Located at 240/12 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hoi An Ward, Da Nang City, the site - formerly known as Xom Moi Prison or the Quang Nam Reeducation Center - was built by the United States and the puppet regime in 1960.

According to the Hoi An Center for Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation, the facility detained political prisoners with sentences of up to five years between 1960 and 1975.

It also served as a key transit point for transferring prisoners from Hoi An and Quang Nam to major detention facilities across the country, including Lao Bao, Thua Thien Hue, Kon Tum, Buon Ma Thuot, and Con Dao.

Numerous political prisoners from other provinces were also sent to Hoi An Prison.

“The prison was originally designed for 500 inmates but at times held over 1,000 - including elderly people and children. Despite the harsh conditions, the revolutionary fighters never surrendered,” said Pham Cong Toan, a staff member in charge of the relic.

On March 27, 1975, one day before the liberation of Hoi An, revolutionary forces launched an assault and freed thousands of political prisoners and patriotic civilians.

In 2007, Hoi An Prison was recognized as a provincial-level historical revolutionary site. In 2012, the former Quang Nam government invested over 19 billion VND (approximately $800,000 USD) to restore and preserve the site, which is now open to the public, students, and tourists.

Passing through the rusty iron gates today, visitors are immersed in a haunting chapter of Vietnam’s past through narrow cells, life-sized reconstructions, artifacts, and archived materials.

More than a tourist attraction, Hoi An Prison has become a living history classroom - instilling patriotism and national pride in its visitors.

Ha Nam