969, during the U.S.–puppet administration, political prisoners who refused to salute the flag—many of whom had been shackled for so long their muscles had atrophied—were transferred here for prolonged solitary confinement.
After the infamous Tiger Cages were exposed, the Cow Shed was hurriedly renovated. The 24 pig pens were demolished, and the area was rebuilt into three sections: A, B, and C, comprising a total of 33 isolation cells.
Despite paralysis, hunger, and brutality, the prisoners continued resisting: refusing to salute the flag, defying harsh regulations, and upholding the spirit of revolutionary struggle. Their resistance was met with savage beatings, starvation, and thirst lasting for months.
The Center of Brutal Interrogation
From 1973 onward, the Cow Shed functioned as the headquarters of the Interrogation and Exploitation Subdivision under the prison’s Professional Bureau. Prisoners suspected of involvement in resistance activities were brought here for questioning.
Multiple torture methods were used, including:
- flogging with wooden sticks,
- clamping bamboo slats onto prisoners’ shins,
- prolonged shackling and isolation.
Countless prisoners became paralyzed or permanently disabled due to the torture and inhumane conditions inside the Cow Shed.
The Final Prison Gate to Open in 1975
The Cow Shed was the last prison area to be opened on May 1, 1975, marking the end of 113 years of the “Hell on Earth” that was Con Dao. At around 8 a.m. that morning, the final political prisoners were freed, closing one of the darkest chapters in Vietnamese history.
National Recognition
On April 29, 1979, the Ministry of Culture and Information issued Decision No. 54-VHQĐ recognizing the Isolated Cow Shed Area as a Special National Relic.
On May 10, 2012, the Prime Minister issued Decision 548/QĐ-TTg, officially designating it as a National Special Relic Site.
