The prison located on No 9 Đào Duy Từ Street in Quy Nhơn City is in severe deterioration and in need of urgent repair. Photo dantri.com.vn

BÌNH ĐỊNH Located in the heart of Quy Nhơn City in the central province of central province of Bình Định, Đào Duy Từ Prison, a national historical site is suffering from severe degradation and in need of immediate renovation.

The prison, which was in use  from 1955 to 1962, used to detain political prisoners. Despite its short operation, the building, where many people were imprisoned in an extremely narrow space, was a nightmare in the memories of many former prisoners

By 1998, Đào Duy Từ Prison was recognised as a national historical relic and repaired, but since then, the building seems to have been forgotten and has gradually deteriorated.

Its walls are dampened with blistering paint and it’s the whole wooden structure is seriously rotten. Documents, images and artifacts on display in the relic are in danger of being damaged and destroyed by termites.

Its walls are in poor condition. Photo dantri.com.vn

According to Phan Thành Lang, the chairman of Bình Định Provincial Revolutionary Political Prisoners Association, Đào Duy Từ Prison is a powerful testament to the indomitable fighting spirit of the Vietnamese patriots who used to be detained there.

It is also a place for generations today and tomorrow to commemorate the spirits of heroic martyrs, who devoted themselves in this prison for the Fatherland to revive and renew. The repair and upgrading to preserve and promote the historical and cultural values ​​of this relic is of crucial importance, he stressed.

Đào Duy Từ Prison, where many people were imprisoned in an extremely narrow space, was a nightmare in the memories of many former prisoners. Photo dantri.com.vn

As revealed by Bùi Tĩnh, the director of Bình Định Museum, the records of the relics and the memories of former prisoners, the cell No 1 in Đào Duy Từ Prison was one of the most terrible places of the contemporary government in Bình Định in particular and in the south in general.

He says in order to revive the relic, it is necessary to pay attention to repair, embellish and have vivid visual displays. If the renovation, repair and upgrade of the relic are quickly implemented, Đào Duy Từ Prison relic will uphold its historical and cultural values ​​as well as become a tourism attraction in the city.

"The provincial museum has recently coordinated with the Association of Former Revolutionary Political Prisoners to consult the Department of Culture and Information in preparing a proposal to submit to the Provincial People's Committee, requesting the policy and funding for the restoration and anti-degradation of the relics," Tĩnh said. VNS