Tragic vestiges from the Con Dao prison period
Van Son Pagoda was built by the US-puppet regime in 1964 on the top of Nui Mot Mountain with the initial purpose of serving the religious needs of the families of officials and soldiers in Con Dao, while also concealing from international public opinion the harsh treatment of prisoners. Many people do not know that this construction is associated with the blood and tears of hundreds of political prisoners.
From the foot of the temple gate, stone steps lead up to Van Son Tu on Mot Mountain.
In April 1965, the ruling government forced life-sentence prisoners confined at Camp 2 (Phu Hai) to carry each bag of sand, each stone, each bag of cement from the foot of the mountain to the top. Under the scorching sun, the skinny bodies still struggled in the hard labor. When the prisoners protested, they were brutally punished: not allowed to bathe, not given enough food, forced to salute the flag and then imprisoned. In particular, 63 prisoners were locked in a narrow stone cellar, the air was blocked, causing many to suffocate. Comrade Mai Van Xinh, from Ben Tre, sacrificed here on May 1, 1965. His grave is now located in Area C, Hang Duong Cemetery - a place that forever reminds of the indomitable spirit of Con Dao prisoners.
From that vestige, Van Son Tu is not only an architectural work but also a testament to the cruelty of the neo-colonial regime, as well as the indomitable will of revolutionary soldiers in "hell on earth".
Journey of revival and restoration
After 1975, when the country was unified, Van Son Pagoda became a place of worship for the islanders, as well as a place to pay tribute to the heroic martyrs. However, for a long time, the pagoda was not taken care of, so it seriously deteriorated. It was not until the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, many Buddhists and local authorities took an interest that the project was gradually revived.
Today, the temple has been restored and become a sacred destination of Con Dao.
In particular, in 2010, the People's Committee of the old Con Dao district coordinated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and many sponsors to implement the project "Investment in construction and restoration of Nui Mot Pagoda" with a total cost of nearly 100 billion VND. After nearly a year of construction, on December 3, 2011, Van Son Tu was inaugurated with a spacious and majestic appearance. This project was also recognized by Ba Ria - Vung Tau province as a historical and cultural relic and provincial-level scenic spot (Decision No. 4025/QD-UBND dated December 4, 2009).
The restoration is not simply restoring a pagoda but also connecting it with the historical relic of Con Dao Prison, turning this place into a destination that converges spiritual, cultural and historical values, both to commemorate the past and to look towards the future of sustainable tourism development.
Van Son Pagoda is ranked as a provincial historical, cultural and scenic relic.
The temple on the mountain facing the sea and sky
Today, Van Son Pagoda stands majestically amidst the majestic nature. Leaning against Mot Mountain, the pagoda has four directions: two directions looking straight out to sea, two directions leaning against the mountains. Standing from the main hall, looking far away, the blue Con Son sea stretches out, boats looming like vivid dots. To the east is Con Son Bay and Con Dao town, to the north opens up the immense An Hai lotus fields, and to the south is a vast forest carpet.
View of Con Son Bay from the pagoda
The architectural complex of the pagoda has a strong East Asian Buddhist style on an area of nearly 20,000 m². The items built and restored include the pagoda gate, bell tower, ancestral house, Dia Tang temple, Son Than temple, Quan Am Bodhisattva statue, and a synchronous infrastructure system. The most prominent is the statue of Quan Am Bodhisattva, over 2 m high, holding a bottle of nectar, standing on a pure lotus pedestal.
Inside the pagoda, the front room worships the statues of Dai Hung Bao Dien, Duc Chua Ong, Duc Thanh Hien, Quan Am Toa Son, Quan Am Nam Hai. The back room worships the statues of Quan Am Chuan De, the First Ancestor of Vietnam, the Holy Mother of Vietnam, the Bright Mirror of Zen, Tran Trieu Hien Thanh. A room on the right worships the statues of President Ho Chi Minh and other heroes and martyrs who contributed to the revolution.
Stepping into the main hall, the quiet space makes people's hearts calm down. Each statue of Buddha and Saint appears solemnly, reminding of the strong spiritual roots in the hearts of the nation. In the shrine of President Ho Chi Minh and the heroic martyrs, many visitors could not hold back their emotions, clasping their hands respectfully before those who sacrificed their youth and lives for the Fatherland. In the middle of the pagoda on the top of Nui Mot, the tragic past of Con Dao seems to come alive, evoking deep gratitude and endless pride in the resilient tradition of the Vietnamese people.
The main hall of Dai Hung Bao Dien
Not only a pilgrimage site, Van Son Pagoda is also a great sightseeing spot. From here, visitors can enjoy the fresh air and feel the harmony of sea, mountains and spirituality.
Timeless meaning
Nui Mot Pagoda - Van Son Tu is not only a relic, but also a vivid historical lesson. This place reminds us of the brutality of war, the pain and resilience of political prisoners, and at the same time affirms the strong vitality of culture and spiritual beliefs of the nation.
Van Son Pagoda has become a sacred destination, not only serving the beliefs of local people and tourists but also a place to commemorate the heroic martyrs who died in Con Dao.
The restoration and embellishment of the pagoda is an important step in the strategy to develop Con Dao into a cultural and spiritual tourist destination. Like the chants of Buddhist scriptures resounding every morning and evening, Van Son Pagoda carries within it a message of awakening, of the morality of “remembering the source of water when drinking”, contributing to cultivating moral values for future generations.
More than half a century has passed since the day political prisoners were forced to build a pagoda in hard labor. Van Son Pagoda now stands tall on the top of Nui Mot Mountain as proof that: from pain, people can still create beauty, from loss, they can still give birth to eternal values. And on the sacred land of Con Son, that pagoda will forever be a destination of faith, of memory and of the desire for peace.
