Jolie, Pitt, Thien leave Vietnam

Angelina Jolie and Pax Thien say goodbye to Vietnam

November 17, 2011  about Uncategorized

LookAtVietnam - The Hollywood superstar and her six children left Con Dao Island this morning, November 16. After that, they took a flight from HCM City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport to South Korea.

A car took Jolie and her six children to the aircraft staircase. Though she was escorted by many guards and assistants, the superstar took all six kids to the airplane herself. After Zahara, Shiloh and the twins took their seats, Jolie and two sons returned to the terminal to say goodbye to airport staff.
Jolie and her two sons took photos with airport staffs. “Con Dao is very beautiful. My kids like the island very much. We hope to return here in the future,” she said.

Before leaving the beautiful island, Jolie and her sons – Pax Thien
and Maddox – praised the island’s beauty and wished to return here.
Jolie, Brad Pitt and six kids arrived in Vietnam on November 10, at around 8.20pm. The next day they had lunch, with all Vietnamese cuisines, at the Cuc Gach restaurant in District 1, HCM City. On the afternoon of the same day, they hired a plane of Air Mekong to fly to Con Dao Island. They stayed at the Six Senses resort until the morning of November 16.
This is the first time Pax Thien returning to his home country since he was adopted by Jolie in 2007.
On November 13, Jolie and Brad left their kids at the resort to pay a visit to the Con Dao Prison.
On November 14, Pitt left Con Dao alone. After that, he got a flight to South Korea to advertise his new movie “Moneyball.”

PV

Con Dao Islands

Con Dao islands-from Hell to Heaven

October 23, 2011  about News, Travel

There is still much evidence of a woeful but noble period of Vietnamese history on Con Dao islands today. Once known as a “hell on earth”, the islands have now become a tourist attraction for both domestic and international visitors.  

For more than 118 years, the French colonialists and then the US imperialists had turned
Con Dao (Poulo Condore) into a “Hell on Earth”, where tens of thousands of Vietnamese
patriots were imprisoned and more than 22,000 of them lost their lives for the cause
of national independence and freedom.

The historical relics on the islands reflect the more than 100 years of unjust wars in
Vietnam caused by the French and US aggressors.

They also symbolize the Communists’ faithful and boundless love for the fatherland
and their willingness to sacrifice their lives for it.

Gangway 914 is the site of the first prison break by revolutionary soldiers, many of whom lost their lives.

914 represents the estimated death toll during the building of the Gangway. The actual number was
 probably much higher.

The Tiger Cages, the Cattle Pen, the Phu Hai Stockade and the Ma Thien Lanh Bridge
are unforgettable names in Con Dao’s tragic history.

Visitors are horrified when they see the hot, stifling cells and learn about the back-breaking hard labour
and heinous tortures that were inflicted on the prisoners.

Very little of the Cattle Pen housed cows and pigs; most of it was used as a place to rack the inmates.

The manure trench was three meters deep and was used to soak the inmates.

Only sick prisoners were allowed to wear clothes. Female revolutionaries were sent to the
Tiger Cages without water to bathe and lime and waste were poured onto them.

After being tortured, prisoners had to stay out in the sun and rain.

The French colonialists imposed hard labour as punishment for the detainees.

In 1908, the great nationalist Phan Chu Trinh received a three-year sentence of hard labour
breaking rocks in Con Dao, where he wrote his famous poem “Dap da o Con Lon”.

Image of heroic young female martyr, Vo Thi Sau.

After 36 years of liberation, the islands have now become a paradise for visitors.

Transportation between the mainland and Con Dao is now very convenient and there are two flights
 per week from Ho Chi Minh City to the islands.

Most tourists to Con Dao want to see the prison…

…and visit the Hang Duong Martyrs’ Cemetery

The island chain consists of 16 small mountainous islets covering more than 72km2.

Ton Duc Thang, one of the most beautiful streets in Con Dao, stretches along the coastline with a row
of almond trees that separate the hotels and restaurants from the beach and the crystal clear azure water.